F33/F83 rear seat back won't latch.

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So after my car had been with BMW for over a year waiting on a replacement headunit (semiconductor shortage apparently), I found a plastic part floating around the boot, a google of the part number suggested it was a blanking plate for the rear seat latch, so I dropped the rear seat back and sure enough there was no cover, just a hole in the carpet around the metal loop of the latch.

Fitting the cover was trivial enough, but when pushing the seat back into it's upright position, the latch now... doesn't. The release buttons stay pressed in, and the back of the seat isn't locked in position, which now means I can't put anyone in the back of the car... like my kids.

Anyone heard of this problem before? I tried a google, but it was fruitless, just a bunch of Americans whining that their cars didn't come with the option as standard, or irrelevant posts about F32 seat backs, which drop in a different way.

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So, had another look at this, seems the issue is that the buttons you push at either side of the rear seat back weren't returning to their unpressed position, like they need lubricating, or a stronger return spring.

Thumping the seat back just below the release buttons with your fist will dislodge them back to their resting position, at which point you can latch the seat again.

Seems a poor design, I need some more daylight to see if there's a more permanent fix.