2013 Silverado Remote Start and Heated Seats

bphouston · November 20, 2012

I have a new 2013 Chev Silverado with all the bells and whistles but one thing has me wondering.

At what temperature do the heated seats activate when remote start is used? The manual says:

Remote Start Heated Seats

When it is cold outside, the heated seats may turn on automatically during a remote vehicle start. The heated seats will be canceled when the ignition is turned on. Press the desired button to use the heated seats after the vehicle is started. The lights on the heated seat buttons do not turn on during a remote start. The temperature performance of an unoccupied seat may be reduced. This is normal.

The seats have not activated upon remote start yet even though temps have been as low as the 50's.

In my 2007 Silverado with remote start, automatic climate control and heated seats, the heated seats activate upon remote start at temps around mid 60's.

There must be a sensor with a temp programmed in that allows the seats to heat at a particular temperature but no one I've asked at the dealer seems to know.

bmbity · November 20, 2012

Checked the service manual and owners manual. It states they will turn on "at cooler tempatures" so what ever that means

vkjohnson · November 20, 2012

Based on how mine has been acting the last month, I'd say it's right around 40-35 degrees F. Definitely not 50. Too bad that's not a setting you can change. Remember...I'm pretty sure you have to have your AC in AUTO mode to make it work too.

bphouston · November 20, 2012

According to the 2013 Silverado manual "During a remote start, if the vehicle has an automatic climate control system and heated seats, the heated seats will turn on during colder outside temperatures and will shut off when the key is turned to ON/RUN"

This has worked flawlessly on my 2007 Silverado since I've owned it and it's one of the few really useful features GM has, especially if your truck sits in a parking lot all day during the fall and winter. Somewhere in the engineering of these systems (firmware) there is a setting for the seats to heat when remoted started at a particular temperature. Between 2007 and 2013 they must have lowered that temperature setting, perhaps to lessen the battery draw every time the vehicle is remote started which I do all the time.

And you're right vkjohnson, we should have more control of programmed settings like these. Unfortunately, the more user interfaces GM provides, the more we pay for our vehicles.

Thanks for the responses.

GMCustomerService · November 20, 2012

I have a new 2013 Chev Silverado with all the bells and whistles but one thing has me wondering.

At what temperature do the heated seats activate when remote start is used? The manual says:

Remote Start Heated Seats

When it is cold outside, the heated seats may turn on automatically during a remote vehicle start. The heated seats will be canceled when the ignition is turned on. Press the desired button to use the heated seats after the vehicle is started. The lights on the heated seat buttons do not turn on during a remote start. The temperature performance of an unoccupied seat may be reduced. This is normal.

The seats have not activated upon remote start yet even though temps have been as low as the 50's.

In my 2007 Silverado with remote start, automatic climate control and heated seats, the heated seats activate upon remote start at temps around mid 60's.

There must be a sensor with a temp programmed in that allows the seats to heat at a particular temperature but no one I've asked at the dealer seems to know.

I can check into this for you as well with the last eight of your VIN. Contact me privately with the last eight of your VIN for more assistance. Thank you.

Tricia, GM Customer Service.

MikeNH · November 20, 2012

Sorry but I gotta ask- where do you live that 50s is considered "colder temperatures"?

That's like t-shirt weather!

bphouston · November 20, 2012

Touché MikeNH, good one!. I was, of course, speaking relatively. In a side by side comparison of the 2007 Silverado and the 2013 Silverado, (on a cold fall evening of about low 50's F in NH) both trucks remotely started, the heated seats activated on the 2007 but did not on the 2013. Somewhere in between 2007 and 2013 the temp activation setting was adjusted by GM. I would like to know if anyone knows what the temperature setting is for the seats to activate, and I mean in degrees F.

So when the manual says: "When it is cold outside, the heated seats may turn on automatically during a remote vehicle start." are they saying Alaska cold of -20 or NH winter cold? ...or are they saying, sometimes this sh!t works and sometimes it don't. hahaha.

MikeNH · November 20, 2012

I'd wonder if it is tied in with the defroster. I'm not sure what the trigger point is but on my 2011 the rear window defroster and mirrors turn on with the remote start too- I'd guess somewhere around 32*. Maybe it's the same for the seats? My truck doesn't have them.

&CDFiXER% · November 20, 2012

Based on how mine has been acting the last month, I'd say it's right around 40-35 degrees F. Definitely not 50. Too bad that's not a setting you can change. Remember...I'm pretty sure you have to have your AC in AUTO mode to make it work too.

Mine seem to follow the above post as well. I don't have a 13' but an 11'....

bphouston · November 21, 2012

Tonight, I remote started the 2013 Silverado and saw that the heated seats were heating and the heated seat door button lights were lit too, contrary to the manual stating "The lights on the heated seat buttons do not turn on during a remote start". The outside temperature was a cool 37º F. vkjohnson and CDFiXER you guys are on the money. That temp is a far cry from my 07 Silverado who's seats heat upon remote start when temps are in the low 60's. Somewhere along the line between 2007 and 2013 GM adjusted the starting temp setting down about 25º. I'm still hoping GM can tell me exactly at what temperature the heated seats are designed to activate during a remote start.

Thanks for your inputs.

* 21 Nov 2012 Remote start at 42º F initiated the heated seats.

JMorris · November 6, 2013

In doing a LOT of searching about what the temp thresholds are I found that when GM says the seats heaters will turn on when the outside temp is "cold enough" and the seat coolers (if equiped) will come on if it's "hot enough" translates to this.... "COLD" = 41 degrees F or less.... "HOT" is 86 degrees F or higher.

Frankly, I'd like to have a way to adjust both of those as 41 in the cab and I'm freezing, and if it's 86 in the cab I'm sweating!!!!