Fix For Thin Front Seat Padding on Dodge Trucks

Lately I've noticed that my right leg has started to fall asleep while on trips over an hour or so in the Dodge.  The truck is an '03 and has about 60,000 miles on it.  I can feel the steel seat supports under the bolsters of the seat padding, and I think this is what is causing the problem.  I had a long road trip coming up, so I decided to see if I could fix this annoying problem. 

In issue 51, page 49 of the Turbo Diesel Register G.R. Whale and Jim Anderson repaired the padding on a 2nd generation front seat.  I used their method and it worked great!  This is how I did the fix on my 3rd Generation '03. 

Step 1.

Remove the front seat.  There are 2 ways to do this and your seat may not be the same as mine if you don't have the power option.  You can remove the whole seat and base as I did, or you can remove just the seat from the base which cuts down on the weight of the seat and makes it more manageable once it's out.  I've done it both ways and I would recommend removing the seat from the base. 

Look at the front of the seat towards the back where the metal tracks run towards the rear and you'll see the nuts that mount the seat to the base.  The forward nuts are offset and are a little harder to see.  You'll need a 13mm socket and an extension to get to these nuts and they can be reached through the wires and bars and framework of the seat base.  Remove these nuts.

This pic shows the rear seat nuts, lumbar electrical connector and the seat control harness.  After the seat nuts are removed, you just have 2 electrical connectors to remove and the seat will be ready to remove from the truck.  The lumbar electrical connector and seat control connector have a red tab that must be slid back toward the wires and then pressed down.  While pressing down on the red tab, pull the connectors apart.

This is a pic of the seat control harness and connector.  The connector is accessed by flipping up the skirt on the side of the seat closest to the door and removing the connector as described above.

Step 2.

Once the seat is removed, flip it upside down so you can access the under seat area.  I was surprised to feel how thin the padding actually is on the bottom of the seat.  On the bottom of the seat, you'll see a grid of wires held to the frame with heavy springs at the rear of the seat. 

Step 3.

Using a pair of pliers, I grabbed the springs from underneath the wire grid and pulled them down to detach them from the grid.  Once the springs are removed, you have access to the padding under the seat.  The wire grid is attached to the front edge of the seat and would have to be un-upholstered to remove it.  Pull the grid forward so you can do the next step.

Step 4.

Take a piece of upholstery foam (available at any fabric store) and cut it to fit the area beneath the wire grid.   I used 2" thick foam for my seat.  It feels a little thick, but I'm expecting it to break in a little.  If it doesn't I may switch to a 1" thick piece.  Place the foam under the grid being careful to position it in the middle of the seat cushion. 

Step 5.

Next, cut a piece of carpet the same size as the foam.  This will be inserted between the foam and the wire grid and will prevent the wires from cutting their way into the foam and losing their support.  With the carpet and foam in place, replace the springs using the pliers.  It takes a considerable amount of force to replace the springs, so use caution and wear safety glasses.   Remember to grab them from underneath with the pliers as in the pic below:

Step 6.

Re-install the seat and re-connect the wiring harnesses.  I now ride higher on the seat and this keeps the steel side supports from making my leg fall asleep.  Here's the finished product: