Have you had the chance to speak to the dealer about this?
First Issue with my Ram (front seat cover)
I have a Longhorn with the cattle tan interior, and the passenger leather front lower seat cover kept coming loose along the front edge of the seat. There is a plastic clip that attaches under the front edge of the seat that holds the seat cover on. The clip runs about 3/4 of the length of the front edge and is sewn into the leather on one side and clips under the seat on the other. It wraps under the seat and clips into place.
That front clip kept popping off whenever anyone sat in the seat. I've had the truck exactly 2 weeks. After an online search I read about several people having the same issue and folks having new seat covers ordered by their dealers, with some taking weeks to come in, only to have the exact same problem again.
I wish I had taken some pictures...but here's an explanation of what I found and how I fixed it. The clip is essentially a strip of plastic with a grove and lip that slides over the edge of the seat sheet metal. The lip clips over several indented attaching tabs that were punched into the sheet metal. On the side closest to the door, the last attaching point was either punched in the wrong location or the plastic clip wasn't sewn into the correct position on the seat cover, because it barely clipped on at that point. Only about 1/3rd of the last tab closest to the door was engaging the clip. The plastic clip would pop off at that edge and then come loose on the other tabs. I also noticed the other tabs that were punched into the sheet metal didn't have much of a lip, like they weren't opened up far enough to engage the clip properly. The tabs were open on the top having been punched through the sheet metal, so I was able to get a screwdriver in between them and "open" them up a bit further. This allowed more bite for the plastic clip to hold onto. I simply opened up all of the tabs a bit further to ensure the seat cover clip would stay in place. It definitely locks in much better now with a very positive click when its installed. It has not come loose since the fix a few days ago. I'll keep you guys informed on whether the fix is still holding in a few weeks. After reading about the problem on another site, a poster there had his fixed by using some common upholstery hog rings. They simply punched holes in the plastic clip and used the hog rings to hold it in place. That is my backup plan if my fix doesn't hold over time.
Three things seem to be causing the problem.
1. The plastic clip used by Mopar is a cheap design and does not provide for a very strong positive lock. It doesn't take much force to unlock it.
2. The plastic clip is not aligned properly with the sheet metal attaching tabs, so that the last tab closest to the door does not fully engage the clip. The seat cover appears to be installed correctly and is not skewed, so either the clip is not properly attached or the tabs are not properly located.
3. The sheet metal tabs were not punched through adequately to properly engage the plastic clip.
Anyone else have this problem, and if so, what was your fix? BTW, I also looked at my driver's seat and the alignment of the clip to the tabs has the same issue as the passenger side. However, the clip seems to be very firmly in place.
That front clip kept popping off whenever anyone sat in the seat. I've had the truck exactly 2 weeks. After an online search I read about several people having the same issue and folks having new seat covers ordered by their dealers, with some taking weeks to come in, only to have the exact same problem again.
I wish I had taken some pictures...but here's an explanation of what I found and how I fixed it. The clip is essentially a strip of plastic with a grove and lip that slides over the edge of the seat sheet metal. The lip clips over several indented attaching tabs that were punched into the sheet metal. On the side closest to the door, the last attaching point was either punched in the wrong location or the plastic clip wasn't sewn into the correct position on the seat cover, because it barely clipped on at that point. Only about 1/3rd of the last tab closest to the door was engaging the clip. The plastic clip would pop off at that edge and then come loose on the other tabs. I also noticed the other tabs that were punched into the sheet metal didn't have much of a lip, like they weren't opened up far enough to engage the clip properly. The tabs were open on the top having been punched through the sheet metal, so I was able to get a screwdriver in between them and "open" them up a bit further. This allowed more bite for the plastic clip to hold onto. I simply opened up all of the tabs a bit further to ensure the seat cover clip would stay in place. It definitely locks in much better now with a very positive click when its installed. It has not come loose since the fix a few days ago. I'll keep you guys informed on whether the fix is still holding in a few weeks. After reading about the problem on another site, a poster there had his fixed by using some common upholstery hog rings. They simply punched holes in the plastic clip and used the hog rings to hold it in place. That is my backup plan if my fix doesn't hold over time.
Three things seem to be causing the problem.
1. The plastic clip used by Mopar is a cheap design and does not provide for a very strong positive lock. It doesn't take much force to unlock it.
2. The plastic clip is not aligned properly with the sheet metal attaching tabs, so that the last tab closest to the door does not fully engage the clip. The seat cover appears to be installed correctly and is not skewed, so either the clip is not properly attached or the tabs are not properly located.
3. The sheet metal tabs were not punched through adequately to properly engage the plastic clip.
Anyone else have this problem, and if so, what was your fix? BTW, I also looked at my driver's seat and the alignment of the clip to the tabs has the same issue as the passenger side. However, the clip seems to be very firmly in place.
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
No, I figured I would take it back in if it pops off again. After reading all of the responses on the other site from people who had the same issue, I didn't want to waste a trip to the dealer only to have it happen again if it was an easy fix for me to do.
6 months and 8k miles later and no further issues with the leather seat.
Thanks for the update. Keep us posted.
The leather seat bottom on my Laramie became loose and wrinkled within several months. Dealer replaced seat cover but it still did not fit well and looked as bad as the original. Next step is new seat cushion w/cover (it's been ordered). Jeez… Would expect better quality for a $54K truck.
I am spending more time at my dealer than for any other vehicle I have owned (6 Ford trucks since 1992). Fortunately, most of these problems have been small and don't affect vehicle operability.
Until now. As I type this I'm sitting in my dealership's "customer lounge" as they are addressing the Check Engine Light that popped up this morning. It appears to be the dreaded P020EE code: emissions/DEF/catalytic converter.
Although I really liked this truck when first purchased (and through most of the 30K miles I have driven), all these visits for service and the ongoing problems are making me seriously consider selling it and going back to Ford trucks.
I am spending more time at my dealer than for any other vehicle I have owned (6 Ford trucks since 1992). Fortunately, most of these problems have been small and don't affect vehicle operability.
Until now. As I type this I'm sitting in my dealership's "customer lounge" as they are addressing the Check Engine Light that popped up this morning. It appears to be the dreaded P020EE code: emissions/DEF/catalytic converter.
Although I really liked this truck when first purchased (and through most of the 30K miles I have driven), all these visits for service and the ongoing problems are making me seriously consider selling it and going back to Ford trucks.
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
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