1998 Mercury Villager bench seat

4. Place your hand under the seat cushion and tip the front of the
seat upward slightly. Slide the seat rearward to release the seat
from its anchor position.
5. Two people should lift the seat and remove it from the vehicle.
6. Replace any floor mats that were removed.
If you decide to move the three-passenger bench seat forward to
the second row position, passengers riding in the seat will use
the second row safety belts.
The floor latch levers
Adjustable Rear Seating
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Installing the Two-Passenger Bench Seat
To replace the bench seat in its original position:
1. Make sure the area around the floor anchor positions is free
from obstruction.
2. With the seatback folded down, two people should lift the seat
into the vehicle.
3. Place the seat slightly behind the floor anchor positions and
catch the rear leg anchors into each anchor position.
4. Press down on the front of the seat to secure the front legs to
the two floor latch locks. Place the seatback in the upright
position.
5. Try to move the seat to be sure that it is securely fastened.
6. Always reattach the tongue into the auxiliary buckle mounted
to the sliding door side of the seat.
Labels have been provided on the side of the seat to remind you
of important safety precautions.
7. Replace any floor mats that were removed.
WARNING
Keep foreign objects out of the floor anchors. Objects in
the floor anchors could prevent front and rear seat legs from
engaging properly.
WARNING
Before sitting in the removable seats, make sure that the
seat legs are securely attached by the floor anchors.
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The quick-release bucket seat also has two levers on the back of
the seat Ð one to fold down the seatback and one to slide
the seat forward. These levers allow third-row passengers to enter
and exit more easily.
Removable Captain Seats
If your vehicle has second row captain seats, you can remove
them if you need extra cargo space. With the second-row seats
removed, the third-row bench seat can be moved up to the second
row position for additional rear cargo area room. When the
third-row seat is moved to this position, passengers will use the
second-row safety belts.
To help prevent personal injury, at least two people are needed to
remove the seats.
Quick-release bucket seat levers
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Three-Passenger Bench Seat
When entering and exiting the vehicle, third-row passengers
must be careful that they step over the auxiliary safety restraint
system that is present with the second-row bench seat. Labels are
provided on the back of the second-row bench seat to remind
passengers to use care when exiting.
The three-passenger bench seat can be positioned in any of five
positions along the seat track. Three of these positions are for
seating and two are storage positions to accommodate varying
cargo requirements.
Arranging the Seats for Maximum Cargo Space or
Passenger Seating Flexibility
NOTE: When moving the three-passenger bench seat, the seat
cushion cannot be lowered unless the seat is in a
seating position. If you cannot get the seat cushion to
lower, you may have the seat in a storage position.
NOTE: Before re-positioning seats, remove any floor mats that
may be in the way.
Adjustable Rear Seating
193

With the second row seat(s) removed, the three-passenger bench
seat can be moved all the way forward, just behind the front
seats for more room in the cargo area.
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Moving the Three-Passenger Bench Seat
NOTE: When moving the three-passenger bench seat, the seat
cushion cannot be lowered unless the seat is in a
seating position. If you cannot get the seat cushion to
lower, you may have the seat in a storage position.
The three-passenger bench seat is not removable, but it can be
moved to the second-row position when the second-row captain
seats or second-row bench seat has been removed from the
vehicle.
The three-passenger bench seat slid forward
Adjustable Rear Seating
197

WARNING
After moving the third-row seat, be sure to latch the seat
in a passenger seating position. Improper location of
the seat will prevent correct use of the safety belts and will
increase the risk of severe injury in an accident. After
sliding the seat, check that both sides of the seat are locked
securely by attempting to move each side of the seat
forward and backward. This must be done before the
vehicle is put into motion in order to prevent unintended
movement of the seat and potential passenger injuries.
NOTE: Before rearranging the seats, remove any floor mats
that might be in the way.
The three-passenger seat can be stored behind the second-row
seat(s) to provide extra cargo space in the rear of the vehicle.
With the second row seat(s) removed, the three-passenger bench
seat can be moved all the way forward, just behind the front
seats for more room in the cargo area.
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