Mercury Villager 1998 Owner's Manuals

Captain Seats (If equipped)
Quick-Release Captain Seat
The quick-release captain seat option allows the captain seat
nearest the sliding door to slide forward allowing easier entry and
exit to the third-row seats. Pull up on the seat adjustment lever
and slide the seat forward.
Seat adjustment lever location
Adjustable Rear Seating
187

The quick-release bucket seat also has two levers on the back of
the seat Ð one to fold down the seatback and one to slide
the seat forward. These levers allow third-row passengers to enter
and exit more easily.
Removable Captain Seats
If your vehicle has second row captain seats, you can remove
them if you need extra cargo space. With the second-row seats
removed, the third-row bench seat can be moved up to the second
row position for additional rear cargo area room. When the
third-row seat is moved to this position, passengers will use the
second-row safety belts.
To help prevent personal injury, at least two people are needed to
remove the seats.
Quick-release bucket seat levers
188

Before you remove the seats, remove the floor mats. Then:
1. Pull the seatback release lever up and tilt the back of the seat
forward as far as possible.
Folding down the seatback
Adjustable Rear Seating
189

2. Lift up on the two floor latch levers near the front seat legs
and release the seat legs from each anchor position.
Removing the quick-release bucket seat
190

3. Place your hand under the seat cushion and tip the front of the
seat upward slightly. Slide the seat rearward to release the seat
from its anchor position.
4. Two people should lift the seat and remove it from the vehicle.
5. Replace any floor mats that were removed.
NOTE: The captain seats are not interchangeable due to the
locations of the floor latch levers. Each seat must be
reinstalled in its original position. In addition, the seat
behind the driver seat only has one arm rest.
The removable inside captain seat
Adjustable Rear Seating
191

Installing the Removable Captain Seats
To position the captain seats back in their original positions:
1. Make sure the area around the floor anchor positions is free
from obstruction.
2. With the seatback folded down, two people should lift the seat
into the vehicle.
3. Place the seat slightly behind the floor anchor positions and
catch the rear leg anchors into each anchor position.
4. Press down on the front of the seat to secure the front legs to
the two floor latch locks. Place the seatback in the upright
position.
5. Try to move the seat to be sure that it is securely fastened.
6. Replace any floor mats that were removed.
Labels have been provided on the side of the seats to remind you
of important safety precautions.
WARNING
Keep foreign objects out of the floor anchors. Objects in
the floor anchors could prevent front and rear seat legs from
engaging properly.
WARNING
Before sitting in the removable seats, make sure that the
seat legs are securely attached by the floor anchors.
192

Three-Passenger Bench Seat
When entering and exiting the vehicle, third-row passengers
must be careful that they step over the auxiliary safety restraint
system that is present with the second-row bench seat. Labels are
provided on the back of the second-row bench seat to remind
passengers to use care when exiting.
The three-passenger bench seat can be positioned in any of five
positions along the seat track. Three of these positions are for
seating and two are storage positions to accommodate varying
cargo requirements.
Arranging the Seats for Maximum Cargo Space or
Passenger Seating Flexibility
NOTE: When moving the three-passenger bench seat, the seat
cushion cannot be lowered unless the seat is in a
seating position. If you cannot get the seat cushion to
lower, you may have the seat in a storage position.
NOTE: Before re-positioning seats, remove any floor mats that
may be in the way.
Adjustable Rear Seating
193

Some of the different ways that your vehicle's seats can be
arranged are shown below.
NOTE: Do not try to remove the three-passenger sliding seat.
Removal of the third seat may negatively affect its
ability to slide properly.
194

Adjustable Rear Seating
195

With the second row seat(s) removed, the three-passenger bench
seat can be moved all the way forward, just behind the front
seats for more room in the cargo area.
196