Hey I have an 2008 MC and my heated seats are strangely turning off. I'll turm them onto which ever seating and then in about 10 minues... no more warm seat. The light is still on the switch, but the heater has turned off. I can then re-hit the switch to whichever setting and it turns back on, only to follow the same cycle.

Is this normal?? I thought once you turned them on, they stayed on.

 

I also noticed a similar thing with the heated seats in my 07 MCS. I am not sure if this is normal or if we got faulty heated seats!

 

I could be way off here, but I'll throw out a guess.

When you first turn on the seat heaters (no matter what setting), they heat up relatively quickly. They do this by getting really "hot" at first. Then as time goes on and the seat is getting warm, it drops to whatever setting you chose. Sort of like a preheat setting on an electric blanket.

There were some threads about the seats getting so incredibly hot on any setting that in less than 10 minutes a person had to turn it back off to keep from burning themselves. There is even a factory fix where the dealer installs a resistor or something under the seat to "tone" the heat down.

I found the seat heaters in my car do this very thing. They get super hot at first, but if I can take the heat, after a few minutes they seem to level off and become comfortable. In general, after an extended amount of time (15-20 minutes), I've even turned the seat heater up, which is probably just my body getting use to the heat and so it doesn't feel as hot as it really is. Are you guys sure you're not just getting use to the heat setting? Maybe an IR thermometer would tell for sure.

 

I think this is normal behavior for the heated seats. I don't think my backside could sustain that level of heat for long. Also ever notice how the windshield defrost goes on high a second or two after turning it on? Thats the no nonsense "mini" way of doing things

 

Heated seats are thermostatically controlled. If the temperature is set to "low", the heat element will turn off as long as the actual temperature of the seat is greater than or equal to "low".

 

Its normal my crossfire and benz do the same thing!

 

Exactly. It's set to multiple thermostatic switches. Depending on the setting, when the temperature is reached the circuit will open itself to maintain optimal temperature. Then as the circuit cools, the metal contacts come into contact again and the process starts all over.

Totally normal!

 

My driver side seat started doing something strange. I hit the switch and the seat starts heating then stops, the light goes out and I'm unable to select it again until the car ignititon is turned off and re-started. Then the process starts again but like before, the heater only works for a minute or two. Is the "thermostat" in the switch or under the seat?

 

OK that's weird. I agree with all the other posts about the initial heat etc., but I've never had the light go out on its own.

 

Sounds like a trip to the dealer is in order.

 

My '03 works the same way, heat for about 10 min then it's off, but mine comes back on again after about 10 more. I only use mine on "low" speed.......

My Audi has 6 heat settings, and if you select one of the lower numbers they seem to stay on all the time - very comfortable too......

 

My Clubman seat heater has three settings: Too Hot, Way Too Hot, and Fried Bacon. My '02 BMW was the same way.

 

I admit I was surprised at how FAST they get to the Fried Bacon stage, too! My other cars take several minutes to reach 'I think I can feel it...' and they rarely get too warm.

My daughter kept hers on HI all the way to school this morning and I was afraid there would be serious damage done, but maybe the previous post about the temp dropping down after a time explains it...or at least I hope so!

 

Now I'm glad I didn't get them. I wanted them but the car I picked out didn't have them. I'd hate the Fried Bacon stage deal!

 

This will be our 1st Winter with Molly, but usually I crank the heat and the Bunn Warmer is on HIGH 95% of the time. My Husband gets Well Done!!

 

Don't get me wrong, I really like the heated seat feature, but I don't know who'd ever use the "high" setting, unless they're a chase car with the "Ice Road Trucker" film crew!

 

Same issue with my 09 Clubman. Just picked it up on Saturday and today was the first day here in St. Louis that the heated seats would have been nice. Hit the switch, got the three lamps, then all shut off within seconds. Passenger side seems to be unaffected.

Did you ever get a resolution or is this the first item on my service list.

Thanks,

Steve

Nothing more serious than a loose connection to the box underneath the driver seat. My MA talked with the service department and was told what to look for. He fixed in seconds by reseating the connector when I went in to get my plates.

 

Mine get hot and never turn off. I am fairly sure i could cook on my seats. Sometimes if its really cold out and i have been driving with the heated seats on i will get out and it feels like i wet my self!