Removal of Prius V sliding rear seats

Folding one half forward and flat would not achieve the objective?

 

Welcome @Bob Whitemarsh to priuschat. I live less than 10 miles away in Abington PA. I am a Hard Core DIYer that owns two Prius v's. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions.

I found out that it is not that hard to get the seats out, but I found out the hard way.

In the summer of 2020, my wife went grocery shopping. A steak she had bought came out of the grocery bag, and it slid under the back seat. The Traction battery provided just enough heat to promote the rapid rotting of the meat, and of course the rotten juice leaked out onto the carpet. The car smelled horrible. This is my Uber Driving car, so it was fortunate that I was not Ubering during the pandemic. It required several attempts with different shampoos to get rid of the smell of the rotten meat juice in the carpet.

Step 1) slide the seats all the way back. Remove the plastic trim cover on the front of each track, and remove the 14mm bolt underneath.


Step 2) slide the seats all the way forward. Remove the two plastic covers on each side to reveal two 14mm bolts that hold the two center tracks.


Step 3) The hard part is removing the rear bolts on the outside. They are covered by the plastic trim that covers the area between the seat, and the door bottom. You can see where the bolts are, but removing that plastic trim piece would be a PITA. Since the location of the bolts is hidden from view by the seat, I decided a round hole to provide access to these bolts made sense. I used a 1 inch flat wood bit to drill a hole in the trim piece to make the 14mm bolts accessible. It is not pretty, but only the guy who replaces the Hybrid battery will ever see it.

 

Is it, though? I don't have a v, but I'm kind of accustomed to those door-sill-to-seat pieces in other cars more or less popping right off.

 

I tried to remove the trim piece, and there was some roadblock that I can't recall. @ChapmanF, your car is a Gen3 that I believe does not have the sliding seats. Certainly the sliding seats are heavier. I remember thinking why did Toyota have to design the trim piece to cover a bolt head that most people will never see. That was before I tried to replace my spark plugs, and discovered about how the Wiper tray had to come out.

Anyway, it was probably worth it to drill the holes. I removed the seats three times before I managed to get all of the smell out.

 

I just went out to give it a try. I was able to remove that plastic trim piece without too much trouble. I had to use more force than I usually allow myself when working with plastic trim. Getting it back in was a bear.

I now have the holes in my 2013 Prius v, so that is how I will remove the seats in the future in that car. If I have to remove the seats in the 2017 Prius v, it is a tossup which is easier, drill holes or remove the trim piece.

Good practice with plastic trim though. I replaced the POS factory rear speakers within two weeks of buying the car. It does not do much good to put decent 35 watt speakers in when the speaker wires are like 22 gauge wire. Rewiring the speakers, and adding the booster amp I purchased has been on the back burner for about 3 years.

 

I will say the rear sliding and reclining seats in a v are almost limo comfortable with their adjustment capabilities and extra leg room. Plus it allows access to the semi "hidden" umbrella shelf behind.

The trim piece does come out but it is secured with several push pins, brackets plus two blue pins. If I remember right you unsnap the rest and then slide the trim back to disengage. No bolts. Note at least one blue pin was broken. Best to buy the pins the first time until you know exactly where they are. The right scuff panel had to come off to change my antenna preamp seven years ago. If I had to access the seat bolt often I would do something like your fix.

Zoomed


Ebay Rear Scuff Panel Back View

 

One of those vibratory cutting tools would make quick work of cutting the clearance slot in the plastic.

 

Or a 1” diameter hole saw, gingerly.

 

I could not find my 1 inch hole saw, which would have made a cleaner hole.

BTW: I did try removing the left side trim piece last night. It took more force than I usually permit for removing trim pieces, but it does come out. I found 3 of the blue plastic clips, the rearmost of which I damaged during removal. I was able to re-use the damaged clip. There were at least three other clips that were part of the trim piece itself. Also installation meant futzing with the door gasket, so it took several attempts to get the re-installation right.

All in all, cutting the hole took less time, which was a consideration because of the smell factor.

 

Something else I just remembered. The center seat belt goes through part of the larger right rear seat. This makes it difficult to completely separate it from the car.

Since my goal was to shampoo the carpet under the seat, I did not try to disconnect the center seat belt. I simply placed the seat next to the car in the driveway with the center seat belt still attached. If anyone reading this wants to completely remove the right rear seat (like the OP: for camping), they will have address this problem. Probably it will require removal of trim pieces.

In the book "Nomadland", there were people who considered a Prius a primo camping vehicle. Biggest advantage was the ability to sleep with AC on, with the engine only running when it absolutely had to. Removal of the back seats, made room for customized storage compartments, and made a completely level, comfortable bed possible.

 

Even better for cutting the access holes in the plastic for the bolts would be to use a one inch hole saw. Remove the center drill bit by loosening the setscrew that hold it in place. Pry up that section of the plastic and stick a scrap of 1/4 inch thick plywood under it.

Use a slow speed battery powered drill, and you will cut a nice clean clearance hold in the plastic without scratching or marring the finish of either the bolt head or the seat mounting bracket.