# Power seat problem

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-seat-problem/78101>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** volvo\
**Created:** [March 18, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-seat-problem/78101 "2013-03-18T21:16:45Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![carterobrien](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e8c25b/32.png) [@carterobrien](https://community.cartalk.com/u/carterobrien)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 9:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-seat-problem/78101/1 "2013-03-18T21:16:45Z")

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Being a vintage Volvo wagon addict, I adopted a 1995 850 several years ago. I didn’t realize it for months until after taking turns driving my old 1990 760, the 740, and then the 850 (close together in time) that the Up&Down driver seat button doesn’t function. By comparison I feel dwarfed in the 850. Having lots of experience doing my own repairs I started out one day with manuals and a plan to fix this myself. But it didn’t take long to get scared off by all the warnings about the need to take it to a Volvo dealer owing to the potential danger of the side impact bag being accidentally activated. I asked a local Volvo specialist about replacing the entire seat and he said he could probably repair it himself but it would probably be several hundred dollars. Then, in a distracted online frenzy, I bid on and won a fully functional seat bottom. I’ve tripped over that box in the garage for about a year now. Is this a job that a cautious, average Joe can do?  
Thanks,  
Carter

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**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\
**Post date:** [March 18, 2013, 9:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/power-seat-problem/78101/2 "2013-03-18T21:29:11Z")

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It’s not very hard to replace a seat, but before you go to all the trouble, find the wire for the power seat and see if it’s broken - sometimes the wire gets out of place, and the seat rolls over its own wire, which eventually cuts it. Twist the wire back together with a wire nut and secure it with some electrical tape and you have it working again without having to replace it.