I wanted to check out how flat the back seats go when folded forwards so I pulled the release levers in the trunk. Left and right ones went back up just fine and lock back in place. The center one won't seem to do it. Is there some trick I'm missing?

 

Year?

 

Oops 2021 Grand Touring with Premium Pkg

 

I find they can be a bit finicky. I have to release and reset them sometimes to get a solid lock.

 

Aha! I got it!

That was one of the little issues I had when i was showing the new car to the family lol.

 

That is a pretty good trick. The manual does not describe auto seatback return to vertical, only how to fold down, whether using the levers or the straps, and how to lock the seats into position...there is a red indicator near the button to indicate the seat backs are not properly locked in the up position.

On our 2014 GT, which is now gone, the seatbacks seem to work in the same way. Two levers on the driver side in the trunk, the outer controls two seats, to fold down left seat and the center section. One lever on the right side of trunk to fold down right side. On the left side, the inner lever controls the center section fold down only.

What I noticed is that pulling on the rear levers when the seats are folded down, the seat backs will usually flip back because they are assisted by the tension on seat belts wanting to retract. The center section has no seatbelt assist. I found that the seatbacks may:
1. not flip up and lock,
2. flip up and not lock or
3. they may not flip back at all if the seat belt has slipped out of its guide and is not tensioned against the seatback.

Traditionally, I have always folded the seat backs up from the rear side doors. I have usually had to remove the head rests so the seat backs would fold down without hitting the front seats. So I naturally use the rear side doors to fold up the seatbacks, because I needed to check that the seats are:
1. Properly locked
2. In my selected recline position (e.g. not too upright or laid back)
3. Checked the seatbelts are not tangled
4. Replace the headrests.

For our 2021, since it is not my primary car, I have not had cause to drop the seat backs down, but I have folded them back up. I never used levers out of habit I discussed above. I did notice the seatbacks were folded down without the head rests removed, and I had no interference flipping them up, likely because my wife was driving, and is shorter than me.

 

I tried to be pretty gentle with it. Back in the day when my parents' 2014 CX-5 Touring was pretty new they'd folded the seats down and one of them wouldn't lock back. They took it to the dealership thinking it was something simple they were doing wrong but they ended up having to replace the whole rear seat. I never did hear the story on what was wrong but I've been leery of folding them ever since then!

 

Hi Greg, I saw you say you figured out how to get the center seat to latch back upright, but did not say how specifically? I am having the same problem on my 2022 Mazda CX-5, premium plus package. Any advice? Thanks!

 

You are saying when you flip the center section up it doesn't latch? Maybe try pulling the center section release from the cargo area to make sure the latch is open? Could it have possibly been bumped closed while the seat was down? If that does not do it I would return to the dealer for them to have a look.

 

I can't remember exactly how I got it back up sorry!