Recline Handle is Non Functional

[stick64]

I have a 99 Silverado Ext. cab truck with both driver and passenger sides seatback handle are non functional. Handle is still in place on the side of each seat, but just spins without allowing seat to recline or move forward so person can access back seat of truck. Can this be fixed by a DIY er ?

[dave92cherokee]

I used to have a 99 s10 extended cab and the reclining handles were notorious for snapping off as the part the handle screwed into was a soft lead material instead of a solid steel shaft. Not sure if gm ever did a recall to correct the problem but you can remove the screw in the middle of the handle to pull it off and see. If it's like mine it should be evident it's broken as soon as you pull the screw off. I replaced mine twice and it did it a third time so what I did was get a dremel tool and grind out the inside of the handle to make it a round hole and ground down the post on the side of the seat a little so it would go inside the handle then drilled a hole into the middle of the soft lead part and put the screw in there and tightened it down as tight as i could get it and it never broke on me again. You can also check out the chevrolet forums and ask them and they'd prolly have more fixes for that problem.