We bought a year-end '07 STS and really love it. The only complaint is the rear visibility for my rather short wife because of the headrests on the rear seat. Since we seldom have passengers in the rear she would like me to remove them. Has anyone done this? I took a quick look and there is obviously a positive stop to keep them from being removed. Is there a trick to removing these or will I have to remove the seatback to gain access?

 

Raise head rest slightly. Press in on tab and lift

 

I tried that, slowroll.

The headrest goes up about 3 or 4 inches and hits a positive stop and I mean positive. No amount of pushing, prying or pleading will budge it from that point. Holding the tab in allows free movement up and down but only as far as the positive stop.

(I have a hacksaw but that would make it a bit difficult to reinstall them when we sell the car)

 

Did you find tab at top of seat back?

 

Slowroll, I am not sure what you are referring to as a tab. I have made three trips to the garage to crawl into the back seat but all I have been able to find are two round plastic guides for each headrest that are inserted into the top of the rear seat. They are about 2 inches in diameter and one of them has a button on the side that, when depressed, allows you to lower the headrest. Holding down on this button does not allow the headrest to be raised any more than the highest adjustment. Trust me, there may be another tab somewhere but I am not finding it.

Thanks for your help but I have probably already spent more time on this project that it is worth. I have an appointment with the dealer for my 1000-mile check up and I can turn this over to their service department. If a tab exists they should be able to find it. I will let everyone know the result in the event someone else in this forum wants to remove their rear seat headrests.

Thanks again,

 

When at dealer request Do***ent ID# 1703751

 

Dealer said it's a safety issue and refused to remove headrest or give me any information on how to do it myself. (I told him I hadn't used the back seat of any of my cars since I was 18 years old but he refused to budge)

This sort of thing just makes me more determined. After close inspection I am guessing there is a snap ring on the end of one or both of the notched metal rods that support the headrest. Tonight in a cold garage in Ohio the seatback comes out so I can confirm this.

Thanks
Robert

 

Ok, I finally got it. Persistence pays off again. I have a friend whose son is a certified Mr. Goodwrench and he passed along the secret. Of course this is only accurate for my car, a 2007 STS. As you kneel on the rear seat facing the headrest you will see a plastic boss about 1 ½� in diameter where each of the two steel support rods enter the seat back. The one on the left has an obvious button or trigger to adjust the height of the headrest. The one on the right has a not so obvious hole approximately 1/16� in diameter. To remove the headrest you must push a small tool such as a drill bit into the hole right to release a catch, press the button on the left and raise the headrest all at the same time. It’s a trick to do if you don’t happen to have three hands.

 

I was wondering if you ever figured that out. Thanks for the post, it may save someone else some aggravation.