u/bobmanuk

I have recently bought a Mazda 2 - 2005 but the rear seat situation is baffling me.

The rear seats have a handle on either side but they are not a usual lever style release, instead the handle kind of rolls forward and has a red piece that pops up, or rolls back and the red piece hides away.

In neither position does the seat unlatch or offer any resistance to suggest that it has or could.

I suspect it’s damaged internally because the previous owner seems to have taken a tool to the mechanism which can be seen in the boot, plastic chewed up and the metal back of the seat has been bent out of shape where the bar slots into the seat back.

If it is damaged, how to best go about releasing or removing the mechanism? I see torx bolts holding points of the seat, those should be easy enough, but I still need to release the seat from the bar, which seems to be behind the trim on both sides.

I’d rather have more boot space than functional rear seats. Id be happy with a full delete, but not sure about rear seatbelts come MOT time.

Anyone have any suggestions?

Thanks