MAGLIOZZI

Dear Car Talk: My 2014 Mazda CX-5’s driver’s seat won’t go back. The motor makes the appropriate sound, but it just won’t go backward, as if it’s stuck on something. The seat goes up, down, and forward with no problem, but not backward.

Someone at Advance Auto Parts told me that it’s off the rail. Does that sound right? And if so, can a mechanic put it back on the rail? Thanks so much. I love your column! — Cara

Cara, this is an optional feature for aging drivers. As people get older, they tend to shrink. So, your seat only adjusts forward.

No, this is a problem that other folks have had with this car. Apparently, if an object falls into the seat track, the seat motor mounting bracket can get deformed. And when that happens, and you try to adjust the seat, the cable breaks.

Now, I’m not sure why they call it a “cable.” It’s actually a steel rod. Maybe someone translated it wrong from the original Japanese. But it’s a crucial piece of the seat adjustment mechanism.

When the cable/rod breaks, some people find they can’t move their seat backward or forward. For some, it just seems to move on one rail, essentially twisting the seat when you try to adjust it. And I’m guessing that’s your problem.

Anyway, the solution is to have the “cable” replaced, along with the motor mounting bracket. And I notice that Mazda has redesigned the bracket to make it less, uh, what’s the word? Cheap!

There’s a service bulletin that describes how to fix this and the parts you need. It’s TSB 09-006/16. You might start with the dealer, because I’m guessing they’ve done this repair before. What I don’t know is what they’ll charge you to fix it. A service bulletin is not a recall. It’s just an informational alert to repair shops about a known issue and how to fix it.

We’ve heard reports of people going in and being told they need a new seat for $2,000. In that case, shop around at some independent shops and see if you can find someone willing to do the repair and able to get the parts. Or, if not, look for a mechanic willing to find you a used seat from a junkyard car.

Whatever you end up doing to fix the seat, it’ll be cheaper than moving the whole dashboard forward, Cara. Good luck.

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