4 runner seat problem

I had a similar problem with a first gen 4Runner passenger seat.  There was a cable running between the rails that locks/unlocks the side opposite the lever.  If the cable gets disconnected or the swaged cable end gets pulled off you're only unlocking the lever side.  Mine appeared to have been worked on before, and I used a bolt/nut for a makeshift cable end.  

My recollection of how it works is there is a shaft that goes across the lower rear of the seat which the recline lever is attached to, and that shaft actuates the latch on the recliner pawl.  I bet its become unattached on one side or the other.  The seat is not hard to remove; its just 4 bolts, but they can be sticky due to undercoating on the ends of the bolts.  Remove the 4 bolts, take the drivers seat out, and turn it upside down.  There are some plastic covers on each side, IIRC, that you will have to remove to get at the mechanism.