So ever since I bought my Montero a few months ago, I notice my front driver's side seat back would squeak when pressure is applied to it. It got pretty annoying as any movement I would make while driving would cause the squeaking noise. I pinpointed it to where the left bolster met the mid cushion and decided to remove the panel behind the seat.
On my 98, I first removed 2 philips screws hidden under some plastic caps. Next, just pull down on the panel and it should pop right off. You can see the metal retaining clips that hold the top into place in the following pic.
After some trial and error by stuffing a rag in difference places, I found that my squeak came from the cushion pushing against the metal bar near the bottom of the cushion. It's easier to spot while you pull the cushion springs back as in the pic below.
I ended up just using an old t-shirt and stuffing it in between the cushion and the metal bar. A small rag could have worked better and less bulky, but the panel went back on without any issues and there is now some additional lumbar support lol. I have yet to drive it, but will report back with any issues. Hope this helps anyone out there with this issue.
On my 98, I first removed 2 philips screws hidden under some plastic caps. Next, just pull down on the panel and it should pop right off. You can see the metal retaining clips that hold the top into place in the following pic.
After some trial and error by stuffing a rag in difference places, I found that my squeak came from the cushion pushing against the metal bar near the bottom of the cushion. It's easier to spot while you pull the cushion springs back as in the pic below.
I ended up just using an old t-shirt and stuffing it in between the cushion and the metal bar. A small rag could have worked better and less bulky, but the panel went back on without any issues and there is now some additional lumbar support lol. I have yet to drive it, but will report back with any issues. Hope this helps anyone out there with this issue.
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