ex_hacker202

Have a major problem with my 2005 RL - passenger seat will recline, but won't return to upright position, now it's stuck leaning way back. I thought some coins may have jammed the gears, but that doesn't make sense - the seat back wouldn't move at all if that were the case. Searching this site I found some tips about how to take off the plastic trim for other Acura models, but not a 2005 RL - I cannot see any way to pop off the bottom right hand panel where the switches are located to check for bad contacts - I don't hear any motor noise then I try to move the seat back upright, which indicates the switch might be bad. Have also had issues with the seat not wanting to move forward or back, but pushing on the seat gets it started moving then it works - pushing on the seat back to help return it upright does nothing but rock the seat. Trying to avoid an expensive trip to the dealer here - can anyone help with tips on how to troubleshoot this problem? Wonder if an seat upholsterer might be familiar with this problem and be a cheaper issue than the dealer, who is likely going to recommend replacing the seat instead of trying to find the actual problem? They don't even try to fix stuff anymore - last time I had it in for service (a bad battery) when I got it back the NAV system wouldn't show traffic info, and after trying to fix it and failing the tech said the NAV system needed replaced for $3k!!! Turned out they just didn't know how to reset the system correctly - found some tips here I gave them and they finally figured it out, so you can understand why taking the car to them with the seat problem is a last resort.

What I need is either tips on how to get to the switches, or a way to check the gears without removing the entire seat and disassembling it - or folks who have had the same problem telling me how they resolved the problem.