If the battery is dead in your Aston Martin DB9 – how to you move the right hand seat forward to access the battery that is UNDER the right rear seat squab? If you’ve ever been in a DB9, the rear seat area is – ummm – very small. Getting to that area is close to impossible unless you can tip the seatback forward.
A few readers have recently commented on this conundrum after they pushed the ‘Battery Disconnect’ button in the trunk/boot and then realized that disables the power to the seats. Of course Aston didn’t put the ‘Battery REconnect’ button in the trunk/boot, they put that under the right rear seat squab – a small yellow button peering out through an access hole. While this is inconvenient, at least there is a simple manual way to get the seatback to move out of the way. Let me show you how.
If you think about a normal 2 door – 4 seat coupe like a VW Golf, they need an easy way to move the front seat out of the way while the rear passengers clamber in and out. And for safety reasons it must be something the rear passenger can actuate. The solution most have is a simple manual quick release on the seat back so that it can just flip forward.
Aston Martin has incorporated a manual quick release on the DB9, you’d just be hard pressed to have every seen or used it unless someone brings it to you attention. Look down by the base of the seat and you’ll find a small black lever tucked into the design that looks like this.
To actuate, just lift the lever up and tip the seatback forward. Tada! Now you should have just enough room to reach through to the seat squabs.
When you are done just push the seatback back into position until it clicks.
Knowing this trick now you’ll be able to access the rear seat squabs even with a dead battery.
Did you know the battery was kept under the right rear seat squab? Check out my article on that here.
Did you know the emergency automatic transmission park neutral release is hiding under the left rear seat squab? Check out my YouTube video on that here.
Video
If you’d like to see this in action please check out this short video.
Aston 1936 
Hi Steve,
Great functionality to outreach all of us regarding the DB9. Thank you
I noticed from you photo below that your driver’s seat fraying leather on the left side where most of the rub takes place entering of exiting the car.
Mine has the same issue- but it looks more frayed that yours. Is there anything that can be done about this?
Many thanks
Paul
LikeLike
Hi Paul. Ya, the age and California sun are taking its toll on the drivers side leather where I rub going in and out. I have no advice per se, but I’ve seen some shows where an expert auto upholstery shop might be able to expertly re-dye the seat, coloring the cracks and taking some of the aged look away. Other than that, its time to recover the seat in new leather (which I may do someday).
LikeLike
Hi Steve,
Agreed, knowing the release was there would have made my battery installation a little less worrisome.
By the way if you ever feel like tackling the rear package shelf repair ( similar to the dash pad repair) I’d love to see the video!
Once again your videos and advice provide an outstanding service to us Aston owners.
Thank you!
LikeLike
Hello
thank you for your good advice.
Greetings from Polish
LikeLike
Hi Steve, when I saw your post on the setback release I thought “what a great idea to incorporate a manual release” The idea that I might have to unbolt the seat to get to a dead battery has always bothered me. I ran out to the garage only to find that this feature does not exist on my ’07 DB9. Have you heard this from other owners? I wonder when it was discontinued?
LikeLike
Hi David. Interesting. Do you have a Volante? I’ve read in the comments that the release on Volante’s is up a shoulder height. I do believe the DB9 seats were changed somewhere around 2007 to be more stylish, maybe this feature disappeared then?
LikeLike
The release on the “sports” seats with the hole in the headrest is a little different. There’s a nylon strap across the bottom of the headrest hole. Put your hand under the strap and pull up. The seat back will release. Hope this helps!
LikeLike
Hi Steve,
Do you know where the seat release cable connections are, and if they can be accessed?
The passenger side works fine, but the driver’s side seems to have come unhooked and does not release the seat back.
LikeLike