2013 Access Cab Rear Headrest Removal Help

New 2013 Access cab owner here - first post so hopefully is in the right place.

I want to remove the rear seat headrests. I have read the posts with instructions for earlier model years (like this) but my backrest just does not want to come free. It looks like it is hung up on the round thing in the attached picture that the arrow points to. I don't see that on the earlier models.

Any advice for how to get these useless things off would be seriously appreciated.

 

That round piece looks like one of those push snap thingys don't mind my uneducated description of it. Does the center spin freely if so try getting a butter knife or small flat head under it and pop it up.

 

I'm interested in removing them as well on my 2013. Please keep us posted on any solutions.

Thanks,

- Spindifferent

 

Tried again today but the things in the picture in my first post just do not want to release. I am afraid of breaking something if I pull or pry any harder.
So......still looking for advice on how to deal with the round things because I am even more convinced that they are securing the seat panel to the back wall of the truck.

Any guidance would be appreciated. Thanks!

 

Just my 2 cents ... I don't see why Toyota would change something as the seat back attachments over the past few model years.

My '10 came out fairly easy ... much as others have ... check out that thread and see what you can do.

Once you remove the head restraints your sight lines will improve greatly.

Mine came out because no one will sit in the back ... installed a platform.

Best of luck.

 

It is securing it. But it's not a big deal. If you take a small knife you can pop the center out and remove it. If not, a good solid yank will destroy it.

I tried to keep both of mine, and they are long since broken. You won't miss them. The seem superfluous to me.

If they do mean that much to you, they are like $1.50 at the dealership to replace.

Don't sweat it.

 

First post here, but I also just got a 2013 Access cab and this was one of the first mods I did. I just followed the directions in the post you supplied.

The only thing I did different was shim a flat head screw driver behind the panel on each side of the headrest (on the plastic panel, not the fabric portion) to help give some leverage in popping the snaps. It helped to easily pop the top snaps. Then I just used my hands to pull the remainder of the snaps and panel off. It will come right off with some moderate force.

That black push pin goes into the frame of the truck and you just need to get your hands down in there to supply some leverage. I didn't even have to remove that section of the panel your picture shows. The panel is no different then in the thread you read. Just give it another go and good luck!

 

Thanks for the info - will give it another try in the next few days.

 

You gotta get a tad bit western with it, I just pulled my rear panel out far enough to get to the bolts on the headrests, than popped it back in. Kept the headrests in case for some odd reason I decide to sell it later, but dropped one of the bolts behind the panel when removing it so that is lost forever haha. But you will love it once you get them out, it's actually better sitting back there without them too.

 

You will probably break a few of those clips tugging on it, I broke a couple, but it still goes back on just fine with the ones that didn't break.

 

I removed the rear headrests this weekend.

Once you get the center of the rivet to pop out a little, the entire rivet is easily removed.



With the two rivets out, I pulled the panel out enough to take off the 4 bolts of each headrest with a 12mm socket.

The headrests are the devil's work and a pain in the ass to remove. Mechanix gloves will spare your hand from the pointed plastic you will encounter. Count on 30 minutes start to finish.

 

The engineers at Toyota decided to add a couple of plastic rivets in addition to the regular plastic fasteners that we have all encountered on that rear panel. These rivets must be released. They don't pop out like the others. God knows why they added these things.

You're right about the improvement. With the headrests and the console gone, the back seat area is way more streamlined and functional than before.

 

Thanks for the guidance and pics RTN - it helps to see those rivets and how they pop out. I intend to work on it again this weekend.

I shake my head every day when I get in my truck and see the headrests - amazing that the usually brilliant Toyota engineers could not have come up a better solution.

 

Post #2 in this thread shows a clear photo of the rivet and where you need to lever it up.

As a reference, the base thread on this topic is here:
http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/55771-09-rear-headrest-removal.html

 

Successful with the removal today. Once I pried out those black pop-rivets, the back panel loose fairly easily. Amazingly, all the plastic connectors stayed intact. Very nice to have the headrests removed - completely changes the access area.

Thanks to everyone how posted for the tips - all of them were helpful in getting this done.

 

I was smart enough to figure out how to remove the seats myself, but was puzzled on the headrests.

Thanks wyeast for starting the topic as I also have a 2013. Thanks rtn1911 for all the good information.

Looks so much better back there now!

 

Thank you all so much for your insights and info! Without this forum I probably would have spent $100 on a mechanic to take those annoying headrests off.

My reason for ridding myself of them was for better visibility on the highway. Lest you think I'm endangering anyone, however, be assured the only beings that EVER ride back there are my two medium-sized fur kids. And they're further restrained by a barrier between the front and back seats.

The job wasn't without mishap, however...

Since we don't have ANY metric tools, I ran out and bought a good 12mm open end wrench for the job. In spite of the good advice given here, I first managed to drop my wrench waaaayyyy down inside the back of the seat >:-( Thought I was done for the day, or at least until I could get my friend's magnet-on-a-stick. Very frustrating! Somehow, using a fish wire and my fingers I was able to retrieve the wrench. (Sometimes having small hands is a blessing!) After that fiasco I tied a string on one end of the wrench, thereby ensuring that I'd never drop it again.

As I cut and scraped and bruised my hands reaching behind the evil, sharp plastic seat back, I pondered on those mechanic's gloves I saw on sale recently...and passed on because I couldn't POSSIBLY need something like that.

I got the passenger side done - phew! Then tackled the driver's side. and dropped one of the bolts into the abyss! At this point, I couldn't have cared less about a stray bolt rattling around behind the darned seat, so I moved on.

The VERY last bolt wouldn't budge. For some reason, I was totally unable to get the wrench securely around it, even though the one on the passenger side looked identical. Just before I totally rounded off the head of the bolt, I had an inspiration: MAYBE my favorite neighbor had a set of metric tools!! It couldn't be, could it? YES!! BINGO!! I hit the jackpot! If I had known a full metric socket wrench set was only meters from my driveway the job would have been done in HALF the time!

Note to others: Get a socket wrench and save your sanity.

 

Just did this on my 2013 OR AC

Tools:

12mm Wrench
Butter Knife

1. Use butter knife to dislodge two rivets on the top corners of back seat plastic (you'll see the compartments you need to expose to see the black rivet.

2. Don't be a weenie and firmly, but not recklessly, pull the back seat plastic. Work your way around the edges.

3. you won't pull the whole thing off, just get it dislodged enough you can access the four (4) 12mm bolts on each headrest.

4. Remove Headrest(s)

5. Drink a beer, you just took 5-10 minutes to do something functional and free.

Cheers.

 

Dropped a bolt too.

It's not that far down. You can access the bottom easily by reaching for it.

 

This helped a lot! Thanks! Revive it... great resource!