How To: Replace Driver's Seat Back Foam

I had the issue others have experienced with the foam on the drivers seat breaking and metal poking through on the seatback bolster. Here is how I did the repair.

The part number for the drivers side seatback foam is: 71552-52B80
I ordered from Battlefield Totyota Parts: https://parts.battlefieldtoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-seat-back-pad-7155252b80

This repair requires removing and replacing about 14 hog rings. I ordered the tool and rings from Amazon.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q4FC96L/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I ordered the 3/4" hog rings and they worked fine, but I think the OEM ones I removed for closer to 1/2" rings.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NA8MJJ2/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Being from the backseat and release the plastic retainer pins from under the seat with a soft pry bar and remove the elastic retainer strap that is hooked onto the springs of the seat bottom.


Lift the flap to expose the first set of hog rings to remove. I found simple tin snips did the trick here. Cut and remove the five rings shown here.


Next, cut the rings holding the blue rubber spline splines. These run from here to the front of the seatback all the way up to near the headrest.


This cable is feed through a cutout in the fabric. To free it I made a small cut in the fabric.


As you begin removing the seat cover, still from the backseat, you will expose the first of two retainers for the side airbag. Use a 10mm socket to remove the first retainer clip and feed it back through the foam.


Continue to remove the seat cover to expose the second airbag clip. Again a 10mm socket does the trick.



Continue to remove the seat cover and move to the front seat. Here you can see the rip in the foam.


Around the area of your shoulder blades there is a horizontal steel spline. It, and the blue rubber splines, are held with hog rings. Cut them off to free them.


There are two final hog rings to remove at the top to free the seat cover, then use a soft pry bar to remove the seat cover and foam backing from the around the headrest insertion points.


Here is the exposed seat frame. If you look close you will notice there is a thick foam tape protecting the sharp edge of one side of the seat frame. This tape is missing from the center side where the foam was ripped/cut.


I went ahead and covered the sharp edge with three layers of duct tape.


Install the new foam back. There is a canvass like backing on the foam in high stress areas including around where the headrest posts are inserted. Use a soft pry bar to maneuver the foam onto the headrest posts.


Do the same with the seat cover and install new hog rings to attach the blue rubber splines.


Begin pulling the seat cover down and install new hog rings at the shoulder blade area for the blue rubber spline and the steel horizontal spline.


Continue to pull and stretch the cover over the foam, being careful to keep the fabric seams aligned with the edges of the foam.

Reinstall the airbag retention straps and clips. Care here! I cut my hand on the sharp metal trying the fish the straps around the airbag.

Finally pull the fabric of the seatback underneath between the seat back and seat bottom to the back of the seat. Make sure the blue rubber spline are snug and reattach with new hog rings. Again, replace the hog rings to attach the fabric of the front of the seat back to the back of the seat back around the steel splines.

Reattach the elastic strap to the springs under the seat. And finally secure the seat bottom flaps from the front and back of the seat using the plastic retention pins that were removed in the first step. And your done.


Total cost was about $150 and took me about two hours to complete.