How to: Fix sunken lumbar support / Replace seat backrest " tension wire "

This is just a quick writeup to let you know how I fixed my sunken lumbar support. Dealership service and parts both told me the tension wire cannot be ordered seperately. I am working on a 2001.5 cloth seat, manual adjustors, no heater. You should remove the seatback from the seat or be prepared to fold the seat back and forth several times.

Symptoms: Lumbar support adjusts, but no longer provides support. Lumbar support bulges from back of seat when seated. Annoying rattle.

Supplies: 4 feet of aircraft cable (wire rope) and a coupler

Time: 1 hour

Step 1: Unclip the upholstry seam at the base of the seatback and lower the lumbar support.

Step 2: Pull the seat cover upward. You may need to pull the lumbar knob out to do this and/or unclip the vertical wires at the bottom front of the seatback.

Step 3: Unclip the back cover from the vertical wires at the back of the seatback. You may also need to unclip two springs from the vertical wires and/or two more back cover clips. Continue to pull the cover upward to expose the tension wire, located at the bottom of the verical wires.

Step 4: Remove the tension wire and any broken pieces. Feed the new wire through the front of the tension wire mount holes and over the upturned ends of the rear vertical wires. Secure the ends of the wire with the coupler, again over the vertical wire ends. (I'm using 10-gauge copper wire until I get the right materials. I crossed the ends and pulled them back, wrapped them over, then brought the ends back together before knotting them several times.)

Step 5: Almost done! Close up the seat in the reverse of above and test it out. You should have lumbar support again!

Hope this helps!