Thread: how to fix a heated seat.

Most heater failures is a broken element in the seat bottom. The element is a thin wire that loops back and forth in the heating element pad.
In my case the fix was easier than most because I replaced the seat leather and pulled the heater off the old leather in the summer. Therefore it isn't sewn to the leather like most would be. I prefer to take the seat out of the car. Disconnect the black 4 wire connector heading into the lower seat cushion. This will allow slack for you to work. Then you can unhook the J channel plastic holding the bottom seat cover and use your hand to slide in and pull the velcro holding the leather to the cushion apart. With the leather up and still mostly on the seat you can work.
The white patch is what the factory puts on originally to hold the wiring with some hot glue.

Looking at the heating pad we see two burn marks in it. When I fixed this last week, there was only one mark.

Fixing one of these near the wiring (which is where many of the breaks frequently occur) is rather easy. Lifting up the wire, there was an obvious weak spot. That's where it broke.

Being that I deal with thin buss wire like this for other things, I know that dragging a razor over it (lengthwise with the wire) is about the only way to get the coating off w/o breaking the wire further. Here's the spare piece as I was unable to click a picture while doing the one on the heater.

Then rewrap it on the regular wire coming in and solder. Test with a multimeter for continuity.

Add hot glue to hold things from flexing at the solder joint, then tested again.

I put GM's little sticky patch back on

Then a new piece of super de duper tape (aka the same tape they use to fix a bus seat)

Reinstalled the heater and tested it out. My butt is warm again and that's a happy thing in the cold weather.

I'll have to give this a try for the car I just bought. The driver seat doesn't work but all 3 other do. Facepalm

And it's usually because of the wire breaking from drivers seat flexing (in/out) all that time

same for 04+ ?

Same idea should be the same. Might not be a white patch...but they all go together the same way.

Or you could just replace the pad like most people would.

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Originally Posted by rperry435

Or you could just replace the pad like most people would.

Money waster! Cheap fix and money in your pocket.

$40 for a new pad or an hour's worth of work and a tiny bit of solder....yea i'll take the solder option.

Yeah and burning your car down is always a plus.

Repairing something Is always nice if its practical but After the number of vehicle fires ive seen from factory and aftermarket heated seats I would never do a repair on one... but to each his own.

I couldnt even begin to give you idea of how many of these pads ive replaced over the years. Mainly due to burnt traces in the pads but if this fix works and your comfortable doing it by all means dont let me stop you..

How ironic is it im installing heated seats in a '13 equinox as I type lol. Gotta love winter

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Originally Posted by 4THGENCAMAROFAN

$40 for a new pad or an hour's worth of work and a tiny bit of solder....yea i'll take the solder option.

They are usually more than $40 id easily replace one for that price.. usually they are upwards of a hundred.. and then yeah saving the money sounds better.

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Upwards of a hundred? On what? This isn't a 42 Plymouth.

The pad new at a dealer #16836118 - $171.17
The heater control module #25638146 - $189.91

We will go with dealer because you said "After the number of vehicle fires ive seen from factory and aftermarket heated seats I would never do a repair on one" and "installing heated seats in a '13 equinox as I type" I assume you work at a dealership, because a 2013 would be under warranty and no-one would pay for something covered for free.

Now how do you feel about this basically free repair on the car. If you solder properly, seal it right afterwards, no amount of movement will cause a fire. If you twist tie, and leave it you run a risk. Repair smart, do it right, no problems, and money in the pocket.

/thread

Guys.. the thing here is .. from the factory, they were soldered. When you do what I suggest, it's soldered. Same thing, just a different person doing the soldering. The wire is often burnt out within the first inch. May have been slew of elements with a bend in the wire that got hot etc.

Actually the dealerships bring the brand new vehicles down to us and we install aftermarket heated seats into the vehicles that don't have them when customers want them. We do all their aftermarket stuff remote starts navigation upgrades cruise controls Etc.

Im not the one who said it was a $40 part. And yeah by upwards of a hundred I meant over a hundred.

Also I said I usually deal with burnt up pads.. not a solder joint issue.

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I'm dealing with standard factory flaws here. As well..most of them are older. After 200K miles of some big butt on you..you might come apart as well.

Originally Posted by BillBoost37

I'm dealing with standard factory flaws here. As well..most of them are older. After 200K miles of some big butt on you..you might come apart as well.

Lol

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If your heated seat doesn't work, there's one thing I check first.

Put your hand under the seat and find the control module for the heater. (looks like a big relay) Flick the switch on/off. The module should click. If it doens't.. swap module. If it does.. pull seat cover up and fix the wire.

Or you could just throw on an extra pair of undies...