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Removing The 2nd Row Captains Chairs

60K views 65 replies 31 participants last post by  pdxeca 
#1 ·
Does anyone know if the captains chairs are easily removed? It is only my wife and myself using the Ascent and I feel it would greatly increase cargo area to go camping. The weight reduction would help on fuel consumption. We would still have a vehicle that seats five. As I have not seen the vehicle in person, how is it finished under these seats? In my previous Jeep Wrangler the second seat was very easy to remove. Any idea of weight of the chairs? By removing them I would have a little more cushion on towing GCVWR.
 
#2 ·
#3 ·
Thanks for the info. Removing the seats sounds easy by removing the tracks with four bolts. The sensors being unplugged hopefully is not an issue. I am hoping to cover and protect them with a large floormat. Now the Ascent will become a 5 person limo with tons of legroom and easy access. The room for dog crates or camping gear would be wonderful. If one captains chair was left in place it would allow for great access to the 3rd row and still be a 6 passenger vehicle. Love the flexability with removable captains chairs.
 
#4 ·
You may have to fool the seat belt sensors with some mod or cheat. I have a built 2006 Outback XT and nobody ever road in the passenger seat except my laptop. I removed the passenger seat for a while. However, even in a super modified car with all kinds of noises and other alerts from gauges and sensors. It drove me nuts ... ding ... ding.
 
#10 ·
I'm VERY curious to hear of the outcome - or anything that anyone gleans. Removing the chairs sounds like a very cool configuration for certain trips.
 
#11 ·
Remember that these are not front seats that have several sensors for weight,air bag deployment etc. Second row seats probably have only the seat belt sensors unless you have more seat options. How you bypass the sensors is to remove the seat and locate the seat mounted sensor plug in end. Cut off maybe 2 inches of the female or male end and solder these wires together to have a closed circuit. It would be simple to reattach the plug in end to the seat in the future if desired. The seats and tracks bolt on and the sensor ends are plug in on an assembly line. Especially with two types of seats available. Hopefully the floor is fairily flat under the seats.
 
#12 ·
Remember that these are not front seats that have several sensors for weight,air bag deployment etc. Second row seats probably have only the seat belt sensors unless you have more seat options.
There's side airbags that cover the 2nd row. IF their deployment is dependent on a certain passenger weight, then, I suspect there'll be similar sensors. One of my insurance reps called a Subaru "airbags on wheels" and "airbags with a car built around them"

If the rear and rear side airbag deployment is irrelevant to 2nd/3rd row passenger occupancy, then, it should be pretty simple, like we're hoping.

The Ascent has even more airbags than the 2018 Outback... and as you can see from this video, they're everywhere.
 
#14 ·
There are a combination of things going on there... The seatbelt latch is one part of that circuit, the other is the pressure sensor that indicates there is a passenger in the seat. It is conditional logic.. meaning that you do not get a seatbelt alert when the belt is unlatched but nobody is in the seat. Once the seat is occupied and the seatbelt sensor picks up on it then the seatbelt latch becomes relevant. Also there will be a child safety seat detector that may control airbag activation for those rear seats and on some of the Ascent trims there are rear seat heaters.

It would not be an impossible task to satisfy the BIU and airbag controllers, just something that you really would need to work through to understand exactly what the car is looking for.
 
#22 ·
The OP could, of course, CHEAT, by getting the 8 passenger, and then keeping the third row seat down. Sounds like he would have been a candidate for the rare, elusive, (ahem,) Tribeca 5-passenger (which has been our favorite Subaru so far).
If any Subaru corporate folks are listening, I think my ideal configuration would be a single captain's chair in the 2nd row, and no 3rd row seat at all. Like others, the reason is space for dogs and camping gear, not people. Folded seats are a waste of space - give me the height all the way to the actual floor instead.
 
#17 ·
I'd like to revive this thread and see if anybody has actually gone forward with removing the second row seats.

I ordered a limited with a second row bench (haven't received it yet) and I am toying with the idea of removing the second row. I have three big dogs. Without the second row, it would be much easier for them to get in and out, they would have plenty of room, and, if we needed to haul some people, we could just flip up the third row. This sounds like a perfect setup for our dogs.

Heck, maybe we would leave the 3rd row up and cover it with a blanket. Then our luggage could rest behind that and be prevented from falling forward onto the dogs.
 
#19 ·
I just measured my 4runner and, with our luggage, they currently have about 4'x4'. That should be plenty of room. They aren't HUGE dogs, just big Golden Retrievers. I'm most concerned about our older dog getting in and out. She is beginning to struggle to get in and out of the 4runner.
 
#21 ·
I think this is easier than it's being made out to be. I don't think the captain's chairs have any sort of occupancy sensors. I had a friend in the back, and didn't notice that he didn't have a seatbelt on until halfway through the trip. The car never notified me. The only wiring you'd probably have is if the captain's chairs are heated in your model.
 
#26 ·
A van with AWD, a lower center of gravity, better ground clearance, better looks, and all of the bells and whistles. Sold.

Subaru says its cars are "dog tested". Dogs aren't very good testers. Otherwise, there wouldn't be that big gap behind the second row when all of the seats are folded. A dog's leg will fall through that. As my wife pointed out, the dogs in the commercials are always in the front seats.

Removable seats would be an awesome option, the DogVan option.
 
#29 ·
I have actually looked into vans a bit for this reason. The problem seems to be that the middle ground isn't really addressed. You can get ground clearance, AWD, and towing ability in a FULL-sized van (most notably the M-B Sprinter for AWD that's stock, not an aftermarket modification), but the fuel economy of such a thing is terrible and that's about twice as big as I actually need. (I actually know a few people with Sprinters, Ford Transits, and Chevy Expresses for hauling dogs, but those are breeders with way more than I'll ever have.) On the other end, you get the right size and fuel economy in any number of minivans, but with terrible ground clearance, and usually without AWD or towing ability. There are also some question marks on safety, as a lot of vans fall into market segments that aren't required to go through the same crash testing.
 
#30 ·
My solution to extra space was this little 32"x48" hitch platform. I won't be using the crate that's on it, but instead will be using a massive Pelican case that fits it nicely. Currently, I haven't yet had the need... but I have it.
 

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#34 ·
Posting to this old thread as I've been following to see if anyone had success.

2nd Row Captains chairs are very easy to remove.

Picked up a Limited with captains chairs yesterday, remove the 2nd row today to make room for my dogs. Total time 45 minutes. Took it for a drive and there were no issues with warning lights.
There are 9 bolts, two wiring harnesses (heated seats) and 8 plastic covers. The two covers near the seat belts were the most difficult to remove. Take your time an expect to use more force than the other 6 covers. I was really careful to make sure nothing broke on a car less than 24 hours old.
The nine bolts are 17mm and not torqued very tight. The seats were heavy and navigating them out is risky to make sure you don't bump into trim/doors/glass/etc.
I can try to answer questions or provide pics if requested.
 
#35 ·
Posting to this old thread as I've been following to see if anyone had success.

2nd Row Captains chairs are very easy to remove.
............
I can try to answer questions or provide pics if requested.
Please do!

I imagine if I removed one second-row seat I could install some amenities there, like a small dinette, and use the Ascent as a modern-day VW Vanagon
 
#39 ·
posting remaining pictures, removed the drivers side rear captains seat in 2019 Ascent limited. Easy once you know which panels to remove. This seat had a total of 5 bolts and one wire harness connector. Let me know if you have questions. Not sure of forum process of image approval, will only allow limited pictures per reply. Will post rest of pics now. Once I see the posting, may add some words.
Vehicle door Automotive exterior Bumper Rim Auto part
Vehicle door Automotive exterior Bumper Rim Auto part
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Vehicle Car Trunk Floor Family car
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Vehicle Car Family car
 
#55 ·
posting remaining pictures, removed the drivers side rear captains seat in 2019 Ascent limited. Easy once you know which panels to remove. This seat had a total of 5 bolts and one wire harness connector. Let me know if you have questions. Not sure of forum process of image approval, will only allow limited pictures per reply. Will post rest of pics now. Once I see the posting, may add some words. View attachment 1300 View attachment 1300 View attachment 1301 View attachment 1300 View attachment 1301 View attachment 1302 View attachment 1303 View attachment 1304
Hi Great to see how you removed the seats! Have you tried re-installing them? I'm just wondering if once you removed the bolts, is it possible to put the seats back...

thanks,

Leo
 
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#59 ·
Here is how I set up my ascent. Still a work in progress. I needed a space to put my two mountain bikes. With the wheels off, they fit perfectly. I'm not sure how to make my own post so I'm putting the photos here. I hope that's ok.
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The last photo shows how I could have someone sit in the third row if necessary ie: visiting family and going somewhere with a 3 -4th person.
 
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