jstreck6748

Hey guys, I searched extensively for an answer to this question but never found a thread that matched this specific problem.

I bought a used 2010 Nissan Maxima SV with everything and now thats its getting cold in Missouri Ive noticed that neither drivers or passengers seats get hot at all. Although the cooled seats do work, every once in awhile it seems like the back of my seat will get a little warm but nothing to be excited about. At least the heated steering wheel works. Unfortunately its out of warranty.

So, does anyone know what could case both seats to malfunction, it would seem strange that the element doesn't work for both seats. Is there a sensor or switch that controls heat for both seats. Also both lights from passenger and driver stay on in all low and high positions. Thanks for any help!!

lightonthehill

I'm neither a 'seat pro' or an 'electric pro', but if the indicator lights showing your heated seat is on are lit, then it would seem the problem has to be either in the wiring between the indicator lights and the seats, or in the seat heating elements themselves.

BUT

The fact this is happening with BOTH seats, AND you detect a little heat in the lower back of the driver's seat may be telling us that the thermostat that determines whether more heat is needed in the seats at any given time is malfunctioning, and thinks the seats are already hot enough (when working properly, this thermostat does not allow the seats to become too hot).

But there should be a seat heater expert here somewhere on the org.

jerZmax856

I'm not a seat heater expert, however, after having heated seats in other cars I would be prone to thinking that my seats are broken because on "high" they are not very "heated" and it takes a while for them to warm up.

This, however, is supposedly normal. If the heater is off on a cold day, I can tell I'm sitting on a cold seat. With it on, I can not tell I'm sitting on a cold nor heated seat.

In comparison, my Honda's seat always felt like it was darn near burning my leg; whereas I find BMW seats and (new 2013) Ford Escape seats are pleasantly extra-warm like a heated blanket.

jstreck6748

Pertaining to a thermostat problem, I would think that each seat would have its own thermostat for each respective seat, so again if both of those also didn't work that would be strange.

The question for someone that knows these things very well is, is there anything that controls both seats?

Anyone with a 2010 SV? How warm are your seats on high? I had a Lincoln Contintental that would burn you skin it was so hot, it was wonderful in the winter, . Thanks for everyones help so far.

jstreck6748

Anyone else for help please!!!

lightonthehill

The seats on some posters' Maximas get reasonably warm, but I don't recall anyone posting that they get hot. A few have posted that they couldn't tell the seat hearters were on until they took off their coat.

But you should be able to tell if they are warmer when you have them on than when you have them off. If there is any warming at all, then there must be some sort of control somewhere that is not allowing full heating of the seat.

I do recall that many posters here say the warmest part of their seat is the lower back part, rather than the sitting surface.

jstreck6748

Wel now the light on the rotary switch is randomly going out I talked to the service manager I bought the car from and they are going to look at it for free and gives a car to drive since I just bought it less than 3 months ago, they have been nice about the whole thing it's just annoying. We'll see how it all turn out.

pdub34

Try the high setting and on the passenger seat because it's heat only, if it warms up then could be something wrong on the a/c side, have you changed your seat filter?? If all doesn't work then get urself a remote starter lol will be way cheaper then replacing your leather seats.

With the remote start u can leave the switches on and your heater in auto and 10 minutes or so after u start it....poof amazing ))

jstreck6748

The passenger seat doesn't get hot at all either, I didn't know about a seat filter??? Please enlighten me. Does take filter affect te heat at all???

maxud

I have had the worst experience with those darn seat heaters. My seat cushion has been replaced 2 times. Each time the seat heating has been very inconsistent. The second cushion experienced the heating light on rotary switch turning off within couple of mins of starting cold car.
The third cushion worked fine for a year, now it seems like it produces inconsistent heat. Sometimes, barely warm, sometimes I feel like I am seating on on hot coals.
Worst part is that the heating element is built into seat cushion.

jstreck6748

It seems like there's so many things that could be wrong since everyone's story seems a little different I don't even know what I say to the dealer anymore. Is anyone else still suffering from this problem years later or never got I resolved???

vascott1

I had this same problem after having the heater fixed a few times. I actually had to make a video of the light going out to convince my dealership.. When they finally got into the seat they found that the heater was actually getting close to burning and starting a fire when the light went out. They showed me the parts they replaced and they were all singed and burned.. Since then the light has not gone out but the seat might be getting warm at best but certainly not toasty and comfy like when I bought the car.. At this point I just accept it and move on (pun intended) since I really don't want to fight and the car is out of warranty for this issue. My friend has a 2014 Ford Fusion.. Those seats are wonderfully toasty on high.. My previous car the heat went up the back of the seat as well..

The good old days!

Good luck with your repairs.

jstreck6748

Alright guys, so far I've had the car at the dealer for 4 days. At first they got the car and right off the bat decided to replace both I believe they were called TED sensors, basically they regulate if the seats shut down from to much heat preventing you know... a fire! Also when they disassembled the seat they found that the insulation that covers the vents were misaligned and trapping hot/cold air, so they realigned those. After that they claimed everything was working fine and that they tested for awhile and I came to pick it up, as I drove away maybe 2 miles down the road the light turned off again, . So I drove it back and showed them the car with the light still out, so now there replacing the seat, lol. They have been very nice about everything I bought this car used from them and the basic warranty is expired, if they wanted to they could tell me to F-off, but they are taking care of it free of charge and gave me a car to drive for free, a base maxima which is fine. It seems like more dealers should follow this protocol, assuming everything works out in the end I will be a repeat customer just because of how they've handled everything.


CLIFFS
-replaced thermal sensor, still not working
-replacing seat
-waiting for results!

LtLeary

Good to hear you were taken care of. It took me one complete seat and one seat back only to resolve my issues more permanently although I must say there are many on this forum who have never had an issue.

jstreck6748

Alright, I've had the car back for a little while now and the back of the seat definitely heats up better than before and the light stays on, but I swear the bottom doesn't heat up. Its annoying actually because in the winter your upper body is cover so much more than your lower body. If I had a choice I'd rather just have it on the bottom than the back. I'm going out of town for vacation soon and I'm going to give it back to them and see what they think. I don't mind paying a few hundred bucks to get the thing resolved, its just annoying having a feature that doesnt work properly.

@LtLeary, why did they replace just the back, was only the back not heating??

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

I have a 2014 not even a week old. This thread got me thinking. My girlfriend was telling me that her seat was not getting warm and I also noticed that on my drivers side only the seat back heats up. The switches appear to be working fine that means the issue is within the seats. I could understand if one seat failed but to have both seats fail just means poor QC at the factory and the dealer. The other possibility is the seats failed in the few days I owned the car. Coming from a 98 Maxima that had no issues for at least the first 5 years this is pretty disappointing.

I'm curious how the heated seats work on most 7th Gens? Are your seat bottom and back toasty warm when they are set to high? That is the way it should be, it should be obvious that the seat is heated especially on high. If that is not happening maybe this seat problem is more common then it appears. In my 98 I had to turn the heated seat switch down to low after a short time because the seat would get too warm.

Odd that someone had to start a thread that stated they did not have any problems with their 7th Gen due to the number of people that have posted problems with their 7th Gen. Unfortunately I'm in the latter group.

maxud

Well, I am officially sick of Nissan and the heated seats on the Maxima. I had them fix this problem no less than 3 times. This morning, the light went off within 1min of starting the car. I restarted and same thing repeated. I have had my seat cushion replaced 2 times. It works sometimes, but it seems like the COLD (isn't it ironic) effects the system in a worst way and triggers the shutdown.
I wish Nissan would figure out what the REAL problem is, instead of just throwing parts at it.

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

Switches, wires and connectors are generally very reliable. The most likely part to fail is the heating element inside the seat. This is the part that is sat on and generates heat. The fact that dealers are installing multiple cushions means it's probably a production issue with the cushions and heating elements.

The heated seat circuit is very simple. If you ever take an electronics course that is like the first circuit that you learn. The fact that the dealers repair department may have difficulty troubleshooting this problem is very disappointing

Edit: The passenger seat is the simple resistive heating element circuit. In vehicles with climate controlled driver seat the heating and cooling is done with a device called Thermal Electric Device (TED) with one installed in the seatback and one in the seat cushion. That circuit is a little more complex but nothing a competent tech should have issues with troubleshooting.

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

Looks like Altimas had simailar heated seat issues. Probably same design/supplier. I would have thought that Nissan would have resolved this by now.

http://www.nissanclub.com/forums/201...g-wheel-3.html

LtLeary

There are sensors in the back and in the seat, the second time it was only the sensors in the back of the seat that was telling the seat controls it was failing (it reported that it was very very hot) and thus would kick it off and why the seat would neither heat or cool (the light on the switch would go out.) since the last replacement 18 to 24 months ago, no further problem...unfortunately by then, I had to pay for the repair!

maxud

Thanks for entertaining link. It does look like 2013 Altima had heated seat issues, but they were mis-wiring issues. Nothing at all like what I experienced. I feel sorry for all Nissan owners. Between incompetent dealers and ignorant Consumer Affairs and all the other BS in between, there is just no joy left.
My first warning sign was when the Dealer closest to my work, Shelton CT, refused to look at a warranty issue for my car. They told me to call back in 6 month. Back then I blew a lid, but now I just feel like, yep, that's Nissan for you.
Worst part is that other brands are probably suffering from the same issues, so you will be hard pressed to find a car brand/model without some issues.

maxud

Do you remember what they hit you up for?

LtLeary

The first time was warranty, the second I paid 400 and the last time for the seat back only was $250. The good news (knocking on wood) is I haven't had a problem with heating or cooling since.

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

LtLeary I read your posts on the seats from 2009. My climate controlled drivers seat portion does not heat but the back portion heats just fine. So the thermal electric device with sensor had to be changed, the control unit or both? The light on the heat/cool switch on my does not go out at all. Was your light going out? I'm going to request that the dealer change the TED in the seat cushion.


It's ridiculous some of the things that some people had to go through to get their seats fixed. These circuits are not very complicated and there are only a few components that can go bad. Does not say much for the troubleshooting skills of the mechanics. Hopefully mine will get fixed fairly quickly.

LtLeary

The sensors are in the seat bottom and back so when they changed out the seat and back, all were changed as a unit. Starting out, the light would stay on but cooling and heating were intermittent, finally progressing to only working on low and then finally, the light would only work for a few seconds before going out.

Please do let us know how you make out. I've not heard of a bad switch yet, but there is always a first time!

sbrooks64

Good information

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

Have not actually spoken with the service manager at the dealer yet but he left me a message saying the heated seats work just as they should. He consulted with Nissan about this and I should come pick the car up.

From reading others posts this is exactly what I feared. The driver back cushion heats up well but the seat cushion does not heat up at all. The passenger side does not provide any disernable heat in either hi or low setting. The lights on the switches work fine. This is totally asinine. Either the seats provide some heat or they do not. There is no in between. If I have to wonder if the heated seats are even on there must be a problem.

The heated steering wheel provides heat that is easily felt should I not expect the same of the seats? I guess next step is to start a case with Nissan.

Jim Anderson

Hello,
I have a 2011 Maxima SV (still under warranty) with similar issues. The driver's seat, back, heats up but not the lower seat and the switch light turns off at random times. The passenger side switch light stays on at all times, but the seat only warms about 50% of the time. This car only has 30K on it and already I had to have the navigation unit replaced because it was freezing on me. I live in eastern PA and with many single digit temperatures in the morning it would be nice to have heated seats. I've contacted Nissan directly and they were no help, they just keep telling me to take it to my local dealer. My local dealer seems baffled and said they have never heard of this problem before. By reading the other posts on here it seems like a common problem with Maximas. I will be taking my car to the dealer next week so they can look further into this problem. So far they have replaced both switches. My drivers switch still turns off randomly and my passenger side switch still stays on. Nothing has changed, seats still do not warm. I will give another update after I take my car in.

Nopike

iTrader: (2)

Heated seat and even the climate control seat circuits are not complex. Anyone with even a simple understanding of electical circuits should easily be able to find the cause of the problem. Funny they are changing switches. Checking if a switch works or not is easily tested without even removing the switch. All they need to do is get under the seat and see if the proper voltages are being sent to the seat.

The drivers side issue is due to a faulty TED or control unit that are mounted under the seat. The passenger side is probably due to a bad circuit connection in the seat itself.

This is a long standing issue that has been in many of these vehicles since 2009. Instead of addressing the problem Nissan and it's dealers have chosen to play dumb. Maybe the problem is too expensive for Nissan to want to fix. Totally disappointing.