Drivers seat stuck

[Artie]

While cleaning my 2011 S1600 interior I moved the seat forward and now its stuck....totally locked in the fully forward position I don,t want to use brute force in case I break anything but it is well and truly locked....HELP hat have I done.

[Goyle]

exactly the same thing happened on my 09 plate zetec s... it must be a common fault.

I tried everything to free off the seat and in the end resorted to hammering the seat back with a lump hammer, i oiled the runners and now it does go backwards and forwards but is a bit dodgy.

[Artie]

It is a common fault Goyle or so I have since found out.I gave up in the end and took it to a guy who does all the stuff I can,t I,ve used him for 20 years and he is proper old school.
Firstly he rang someone he knew at Ford and they admitted to selling 30 drivers seat frames(at £325 each) for the Mk7 Fiesta within the past couple of months and that is in just the Yorkshire region!!
If you take your car to Ford they do like you did smack it with a big hammer and replace the frame so with labour you are probably looking at a bill of nearly £500.
The problem stems from the tilt and slide facitlity on the drivers seat which is too flimsy for the job so basically what happens is when you let someone into the back of the Fiesta they automatocally put some weight onto the seat back in effect pushing it forward while its tilted which in turn bends something in the frame(I,m not sure what)over time this locks the seat in the fully forward position.
I have never had anyone in the back of mine so the damage must already have been done and thinking back if I have tilted and slid the seat during say vacing the car out it sounded as if the catch was not releasing properly so I can only assume the damage had already been done by the previous owner.
My mate fixed it by smacking it with a big hammer like you unbolting the subframe then bending the offending item back the seat is now spot on again but he described the part as not up to the job...using a few expletives along the way.
The solution to the problem is if you let anyone into the back of your Mk7 Fiesta let them in through the passenger side....
Hope my long winded answer makes some kind of sense because as these cars get older the problem will become more widespread so hopefully this will help someone after all that is what forums are for I like to think.

[Goyle]

cheers for the informative reply