3rd row middle headrest stuck!

[Alohatl]

My kids turned the 3rd row middle headrest around and insert it, and now I can’t remove it.

I want to see if anyone can take a picture of the headrest arms and so I can see why it is getting stuck. Thanks.

 

[wgesc]

I have same issue, were you able to remove and turn round?

 

[tyson3371]

I did this after my first week of ownership. I flipped the headrest around so that it would not interfere with my car seat installation. When I finally went to turn it back around it was stuck! I worked for a few hours trying to get it out and finally found a solution. I had to use a thin but somewhat wide zip tie. I pushed it down along the shaft of the headrest until it pushed the lock out of the way. You only have to push it in about an inch or so and ill try to grab some pictures to help explain what im talking about. It was a real headache.

 

[JayCO]

whoops

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[wgesc]

Ok, I went by KIA and they said they would have to take back off seat.

I went home and found a simple fix for mine. If you gently pop the rear cover up (round plastic cover where the headrest shafts go in), you will find a small flat button (on the side toward door) you can press with screw driver. Once I pressed this I and the headrest release button at same time, I was able to pull my head rest out.

 

[Alohatl]

Yeah, I removed the 2nd row headrest and figured out the location of the lock on the left side. Then I popped the cover up to yield some space and used a tiny screwdriver to push the lock and released the arm. I think this is a Kia design thing and IMO it’s not a good one. But I can live with that. Lol!!

 

[G-604464]

I did this after my first week of ownership. I flipped the headrest around so that it would not interfere with my car seat installation. When I finally went to turn it back around it was stuck! I worked for a few hours trying to get it out and finally found a solution. I had to use a thin but somewhat wide zip tie. I pushed it down along the shaft of the headrest until it pushed the lock out of the way. You only have to push it in about an inch or so and ill try to grab some pictures to help explain what im talking about. It was a real headache.

I did the exact same thing for the car seat and have yet to get it out.....

 

[TheNip73]

Why is everyone turning the headrest around?

Just remove it and keep it outside of the car.

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[Alohatl]

Why is everyone turning the headrest around?

Just remove it and keep it outside of the car.

Need to ask my kids for an answer Probably getting really bored during a long road trip.

 

[pewpewtelly]

Ok, I went by KIA and they said they would have to take back off seat.

I went home and found a simple fix for mine. If you gently pop the rear cover up (round plastic cover where the headrest shafts go in), you will find a small flat button (on the side toward door) you can press with screw driver. Once I pressed this I and the headrest release button at same time, I was able to pull my head rest out.

Hi - I haven't had any luck getting the headrest out, can you clarify how you popped the rear cover up?

 

[G-530331]

Hi - I haven't had any luck getting the headrest out, can you clarify how you popped the rear cover up?

Where the headrest go into back of seat you will need a large flat head screw driver to pop the cap off. Once the cap is off you will see a large button on the door side which you can push to release locking mechanism.

 

[G-509875]

Yes, you will need a large flat head screw driver to pop the cover off the door side headrest cover. Once cover is off you will see a large button on the window side you can press, this will release the locking mechanism.

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[G-746800]

My kids turned the 3rd row middle headrest around and insert it, and now I can’t remove it.

I want to see if anyone can take a picture of the headrest arms and so I can see why it is getting stuck. Thanks.

My so just did that and I'm furious!!! Their stuck! Anyway to remove them?

 

[tyson3371]

My so just did that and I'm furious!!! Their stuck! Anyway to remove them?

The round plastic part of the seat is a cover. You can pry it off and push the side underneath to release the headrest. This was on my second row bench but they should all be similar.

. .

 

[wallacepr]

Thank you so much for this help. I had incorrectly reinserted the headrest on the second bench seat behind the driver's seat. I took it to the dealer and was informed that the fix essentially involved a replacement of the entire captain's seat. I would be charged $1500-$1700 dollars. A woman who had two headrests to remove had already paid $3000.

Once I knew what to do, it was so easy! I only needed to remove the round plastic cover on the side that does not have the exterior adjustment button. This round plastic cover conceals a button that depresses easily and is obviously intended to resolve exactly this problem.

I really appreciate the guidance on the forum.

 

[PaulD]

You should name the dealer. They deserve to be shamed.

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[kane]

Why is everyone turning the headrest around?

Just remove it and keep it outside of the car.

Who removes a head rest ? Even if its not used its better to let it be there than keeping it in the boot.

 

[PaulD]

Who removes a head rest ? Even if its not used its better to let it be there than keeping it in the boot.

I can't speak to the Telluride, but in some cars, it's useful to remove them to get the seats reclined as flat as possible. Ever been to Home Depot? There's another post about it above that mentions it's helpful for a child seat installation.

Just based on the descriptions here, it sounds like a stupid design.

 

[G-674233]

Thank you so much for this help. I had incorrectly reinserted the headrest on the second bench seat behind the driver's seat. I took it to the dealer and was informed that the fix essentially involved a replacement of the entire captain's seat. I would be charged $1500-$1700 dollars. A woman who had two headrests to remove had already paid $3000.

Once I knew what to do, it was so easy! I only needed to remove the round plastic cover on the side that does not have the exterior adjustment button. This round plastic cover conceals a button that depresses easily and is obviously intended to resolve exactly this problem.

I really appreciate the guidance on the forum.View attachment 6442View attachment 6443View attachment 6444

Any tips on removing the plastic cap? I've tugged and pulled and it won't come off.

 

[G-333614]

Need to ask my kids for an answer Probably getting really bored during a long road trip.

Because if you use car seat protectors they need to wrap around the head rest and if you just remove it the back of the car seat protector doesn’t stay up and won’t function.