2008 Tacoma Driver Seat Lumbar Support

Hey, Y'all!

So I loaned my Tacoma to a friend who somehow managed to "break" my factory manual crank lumbar support. Now, the seat sort of 'Caves in" and there is no support - and there is no effect when I crank the support either direction.

I am a little reluctant to completely remove the seat and start poking around - was hoping someone here has already done that and found out how to repair or replace the Lumbar support.

Any help or suggestions is appreciated. Thanks!

 

Get Wet Okole seat covers with the lumbar support attachment. Easy Peasy.

Removing the seat is easy. 4 bolts and it pops right out. Anything could have broken/let go between the dial and the mechanism in the lumbar area. I'd just take the seat right out of the truck, turn it over and start following that cable looking for anything that's broken. Should be a simple fix. Don't be intimidated by pulling shit apart. Take pics on your phone if you're worried about remembering how things go back together, and keep all the parts you take off, together in one place.

 

Thank you! I will look at both options - I feel better knowing it's just 4 bolts. Might make a seat-Sunday out of this - and if it's too much - Wet Okole might be the best solution - Thanks, Matt!

 

No problem. Take pics of your project and post your progress.

 

I do have a suggestion or two for you.

1. Don't loan your truck to a "friend".

2. Your "friend" broke it, allow him to pay for the repairs.

If he is a true friend he will get it repaired for you.

 

OK - So - Again THANKS, Matt for the burst of Courage...

So - I took the seat out (14mm socket with 4 Bolts - Plus removing (2) electrical plugs and a wire mount) apart - looked inside and discovered that the way the lumbar support works is really quite simple. There are basically (2) stiffeners running vertical up the right and left rear of the seat. Plus a maze of what looks like a 20 gage wire frame work and finally a center stiffener that holds all the wire framework together.

When the driver adjusts the lumbar support, there are two "levers" (ok i don't know what you call them but the work like brakes on a bicycle) that tighten and loosen upon adjustment. They are attached to both the LEFT and RIGHT upright stiffeners - in a location that is - you guessed it - at the LUMBAR location of the seat.

When they are tightened, the stiffeners come closer together - creating tension on the lower back portion of the seat - ultimately making a bulge in that area of the seat GROW. A-ha - the Lumbar Support

Then, when you loosen the knob, they spread (or relax) apart, thereby making the lumbar support SHRINK.

So - what probably happened, when my buddy borrowed the truck, he took a cat nap at a rest area - probably rolled over on his side or stomach and I am guessing his Knee Blew Out the center stiffener along with most of the wire maze. Jerk ;-(

NEXT - I let my wife have a look at the inside of the seat and she discovered that if you secure the two "Levers" together (which were still attached to the RIGHT AND LEFT Stiffeners - that when we adjusted the Lumbar Knob - BINGO - the Lumbar support came back!!!

(See, guys, letting your woman take a look at things that are stiff can be a great help from time to time

So - with a selection of good Wire Ties (Zip ties) we attached them together, replaced the seat and have a great new Lumbar Support.

I attached photos of the job for you so see it from start to discovery - Enjoy!!!

 

So - I agree - He didn't even tell us he broke it - Kind of a D-Bag - Owes me money too - So - I used the term "friend" loosely

 

Glad you got it.

 

Awesome work @pioneerduster. You've now fixed your own truck. I find most repairs to be exactly this simple. Remove, repair, replace. Take the time to research it then start pulling things apart. It's usually pretty obvious when you find a failed or worn-out part. Within a few years I started getting more confident and went from just changing oil, to doing brakes, and last year installed a complete new suspension on my own in my garage. 5 years ago I couldn't have named half the parts I replaced. You get a lot of satisfaction out of fixing your own stuff (especially vehicles) and it's a great excuse to continue filling your tool chest and garage shelves.

If you need to replace that part in the future, or want to get your acquaintance to pay for it, this is what you need

http://www.ebay.com/itm/TOYOTA-OEM-...ash=item4d30954ea3:g:FlAAAOSwyQtVi9Bx&vxp=mtr

 

So, there seems to me a gap between what the first poster did and what the last poster posted. Here is my attempt at finding the middle ground. I used coat hangar wire to replace broken wires. I moved around some of the "good" factory wires to the critical middle cable points and supplemented the "donor" spots with the coat hangar wires.

Thanks to pioneerduster (OP) and neverstuck. That way I still have adjustment and not having to buy a new lumbar. Both posts were very informative.

 

This site is great, thanks for all the above. An overweight tech broke my seat last week. I followed the above an Whala!! See before and after pictures. Made a template for the spring, 4 coat hangar later and a length of music wire for the vertical stiffer which as broken as well and it's done and feels great. Gotta love coat hangars. Thanks guys.

 

I know this is an old thread but I think there maybe a lot of other people that have this issue and should see this. I think that maybe something in my seat is stretched out, I can feel my lumbar moving but not enough for my needs.