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Lazy Boy Recliner foot rest stuck up?

The foot rest on my Lazy Boy 1996 modle 1 or I m-514 recliner is locker in the up position, how can I fix it? I have already tightened the wing nuts that didn't help. I can't push the handle that operates the foot rest forward something seems to be blocking it but I can't see anything.

Bill W, January 2008

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Worked for me too on 25+ year old Lazy-boy recliner chair, one of a pair. After freeing it up I used some WD40 Speciality silicon lubricant to give it some actual lubrication. Have replaced the ratchet cog system twice for just the cost of shipping since L-B warrants their mechanism for life.

Mal, May 2022

I used the WD40 as many suggested and it worked like magic!!! Thanks to all

DT, May 2019

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who suggested using WD-40. It worked beautifully, and in record time. It only took about 5 seconds, and now the footrest is no longer 'stuck'!

Mary IP., September 2018

Thank you so much. My 1996 lazy boy belonged to my beloved friend of 45 years who passed away in 2014. I sit in this chair every day and it comforts me. Did the WD 40 and the pin thing. Works perfectly! Again, thank you to all.

Patricia C., August 2018

WD 40 did it! Thank you so much.

TBird, May 2018

The WD40 worked beautifully. I was skeptical at first. I tried it anyway. I spayed all the joints and springs. Let it sit for about 15 min. The chair works perfectly now.

JW, March 2018

Thanks everyone for the WD-40 suggestion. My 1996 lazy boy recliner had the foot rest stuck in the up position. After spending hours trying to figure out how it works, looking for broken parts, and looking at other websites, I found you and said"why not?"
A tiny bit of WD-40 and 3 seconds later the chair was working! Thank you for sharing the information.

Robin Wight, December 2017

WD 40 did NOT work for me. However, one comment halfway down did. The little pin connected to the two little springs needs to be able to move into two positions - there is an L shaped slot for it. I popped it into the other position easily with two fingers and it's now fixed. Thanks guys!

SueR, July 2017

LOL ya'll are so funny! Using WD-40 as a lubricant when it is a Water Displacement thus the WD in the name. A lightweight Oil such as 3 in 1 Oil would do a much better job and last longer.

MsFixit, April 2017

I too was baffled by the stuck footrest. A few squirts of WD-40, wait 5 minutes and problem solved.
Now all I have to do is cancel the $107 service call.
Thanks for the tip.

Gerry, October 2016

Thank you. WD40 worked immediately!

Mosey, July 2016

I just fixed mine and will try to explain where to oil. When you lay it on its side you can see the main square rod that controls all the mechanisms. Around the middle you will see where two springs are holding a pin that works the leg rest up and down. If your leg rest only goes part way down like mine, then the pin is not being moved up the frame holding it when fully extended. The metal the pin rides along/against should push the spring up onto a higher part of the holder frame when fully extended. I could see it was not moving onto the frame like it should but I could move by hand pulling against the two springs a little. I wiped it down then applied wd40 and that lossend the grease to allow the pin to move more freely.
phone.
I tried to add a picture but couldn't figure out how

Steve, May 2016

Wow, WD-40 is the bomb.

Keith, March 2016

WD-40 worked wonders! Thanks for the help

Maragie, March 2016

FANTASTIC fix with the suggestion of using WD 40. Thanks a bunch. I'll pass it along...

Cheryl Mc, March 2016

AMAZING!! Amazing what a little bit of WD-40 can do to fix this issue!!! Soooo Happy, Unbelievable! Thank You to whoever said to use WD-40. ;) Just spray all the moving parts under the seat.

Bob Miville, February 2016

my drive rod broke putting new rod back on cant figure out how to put the new spacing link back on it attaches to the round bar. Anyone know how to put it back on

charles, December 2015

WD-40 on the one inch springs and mechanism that are about in the center of the square rod coming off the handle worked great for me too. Footrest was stuck in the up position and no amount of trying to move the handle was doing anything to get the chair closed. After applying the WD-40 chair closed right away. I also applied the WD-40 to other pivot points while I was at it. Thanks for the tip!

Steve, Troy MI, November 2015

I was truly stumped over this problem. Chair was working fine and all of a sudden the footrest would only go 1/2 way down. Read the posts here. Used a little penetrating oil in the area of those 2 little springs and pins and 20 seconds later the chair was working perfectly. Never in a million years would I have thought that was the problem. Thanks !!

John, October 2015

Thanks for the tip re w-40, works like a charm

Dave, July 2015

Yes, the WD40 trick worked. Much cheaper than hauling it to a store.

Jim, June 2015

Ha!!! Majority wins!! WD40 worked instantly! My chair was stuck in the half recline foot rest up position, I was crawling in and out of it :/ Turn chair over and spray all metal parts. I was ready to go out today and buy a new one! Now I'm watching golf on TV ....

janis, May 2015

I would have never guessed that a little WD-40 would take care of the problem. I laid the chair on the side opposite the handle and sprayed a good dose of WD-40 where the handle shaft goes into the frame, let it sit a minute, and it worked. I hit all the pivot points under the chair while I was under there. Did a second chair too, both done in less than 20 minutes. Thanks for the tip!

Rich, May 2015

I didn't detach any pins, just llubricated the bearing surfaces on the mechanism which solved the problem.

Bartholomew, March 2015

Releasing the pins holding the 1" spring in the middle of the chair will allow the footrest to come back to the upright position. After releasing the pin the footrest moved just fine but I added a drop of WD40 oil on the pins for extra measure.

CBR, March 2015

Can anyone post a video of the fix to better explain the solution?

Jon, January 2015

OMG! WD-40 is a lifesaver! I sprayed all the moving parts and 'Wha La!' Good as new! Thanks you everyone!!!

Michelle, December 2014

Used pb blaster on the small spring and pin that are on the rod that the handle is connected to. It released immediately. Thanks for the help.

Chuck, September 2014

Thank you for the information. My husband has his chair back.. Found the springs,
wd40 , a few times putting the foot up and down and it works great. We were beginning to think we would have to throw it away and buy a new one.

Paula, August 2014

Thanks to this page I was able to fix my 1998 Lazy Boy stuck foot rest.It was so suddenly stuck there surely had to be something blocking it from going back down or something really wrong, in any case I was filled with dread at the prospect of ever figuring it out. Examination of the underside revealed nothing obvious. My wife is too chemically sensitive for me to use a product like WD40, so armed with a can of low odour TF2 Cycle oil, I liberally oiled everywhere, left it about an hour and have to say I was stunned when with a satisfying clunk, it slid smoothly back into place, I had to apply some pressure. The footrest is now working better than ever ! Thanks to everyone for your invaluable help.

Greg Crowhurst, June 2014

Just made the same repair. Lazyboy wants $107.00 per hour for repairs. They should be ashamed of themselves. They could easily tell customers what to do themselves to make this easy repair. Thank you so much.

Donna, May 2014

Our pair of oversize Lazyboys are from 1991. The swivel rocker footrest stuck like everybody else here. Get out your torx bits, remove chair back & turn chair upside down for easiest access. There's a 1" access port on swivel base to permit removal of 4 bolts holding swivel to chair frame, remove 2 front &1 rear bolts and slightly loosen remaining bolt, swing base out of the way. The linkage (designed to lock foot rest at 1/3 & 2/3 midway positions) runs from to back on a line 40% in from handle side connecting footrest to square handle rod. Spray some WD-40 on the pin / 2 springs / pall in between springs or apply light oil. Examine rod bushings on ends and look for small screws that may have disappeared over the years, replace as needed. Reverse disassembly, right the chair, open beer.

Steve, January 2014

i suspect that the spring popped out from its position when i turned the chair over. i can see the spring loosly hanging but dont know where to clip it in. my recliner is in an outstretch position and would,nt lock in when push back

melvin, January 2014

Great site - Fixing a problem does not get easier..

bud, December 2013

WOW Thank you! I have rebuilt motorcycles autos, do my own reloading, Installed my own siding, windows, floors and rewired my house and finished the basement. At my age (76) there isn't much I haven't done redone or fixed. I laid on the floor for over an hour studying the footrest mechanism looking the cause of the foot rest not retracting. As everything was in place and nothing broken I was stumped till I found this website. A good cleaning of the undercarriage and lubricating all pivot points and paying special attention to the two springs and pawl solved the issue. Again THANKS.

Gerry, November 2013

I followed the instructions above and found the little pin with the small springs. I moved the pin slightly until it unlocked...sprayed it with WD 40 to keep it loosened up and now it works great! Thanks for all the answers!

Deb Z., October 2013

freeing the pin was the answer. Thank U Pat Bowman. It was really hard to find.

Patty Pryor, July 2013

Thank you so much...that was the problem.

R Hoyle, July 2013

I had a problem with the foot rest stuck up on my lazy boy not coming down and used the wd 40 oil and it took care of the problem.
It now works great.

Clarina adcock, June 2013

Thanks for the helpful info. We tipped the chair on its side and found two places where the mechanism was held by cotter pins. We sprayed both with WD-40, waited about 20 minutes, and then tried the footrest handle. Eureka! It now operates smoothly, but before we tipped the chair back over, we gave it another shot of WD-40. We didn't even have to try to remove a pin.

J & M, April 2013

I used the spray with WD-40 trick and it worked great. Thanks

Mango Ramekin, April 2013

My chair was stuck in the fully reclined position. We sprayed all the hinges, etc. with WD-40. It then would open and close. Now when you recline in it the footrest wants to go back down. HELP1

eve, April 2013

T/y very much for this tip. Footrest stuck in
half up position. Spent a half hour sitting in front trying
to figure an unlock. Never thought to tip it on its
side. Pulled up on the pin there and a tiny spring went flying but the footrest now closes. Thanks again.

Justaguy, March 2013

Thank you all for the answers to this problem. I was so happy when I googled "recliner stuck" and found this thread!!!

Sherri, January 2013

Thank you so much! Think our chair has a pin with two springs. I used wd-40 to spray this & all the other parts I imagined would move.. Handle still appeared to be 'stuck'. I had seen in 1 of the answers where a slotted mechanism was mentioned. Ours was in the middle of the chair & the arm going to up seemed to be in the upmost position. (I sprayed this too.) Still no work. I took hold of the arm that was in the highest slot & physically moved it out of the slot. It 'popped' lose & seems to be working fine.

I'm not much of a 'handy man', usually break stuff by my 'dont force it, use a bigger hammer' attitude. Thanks to you our chair is working again. If it sticks again I won't be imtimidated. Cheers!

Fernard Moore, January 2013

Thanks everyone! I've spent the last half hour looking under my recliner because I've had the same "stuck footrest" problem for a week now. I popped the pin and now all is well!

Michael, January 2013

Our Lazy Boy Recliner just has a small round handle that you flip up to get the chair up; however, unlike the long wooden handle that when you pull down on it gets the chair down as well, the only way to get this chair down is to push down with your legs. Sometimes, it just doesn't work for me and my hubby has to push down the front of the chair with his foot to get my chair down. Is this the only way to get the chair down? What if the person in the chair doesn't have any strength in their legs? Please help. Thank you.

H.C., November 2012

Thanks for the tip, worked perfectly for me, on the chair that my parents bought in JUne, 1989. Still going strong!

GJ, November 2012

Many Thanks! Same problem as above and I used the same wd40 "repair" Worked great. Lubed all the other moving parts and its better than new!

Mike, October 2012

I "popped" the pin and it also fixed mine. I cleaned it with degreaser, then put some silicone spray on it. Works like a champ. I wish we could post a photo of the area in question, took me a bit to find it.. but once I did, the fix was obvious. Thanks!

shipmodeller, October 2012

My husband tipped the chair up, didn't see any of the problems that we read about. Then I came to this forum and read to use WD-40-- my husband grabbed his trusty can and a couple of sprays on the spring and the cam, and Voila! All is well...

Virginia Wright, July 2012

Had two of our recliners stuck within days of each other.
Just sprayed the cam with the springs on it with WD-40.
Now they both work great. Now I can sit in my Spot
and my grandson can sit in his Spot.

Walt, June 2012

same problem as the others sprayed with WD40 every thing working great. Thanks for the answer.

K G, May 2012

Worked for me also. The pin slides on a "cam" and is held in place by the small springs on each side of the "little" pin. Sprayed the cam and pin with WD-40, worked the handle a few times. I noticed the pin is a bit loose so if further problems I can just remove the springs and pin and go "all up" or "all down".
Thank you

Chef Don, April 2012

Thanks, Nellie! Your tip fixed my chair!!!

Todd, March 2012

Thanks to all...

My problem turned out to be nail clippers that had slipped down the side and were fouling the mechanism, added a little wd40 as recommended and all is well. Use a flashlight and look carefully for small objects.

peter, March 2012

Thanks for the info - your information has saved my chair and saved me money-can't thank you enough

PhilB, March 2012

Thanks so much for the info. It worked beautifully. Foot rest is working great now.

Judy, December 2011

I thought I was going to have to buy a new chair. I sprayed with WD40 and it works great. Thanks

Kim, December 2011

Awesome .. THANKS!! Me too .. all fixed up!

Marnie, December 2011

As Jason V described above on June 2010, the rod that goes across the chair from the handle has a mechanism attached with notches in it and 2 little springs that attach to a pin that works in and out of the notches to control the position of the foot rest. The pin was stuck in one of the notches. I freed the pin and sprayed the mechanism with WD-40. It now works beautifully. Our chair was bought in 1991.

Pat Bowman, November 2011

After reading all your answers, I turned the chair on its side with the lever facing up and found all the parts they mentioned. I sprayed it with silicone spray and tried to move the lever. At first it wouldn't move, but it suddenly released. I sat in it and worked the lever and the foot rest is working perfectly. Thank you.

Mary J., September 2011

thanks to Jason and some of the others I did not see that pin & spring setup. You saved us 100.00 if not more thanks so much.

roe, August 2011

My Lazy Boy recliner did the same thing. Thank you for the solutions offered here. Followed your instructions & it worked like a charm! Thank you!!

GivenAGift, January 2011

Yeah!!! It really works. I just could not face having to go out and buy another chair.

Jackie, January 2011

Thanks for the suggestion! We used WD-40 to lubricate the spring and it worked beautifully. We are back in action

kt, December 2010

Same problem, same fix as everyone else. Interestingly I found the answer on this website at precisely the same moment as my brother found the solution by poking around in the mechanism. Now that's teamwork!

Andrew M, October 2010

Worked like a charm, many thanks for the answer and the saved $'s

Todd S., September 2010

I never would have guessed that was the problem! Worked like a charm! Many thanks!

Lee, July 2010

I did as everyone in this forum has said. Turned chair on side, found the (1 spring and pin) in my case, and put wd40 on it and slowly moved the handle back and forth. My pin does not appear to be worn out, and the notches look good, too. I was amazed. Works better than before. I'll remove them if any more problems, or price a new pin and spring.

I paid Lazy Boy $80.00 to fix my other rocker-recliner 4 years ago when it locked up in the recline position. They said my parts were free, the 80. was for labor. I now wonder if I even got free parts. :-(

Funds are really tight now, so after hopping in and out of chair for 2 days and then sitting in the chair I got fixed 4 years ago (gives you backaches since seat cushion sags) I googled and found this forum. I am happy now. :-)

Oh, anybody have any 'fixes' to making that cusion firm again on the older chair? It does not appear to be worn springs, just crushed foam. But, how to get to it?

Michelle in Indy, June 2010

Thank you for providing this information. I usually ask my 81 year old father how to fix this kind of thing, but he won't be here forever. I'm going to have to learn to deal with such things on my own...lol. I just applied silicone spray to the pin/spring area and my chair came down. I'm not sure how long it will last, but I'll try another suggestion if it doesn't remain free. Thanks again!

Robin, June 2010

My LA-Z-BOY recliner is about 10 years old...still going strong. Until last night when the footrest became stuck between the highest and second highest setting - I had to crawl out of the chair. Flipped the chair on its side, armrest facing up. There's a steel rod going through the chair from the handle. One of the mechanisms attached to it has two little springs attached to a pin that slides through a metal bracket (which is about 6 inches long and runs to another spring in the front of the chair) - the pin was stuck. I popped the pin up inside the bracket and was able to fold the footrest down, so this was the problem.

This mechanism locks the footrest at the different levels that nobody ever uses, so I detached the springs, took the pin out, and then took the bracket out of the chair. Problem solved. I won't miss the different footrest levels, and I'd rather not have those than pay $100+ for a service call to LA-Z-BOY. This problem should be covered by their falsely advertised "lifetime warranty" (parts are covered but they'll charge you for the call and labor).

Thanks so much for posting here guys - very helpful and I doubt I'd have figured this out without the info you all provided. I love the Internet, and people who take time out to help others - saves so much time and money. Cheers.

Jason V, June 2010

Thank you to whomever posted this answer!!! Mine has two pins, connected by springs on each side. I just popped the springs off, reversed the pins and it works like its brand new. One of the pins was significantly grooved and worn, it takes the brunt of the work. May not last forever but iy works now and I am thankful to whomever posted the fix

Bob, March 2010

THANK YOU WHOEVER POSTED THE ANSWERS TO THIS!! I really didn't want to throw out my chair.

becky, August 2009

Place the chair on its side with the arm lever up. In the center of the chair bottom there is a small spring about an inch long attached to a pin. Instead of knocking the pin down and having the spring fall off, try moving the pin forward in the slot with the spring intact. Next use the arm lever on the side of the chair to make sure the problem has been corrected then place a drop or so of 3-in-1 Oil on the moving mechanisms which can be seen as you move the arm lever. It worked for me (twice) on different Lazy Boy Rocker Recliners circa 1998.

Nellie - July 25, 2009, July 2009

Yes - this worked perfectly for me too! I just popped the spring off that gear with the worn down teeth and the footrest came right back down! (No pin droped out of mine, though - but I have a different model) Thanks!

dg, October 2008

thank you. Once we figured out exactly what part we were dealing with, it worked slick!!!!

BLSylvester, September 2008

Yes...My Lazy Boy Recliner foot rest was stuck part way up. I knocked the pin out, the spring fell off...and now the foot rest will stay in the up position or the down position...which is what I wanted. Thanks to Allan for spelling out what to do to repair it.

Sally Reimer, September 2008

The small gear becomes stuck. We added tape to its teeth and that helped, but it still stuck every few months. Then one of the chairs had the spring come out and a pin dropped out. That chair never became stuck again. The only problem is that it can be in full up or full down positions only. For us that is has never been a problem and we have removed that part from all 5 (sofa 2, love seat 2, and recliner 1) and have been happy ever after.

Jim Bannan, June 2008

This isn't the answer, but I have the same problem. I tipped the chair over for a better look and find there is a pin held by a spring the controls the action in the lever. This is found in the middle of the chair on the rod going through the chair from the handle. I believe this is the problem and that it has occurred due to wear on that part. I need to know where to get it fixed.
Help.

allan gearig, January 2008