Driver seat jerking

[Gaurav]

I just got 2009 Chevy Trail Blazer for my wife yesterday, and seen that driver seat has very mild jerking while hard braking and hard take-off. It has power seat, and wondering if there is some quick fix to this issue or require some expensive power seat component replacement?

[gautam]

Hi Gaurav,

Trail Blazers from that period have a known issue with the seat frame that breaks. The most common problem is a cross brace that breaks because it is not strong enough, but if you know of a good welder, you can remove the seat and have it repaired relatively cheaply.

Another common problem with Trail Blazer seats is the runners that either break, or stick in one position. This too can be repaired by most garages, but I would advise you to go to a garage that can do TIG welding, since ordinary arc welding will just break again because the weld is very brittle.  

[Gaurav]

Thanks Gautam, this sounds doable atleast, unlike the previous owner sounded like impossible mission.

Can you please help in making me understand better, do "I HAVE TO" remove the seat and then take it to welder or welder can reach with the seat placed in it's place (trying to reduce hassle). Secondly the power seat mechanism works perfect just a small 4-5 mm moving jerk happen. Do you have any picture of diagram that can help me understand better so that I can translate same to the welder or mechanic...?

[gautam]

Hi Gaurav,

Unfortunately you have to remove the seat from the vehicle to prevent burning the carpets during welding, but also because the frame is inaccessible if the seat is not removed.

Also, you need to have the upholstery removed from the frame to prevent damage during welding. It might be possible to weld the frame without removing the upholstery, but I don't advise it.

The picture shows where the frame usually breaks. The two, thin bars running at right angles between the seat runner tracks are the most common failure, but sometimes the riser brackets can also fail. The best thing to do is to remove the seat and have it repaired, since almost all seats from Trail Blazers from this period are either broken, or previously repaired, but with a repaired seat you never know what you get. The repair might have been poorly done, meaning that some power adjustments may not work.

I hope this helps.