I have an '06 A4 that I've had for just a couple months. I had need of dropping the rear seats yesterday and unfortunately, my passenger (who is 6'5") pushed the passenger-side front seat back when the seats were down and pushed in that little red-banded tab that pops out of the top of the rear seat when they're not latched.

The driver's side seat latched back, but now, no matter what I do (slam, press hard, etc) to the passenger-side rear seat, it won't latch when I put it back up. Any ideas? Seems like that little tab at the top of the release latch needs to pop back up before it will latch in, but I can't figure out how to release it since it's now stuck down.

 

Well, I wiggled a flat screwdriver around and managed to pry up the tab that is supposed to pop up when you release the seat latch. That allowed me to latch it, but it's on there for good now. Looks like the latch itself is broken inside somehow, but at least the seat back is up and locked in place.

I'm sure it's going to cost me a fortune--just wish I could take it out on the oversized oaf of a friend who drove the front seat backwards into it after I told him he didn't have any more room to go back.

 

i have the same issue i dont know how to fix it

 

I have had this issue for a while. I just have to grab the tab and pull it up and hold it and then push the seat back and push the tab down. I wouldn't slam the seat though, prolly not good for the latch.

 

It's stuck shut now. Feels like the little release trigger isn't doing anything anymore. I'll have to poke around and see if there's a way to release it from the trunk. Otherwise, I'm sure it'll cost me when I go for my complementary service in a month or so.

 

This might be dumb, but did you make sure that the latch wasn't locked? You can use your key to lock it shut, and it may have somehow locked itself.

 

It's not dumb, but no, it's not locked. I've actually locked and and unlocked it several times to see if it would spring the mechanism, but it doesn't help.

 

my driver side back seat does the same thing, it has since I bought the car. I just deal

 

hey guys, any resolution to this issue? looks like i have the exact same problem...

 

So, I managed to fix this myself and forgot to update the thread. Sorry this will probably be tough to understand with just words (I didn't think to take pictures).

First, to get the seat unlatched (it was jammed shut), I used a flat-head screwdriver and carefully pried up the little red-striped tab that pops up when the latch is working normally. Once I freed that, the seat latch released normally. Then, I took the whole latch apart. It's just a phillips screw on the side by the latch mechanism and a torx one on the top under where the release handle is (I think it was a T15, but I can't remember).

Pretty much all the parts are plastic and it's not hard to tell how the mechanism works once you get it apart. There is a tiny spring that WILL get bent up when you remove the pop-up tab thingy. I straightened that with a needle-nose to get it back together when I was done. You may not need to take the plastic tab out--don't if you don't have to, but I did because I wasn't sure how it all worked together.

The thing that was wrong is that the plastic post was bent. Basically, I just popped the retaining clip off the plastic post and removed the big spring. Then, I held the plastic post with a needle-nose to bend it the right direction and applied some heat from a hairdryer. Once I felt I'd bent it enough to make contact with the little ledge in the latch mechanism, I cooled it, put it all back together and it worked!

Don't know how long it will hold since it's all just plastic, but at least it is working now. Take it apart--it's not too difficult to figure out how it works once you see it apart. Remove the guts on the other side too if you need to compare. I ended up removing the good side, but not taking it all apart. Just don't lose that teeny spring! I can't believe all those parts are plastic and only a pound or two of spring pressure exerted by plastic on plastic is what keeps the latch locked shut.