# Driver's seat won't move **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** hyundai\ **Created:** [November 7, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067 "2020-11-07T22:27:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![davepsinbox\_157004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@davepsinbox\_157004](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davepsinbox_157004)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 10:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/1 "2020-11-07T22:27:38Z")
Last night I drove my wife’s 2016 Hyundai Tucson, which I rarely do, and since there’s a 10" difference in our heights I tried to adjust the (power driver’s) seat but it wouldn’t move. We could both hear what sounded like an electric motor running but nothing else happened. And based on her height and the relative position of the passenger seat, the seat can’t possibly be all the way back. Later, I looked under the seat and between the seat and center console and didn’t see any loose wires or obvious obstructions. Because I rarely drive it, I have no clue how long the problem has existed. It’s going in for normal maintenance soon, and the plan is to have the seat looked at while it’s being serviced, but in the meantime, on principle, does anyone have any ideas? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Mustangman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mustangman/32/44130_2.png) [@Mustangman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Mustangman)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 10:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/2 "2020-11-07T22:36:41Z")
Stripped gearbox on the seat motor. Maybe cause by something jammed in the seat tracks. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 10:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/3 "2020-11-07T22:42:42Z")
> [@Mustangman](#): > > Maybe cause by something jammed in the seat tracks. +1 In my experience, most problems of this sort are the result of something falling into the seat tracks. ---
**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 10:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/4 "2020-11-07T22:57:55Z")
Have you tried pushing back on the seat while operating the motor? Tester ---
**Author:** ![davepsinbox\_157004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@davepsinbox\_157004](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davepsinbox_157004)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 11:05pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/5 "2020-11-07T23:05:12Z")
> [@Tester](#): > > Have you tried pushing back on the seat while operating the motor? Not yet but I will. ---
**Author:** ![galant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/77aa72/32.png) [@galant](https://community.cartalk.com/u/galant)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 11:40pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/6 "2020-11-07T23:40:18Z")
Second the above, clear the tracks and then help the motor with a push in the direction you want to seat to move. Some things need to be used to stay functioning. ---
**Author:** ![davepsinbox\_157004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@davepsinbox\_157004](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davepsinbox_157004)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2020, 11:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/7 "2020-11-07T23:47:13Z")
> [@galant](#): > > clear the tracks and then help the motor with a push in the direction you want to seat to move. Clear the tracks of what? There are no obstructions visible. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 12:28am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/8 "2020-11-08T00:28:19Z")
There might be something jammed and completely in the track (not visible). I helped my wife get a small bottle of hand sanitizer that fell between the seat and console. I had to get down and look at the seat track, and it was not easy to see inside it. Maybe your Kia is different. ---
**Author:** ![davepsinbox\_157004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@davepsinbox\_157004](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davepsinbox_157004)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 1:00am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/9 "2020-11-08T01:00:32Z")
Possibly. If I get a chance I’ll try a vacuum. ---
**Author:** ![oldnotdeadyet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a6a055/32.png) [@oldnotdeadyet](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oldnotdeadyet)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 1:49am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/10 "2020-11-08T01:49:47Z")
Question for the experts: does the gear have a clutch or other mechanism to prevent the unit from stripping gears? ---
**Author:** ![old\_mopar\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/6bbea6/32.png) [@old\_mopar\_guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/old_mopar_guy)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 4:12am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/11 "2020-11-08T04:12:14Z")
There’s a shear pin holding a pinion gear to the motor shaft. ---
**Author:** ![wentwest](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wentwest/32/6073_2.png) [@wentwest](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wentwest)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 4:52am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/12 "2020-11-08T04:52:38Z")
Does it move in any direction? Front, back, up, down, tilt? ---
**Author:** ![Nevada\_545](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/nevada_545/32/41232_2.png) [@Nevada\_545](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Nevada_545)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 4:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/13 "2020-11-08T04:59:23Z")
Every seat adjuster that I have worked on had a direct drive motor, no gears. There is a plastic square drive output socket on the motor that connects to a cable similar to a speedometer cable that connects to the seat adjuster. If Hyundai is using shear pins it seems that they are designed to fail. A seat motor has limited strength and has an internal circuit breaker in case the motor stalls, it doesn’t need a clutch or shear pins. ---
**Author:** ![davepsinbox\_157004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@davepsinbox\_157004](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davepsinbox_157004)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/14 "2020-11-08T18:13:08Z")
> [@wentwest](#): > > Does it move in any direction? Front, back, up, down, tilt? Sorry, I should have been more clear. It moves up and down and I can change the angle of the seat back. It just won’t move front to rear. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 7:31pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/15 "2020-11-08T19:31:44Z")
That is a pretty clear indication of something caught in the tracks. ---
**Author:** ![davepsinbox\_157004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@davepsinbox\_157004](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davepsinbox_157004)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/16 "2020-11-08T21:24:09Z")
Seems that way to me too. But since I can’t see anything I’ll leave it to the professionals. ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/17 "2020-11-08T21:27:13Z")
If you have a short screwdriver, you could probe inside the tracks to see if you can pop something free. ---
**Author:** ![davepsinbox\_157004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@davepsinbox\_157004](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davepsinbox_157004)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 9:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/18 "2020-11-08T21:27:57Z")
Could be. I’ll try it and see. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2020, 9:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/19 "2020-11-08T21:39:26Z")
> [@jtsanders](#): > > If you have a short screwdriver, you could probe inside the tracks to see if you can pop something free. +1 I would also try donning a pair of exam gloves, and manually probing the tracks. ---
**Author:** ![wentwest](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wentwest/32/6073_2.png) [@wentwest](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wentwest)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2020, 4:16am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067/20 "2020-11-09T04:16:30Z")
I wouldn’t be surprised to find a penny or a dime jamming things up. They end up under there all the time. [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/drivers-seat-wont-move/172067.md?page=2)