Folding seats have long been a feature in cars, trucks, and vans. The the newer version seen in the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country minivans
are so simple and easy to stow completely under the floor, it’s almost incomparable to previous models. The ability to store the back seats 100% underneath the floor—leaving the rear end of the van clear for stowage and hauling—is already a neat trick in and of itself. Paired with the easy method of stowing these seats that requires almost no strength makes the van perfect for anyone of any age.
Follow these simple steps by car insurance
broker app Jerry
to clear the rear of your van of the back two rows of seats. Prepare seats and floor area prior to folding
To make sure everything folds easily and quickly, prep the front and rear areas of the van by pushing the driver and front passenger seat completely forward and removing floor mats in the middle row area. This will ensure enough clear space for the middle seats to fold easily down.
It will also help to go ahead and make sure the armrests are folded up at this time so the whole seat can just fold in half in one flip.
Open the storage area for middle seats
Once everything is clear and ready, simply reach down and grab the hook on the floor in front of the middle row seat. When you pull up on this hook, the opening in the floor will fold back, revealing the hole in which the seat will be lowered.
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Fold the middle row seat down
Grab the loop on the back of the seat and pull. This completely folds the seat, headrest included, in on itself. It will automatically start to fall forward toward the opening.
Once it is folded in, you will be able to easily reach the handle on the bottom of the seat to help guide it into the opening without having your hands anywhere in harm’s way.
Push the seat completely under the floor and fold back the cover you opened.
Open up trunk door and clear area
You will need to fold the back seats up from the very rear end of the vehicle, so open up the very back door and take a look at the storage area in the back. If you didn’t already, remove anything in the back since the seats will be folding backward into the trunk area
. Follow pull tabs to fold rear seats
The rear seats are actually folded using a series of four numbered tabs. Pull the tabs in the order clearly labeled on them to completely fold and stow the seat away. The numbers are:
Next to the headrest - Folds the headrest down
Bottom of seat by wall of van - Folds the seat down
Bottom of seat in the center - Unlocks moving mechanism
Center of seat - Pulls seat back into storage area
Push it completely down to ensure it’s secured all the way. Repeat on the other side.
It doesn’t matter if you fold the middle or back seats down first, but whatever order you choose, you’ll be amazed to see the space you open up in the back of your van.
The seat-stowing process tends to go better if you've recently cleaned your car
and have items organized
so you can shift them easily. Also note that car seats
and car seat covers can add an extra step to preparing seats for stowing.