I did a little research project today to figure out how the rear seat latch works in the V70.
Since it was accessible I worked on the passenger side seat, removing the plastic housing
that contains the latch trigger. It mostly unscrews from the outboard side, which was inaccessible
on the other seat, but I wanted to see how it worked and what kind of tools would outwit it.
It turns out that the the trigger is a thin plastic box that fits over a sturdy plastic arm
that does the actuation. There is no metallic reinforcement in the upholstery at that point
so I got an ice pick and poked it through the upholstery on the passenger side and was able to
unlatch it. So I went to the driver's side, with the cover still on, and poked through the
upholstery in the mirror image location, and when I felt it unlatch, pulled the seat forward easily.
Then I could get to the screws to remove the cover and see what went wrong.
The thin plastic box that fits over the actuating arm and is part of the trigger had
its front side knocked out. I was unable to find the broken piece.
I believe that I can fabricate a suitable reinforcement and epoxy it into place.
Meanwhile with the cover off I can work the actuating arm manually and put the seat where I want it.
The upper outboard corner of the seat looks, well, kinda mechanical, but maybe by tomorrow
I'll be able to get it back together. Since it works a little stiff I may apply some B'laster.
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George Downs, Bartlesville, Heart of the USA!