Mondeo Mk3 hatch rear seat locked up

[TD127]

Recently my rear seat catches locked and I could not fold the rear seat flat.  I asked at my local garage and they had not come across the problem before and did not know how to fix it.  The actual catch locks onto a heavy duty bracket in the back of the car

Anyway I climbed in the boot with a long flat blade screwdriver and pushed it into the catch area, pointing slightly downwards. I was also pushing the seat forward gently. I could feel the lock area but could not see it.  After carefully wiggling the screwdriver around for a few minutes the lock opened.and the seat folded down.  I greased the catch and pushed it back again locking it in place.  Now the normal buttom release works OK.  This might not be the best solution for this problem but it worked OK for me.  It also saved the cost of a repair where the garage had suggested that they might have to remove the whole back seat.  Hope this helps another owner who gets the rear seat locked up.