Aeron Chair Arm rests keep falling – Fix it!

The past year my Aeron chair has been bothering me because the armrest will not stay in position. I search all over the web for a solution but it seems that Aeron has switched to a new system and mine is not really supported anymore. I have a knob that you turn to lock and unlock the armrest height. The newer models have a lever that you flip, similar to the quick release on the wheel of bikes.

I finally figured I had nothing to lose so I decide to take apart my Aeron to see if I could fix it myself. As it turn out, it was a super easy fix. The securing mechanism for the arms just needed to be tightened! Why didn’t anyone mention this on all the websites I explored? Here’s a quick and easy step by step.

First, remove the back of the Aeron chair. There are 4 screws securing the backrest and they are easy enough to remove using an allen wrench. Here’s what my chair looked like after the screws were gone and the backrest lifted off.

After 4 screws are removed, the back comes off easily.

After 4 screws are removed, the back comes off easily.

 

If you look at the arm rest risers, the part that was covered by the backrest reveals a screw used to tighten the assembly. The reason the arm rests won’t stay up is because the assembly has gotten loose. All you have to do is tighten the assembly with the thumbwheel. You’ll notice that even with the thumbwheel tight, there is still some play by the metal plates secured by the hex screw. Use a wrench to tighten this bolt until it is snug. Don’t go crazy or you’ll not be able to operate the thumbwheel afterwards! Here’s a photo of the screw to tighten.

Tighten this screw after you have tightened the thumbwheel.

Tighten this screw after you have tightened the thumbwheel (to the right in the picture)

Well, that’s all there is to it! After you’ve tightened the screw, just put the backrest back on (4 screws) and enjoy your chair with arm rests that actually stay at the height you put it.

I can’t believe how easy it was and how hard it was to find any useful information on the web! I hope this little post will help someone who has similar issues with their older Aeron chair.

 

About song

Tech guy in the silicon valley. If you need anything else, look on the blog. It's all there.
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57 Responses to Aeron Chair Arm rests keep falling – Fix it!

  1. Bruce says:

    Thanks for the fix on the lever arms.

    Any help for a defective lumbar support. Mine has broken. It is the fancy one that is adjusted by cabling . The adjustable support piece attached to the pad is cracked. You cannot remove it as it is attached to the actual pad. I understand that this has been a problem for others. I’m thinking that some epoxy supported by coat hanger wire inserted in the groove behind the support panel might work. But how tacky is that? The only solution appears to be a replacement for $125. But that looks like it will probably crack too. Any solutions will be appreciated.

  2. Eric says:

    First thank you!!! This was very helpful.

    Second, just as a note to some folks trying this, for some reason my Aeron had 6 pointed star screws holding the armrests inside. Not sure why they needed security screws inside the armrests, but regardless YMMV.

  3. vp says:

    thanks mate this helped a lot!!!!

  4. Dr. Robert Wright says:

    Thanks for sharing

  5. Alec Story says:

    Thank you for this post. My chair had this problem and this seems to have fixed it.

    One note is that the screws on the inside of my chair were star headed, not hex, so be prepared to go hunting for the right bits.

  6. song says:

    Thanks for the feedback Alec. They must have changed in up the past years.

  7. Lee says:

    Can anyone help me fix the arms for the newer models with the lever?
    I tried the suggestions mentioned in the comments but it keeps staying loose no matter how I tighten the torx nut.
    Thanks for the help.

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