Front Seat Heat Pad Replacement

[LSVLance]

Hello all,

 

I did some searching but couldn't find this topic already posted, so here goes. My wife's 2003 Tahoe's driver side heated seat pops a cirucuit after being turned on for just a minute or so. The passenger side works fine on it's own, but when the driver's side pops, the passenger side is dead as well.

 

This leads me to believe that either the seat bottom or seat back heat pad is bad on the drivers side (common sense says it's the bottom). The Tahoe has about 140,000 miles on it and she uses the seat heater a bunch (cold natured). I'd like to narrow it down before buying a replacement if possible, I'm thinking I can trace down where each of them plugs in, unplug them one at a time then turn them on and see if it pops again or not. Will that work? With what I'm reading about these all being computer controlled with computers in the doors and in the seats, I'm a bit nervous about this.

 

Secondly, once I diagnose which heat pad is bad, how difficult is the removal and reinstall of a replacement heat pad?

 

I'm fairly mechanical and do most of my own work, but have never done any sort of upholstery work before.

 

I figure with all of the GM owners in here, surely some of you have had seat heat pads go out before and hopefully you can help walk me through the process of replacing mine.

 

Than ks,

Lance

[LSVLance]

Well, I pulled the heater pad out of the drivers seat this morning and replaced it.

 

I think I can tell what went wrong...

 

 

 

 

 

Problem is, replacing it with a new one didn't fix my problem. The driver's side still comes on for just a second then pops off. I tested both pads on the passenger side and they both work over there, heat up and stay on.

 

So I put both seats back together and now I"m on to other possible fixes. I assume that either the switch itself, the Body control module or the computer that controls the heated seats has a short in it caused by the burnt out heater pad. Does anyone have any advice on how to chase down my next fix? I'm going in blind here.

 

Thanks,

Lance

[savage99ss]

Well, I pulled the heater pad out of the drivers seat this morning and replaced it.

 

I think I can tell what went wrong...

 

 

 

 

 

Problem is, replacing it with a new one didn't fix my problem. The driver's side still comes on for just a second then pops off. I tested both pads on the passenger side and they both work over there, heat up and stay on.

 

So I put both seats back together and now I"m on to other possible fixes. I assume that either the switch itself, the Body control module or the computer that controls the heated seats has a short in it caused by the burnt out heater pad. Does anyone have any advice on how to chase down my next fix? I'm going in blind here.

 

Thanks,

Lance

 

 

How hard was it to take these out of the seat.

[AGT]

Is the new pad burnt now too? IS so there is a regulation issue. I would also wonder if it was grounding out or something

[LSVLance]

How hard was it to take these out of the seat.

 

Once I figured it out, not hard at all. There are plastic "J-clips" around the front three sides of the upholstery of the seat bottom. You pull the cover down and away from the seat base and it comes right loose. There is then a very strong velcro like attachment of the upholstery to the foam where the seams of the upholstery are. You just pull the upholstery up and it comes loose. The pad is taped to teh seat bottom foam at teh very front and very back. just pull that tape loose, snake the wire out from behind and remove.

 

Reinstallation is just the above reversed.

 

 

 

And as far as I know, the new one hasn't burnt yet...It hasn't been on long enough to burn out.