This seems to be a frequent problem, usually results from people manually pulling the headrests up and down. Usually, the gear on the motor has just been pulled off track, which is why you still hear it running with no results.

Fairly easy fix, did it on mine by taking off the back seat covers and reseating/resecuring the gear.

I saw a DIY article somewhere on this problem once, maybe on Rik Johnson's site, but I can't really remember. Perhaps someone who knows could post the link.

John

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1995 E320 119,000 miles