Do Ford Transit Seats Fold Flat? Can They Be Removed?

The ford transit is a van that can work as a minibus, but you can also turn it into a cargo van. So, the question is, can you fold the seats of ford transit or does the seat need to be removed. 

We’ve done a ton of research and came up with the easiest ways to remove or fold ford transit seats, along with the answers to common questions.

Do Ford transit seats fold flat?

You can’t fold seats of the ford transit passenger van, but you can fold the seats of smaller ford transit vans of 7 to 8 people. You can remove all the seats of ford transit and make space for cargo. You can also remove the foldable seats for some extra space.

You must remove the seats of ford transit vans to make space for cargo. Most of the seats are not foldable. But there are exceptions too. The Ford Transit Connect SWB has five foldable seats in the front part of the van. 

You can fold down the foldable seats to make extra room, but you can remove the foldable seats if you need more space. So, why are there some foldable seats in the ford transit?

When you remove the seats to make some room, you start from the backside of the van. Many times, you may need to carry some passengers with some cargo. 

In those times, you can just make some space for the load by folding the seats, and still, you have lots of seats for the passengers. 

But most of the ford transit van seats can be removed and can not be folded. The folding process is undoubtedly more manageable than the removal process, as you will not have to lift the seat and keep the seat out of the van.

The removal process can be confusing if you don’t have the proper knowledge. For example, in a ford transit 12 passenger van, you have different removal techniques for seats 11-12, 9-10, etc. Find out if those seats can be flooded flat.

Ford Transit Connect seats:

Ford transit connect seats can not be folded flat. There are 5-7 seats in a ford transit connect.

Ford Transit Custom seats:

Some ford transit custom seats and bucket seats behind the driver can be foldable.

How to fold ford transit seats?

If you have the Ford Transit Connect short wheelbase, you can fold the bucket seats and the first two rows of seats. You can also remove the seats. Here are the steps to remove the ford transit seats.

Press the headrest down:

First, press the headrest down if it is up.

Locate the strap:

Check the side of the seat near the door and locate a strap.

Pull the strap:

You can easily fold the seats after pulling the strap forward

Lock the longer strap:

After folding the seats, check the backside. There should be two straps. Pull the longer strap until it locks. 

Look for the pop rod:

Now, check the behind of the tumbled seat and look for the pop rod.

Attach the pop rod:

Then lift the pop rod and attach it to the seat frame. The pop rod will keep the seat in the right place.

You can fold smoothly for all the ford transit foldable seats by following the steps. As we mentioned earlier, you can also remove the seats. To remove the seat, first, complete the steps above. But instead of attaching it with the pop rod, lift the liver in the bottom of the seats. 

After lifting the yellow liver, the seats will be detached from the floor.

Can you remove the seats in a ford transit?

You can remove the seats in a Ford transit van. The removal process may seem challenging initially, but once you know the process, you can do it easily. Generally, you will start with the rear seats and remove some seats depending on the space needed.

The seat removing features is the unique feature of ford transit vans. The bigger ford transit vans of 10, 12, 14 and 15 have removable seats. In contrast, smaller ford transit vans have foldable and removable seats and only removable seats.

All the seats of the ford transit vans are removable (not the driver seat, of course), but you will have to start removing the back seats first. In the later parts of the article, we will discuss the removal process of ford transit seats.

How to remove seats in a ford transit 350?

Individual seats have different removal techniques so we will divide the guide into sections. At first, you will have to work with the back seats. Let’s start from there.

13th and 14th seat:

In the last row of ford transit, there are 4 seats. So, the 2 seats are the 13th and 14th seats. Those seats are relatively easier to remove, and you have to start with those seats all the time.

• Check at the bottom part of both seats; you will find a handle or liver.
• If there is no handle or the handle is missing, you need to find a huck to pull the lever in the bottom of the seat. Note that the two seats are connected, and both seats have a handle in their base.
• Pull both handles simultaneously and push forward the seat. Well, if you are alone, you may have to use your body or head to move the seat. Note that the seats are bulky, and it’s better to have someone who can assist. But you can do it alone with a bit of effort. 
• When you push the seat forward while pulling the handle, the seat will detach from the floor. And then you will be able to lift it and bring it out of the van.

Seat 9-10 and 6-7:

Those seats have a similar quick-release system to keep the seats in place and remove them easily. The main difference between the 13-14 seats and the 9-10 seats is that the 9-10th seats do not have a handle to pull the liver. 

The rear seats only have handles, but the front seats don’t have any handles to pull. But the seats function in the same way. The handles are absent in the front seats as maybe someone can pull the handles out of curiosity while driving.

So, follow the steps below to remove.

• Get two huck or similar things inserted into those holes and pull. That can be a court hanger, or you can make it with some DIY wire.
• Check the bottom of those seats. You should find a ring. Insert the huck inside the ring in the bottom of both seats.
• Pull both the huck and push the seat with your body. The seats will be removed. 
• Lift the seat and move to ensure that the seat does not fall into the same hole.
• Now, bring the seats out of the car. 

Seat 3, 4 and 5: 

Seats 3,4, and 5 work the same way as previously described, but the problem is those 3 seats are connected. So, you don’t have 3 hands to pull them simultaneously. Yes, someone can help you in the process, but there is a way to do it alone. Follow the steps below.

• First, get a screwdriver and pull a lever on the seat. Now one of the seat levers is pulled.
• Then attach the hucks with the rest two-seat.
• Pull the hucks and push the seats with your body. The seat will be removed and then lifted. Then pull the seat a bit, so the seat does not get attached to the socket again.
• The seat is even heavier than the double seats, and it’s very tough to lift in that small place for a lone person but still manageable.

Rest of the seats:

To remove the rest of the seats, you will need to remove some bolts. We recommend not to remove those seats if you can manage the space inside. You will need a T-55 Torx-bit socket and a T-50 Torx-bit socket to open the seats.

The 12 and 15 number seats have 3 bolts, one in the bottom, one at the top and one inside the box near it. You need to remove two bolts to remove seat numbers 11 and 8.

Final thoughts

You can fold and remove the front seats of smaller transit vans. But seats of bigger transit vans can only be removable. The removal process is easy if you have the right tools and someone to assist you. Don’t remove the corner seats unnecessarily, as those are pretty hard to remove.