A method of manufacturing a gear drive for a seat adjuster assembly may include applying a cutting process to a worm gear blank to cut gear teeth into the worm gear blank and form a single-enveloping worm gear; forming a worm with a helical thread that includes a pitch surface that is configured to mesh with the gear teeth of the single-enveloping worm gear. A longitudinal crown is created on the pitch surface of the helical thread of the worm such that the pitch surface has an arcuate profile moving from a proximal end of the worm to a distal end of the worm. In addition, a crowned tooth profile is created on the helical thread of the worm that extends in an angular direction between a top land and a bottom land of the helical thread. The crowned tooth profile bows outwardly along a convex curve.