Cooled A/C Seats, intermittently not working

[billiards4me]

Well.... title really says the most of it. Lol. 2014 Ram CC 4x4 Sport, with all the options... the a/c seats are used just about all the time. Recently, when I press the button, the blue lights come on, no relay “click” heard, and about a second later, the blue lights go off. Repeat button press, repeat results. But, this is only happening intermittently. Other times, I get in, and functions as expected (press, lights on, relay “click”, cooled rear-end).
Any thoughts on what could be the issue?

 

[billiards4me]

Bueller? Bueller?

 

[Nick_rp]

constant switching of the relay will wear out the copper contacts inside. Start at the fuse or the relay.

 

[Ricks Ram]

Well.... title really says the most of it. Lol. 2014 Ram CC 4x4 Sport, with all the options... the a/c seats are used just about all the time. Recently, when I press the button, the blue lights come on, no relay “click” heard, and about a second later, the blue lights go off. Repeat button press, repeat results. But, this is only happening intermittently. Other times, I get in, and functions as expected (press, lights on, relay “click”, cooled rear-end).
Any thoughts on what could be the issue?

I would do as suggested and check your connections first. The heated/vented seat plus heated wheel control module is mounted to the bottom of the drivers seat. Once you push the button and the seats turn on that tells you the button is most likely likely working correctly. All it does is send a signal to the control module through the CAN system to activate the function. The seats will turn off automatically for several different reasons including a problem with the connectors or wiring, a problem with the module itself, a problem with actual code in the BCM, a problem with the seat itself ect.
First thing I would reccomend is closely looking at all the wiring under each seat. Look for a frayed wire lose connection in the yellow plug and the grey plug on the drivers seat plus the module box itself and the yellow plug on the passenger seat. The black box mounted to the bottom of the passenger seat is the power inverter and should have no effect on your seat functions. Try turning the vented seats on by the control screen instead of the switches. If you can't find anything wrong with the obvious I would reccomend checking the truck for DTC (Diagnostic Trouble Codes) since the seats are turning themselves off there is a good chance there is a code stored in the BCM. There are readers you can buy and you can also purchase the alpha OBD app that many of us use to help diagnose your problem and check for codes. A regular OBD (On Board Diagnostics) reader will not read DTC codes. Another option if you don't want to purchase a reader is to take it to the dealership or a mechanic with the proper equipment and hope they know what they are doing. I personally don't let anyone touch my truck but I also have the tools to do it myself. There is a thread on the alpha app that has a ton of info. It's an inexpensive tool that is easy to use and is great for diagnostics and trouble shooting. You can check for DTC's plus diagnostics on the seat module itself.

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[billiards4me]

Ok... been a long time coming... FINALLY got over to a mechanic friend of mine, and he ran a scan. The only thing we came up (even slightly related) with was:

Airbag Codes:
B0028-13 - Right side seat deployment squib 1 - circuit open - active - stored.
B0028-13 - Right side seat deployment squib 1 - circuit open - stored.

Heated Seat Module (HSM) Code Scan Results:
B1E9D-11 - Front Left Vent Control Circuit - Circuit Short to Ground - Stored

So, knowing that, it seams to me like it would make sense that there is damaged wiring within a connector that houses the airbag & vented seat stuff... but I've looked, and can't see anything obvious. Any thoughts on where to dig further?

 

[Ricks Ram]

Ok... been a long time coming... FINALLY got over to a mechanic friend of mine, and he ran a scan. The only thing we came up (even slightly related) with was:

Airbag Codes:
B0028-13 - Right side seat deployment squib 1 - circuit open - active - stored.
B0028-13 - Right side seat deployment squib 1 - circuit open - stored.

Heated Seat Module (HSM) Code Scan Results:
B1E9D-11 - Front Left Vent Control Circuit - Circuit Short to Ground - Stored

So, knowing that, it seams to me like it would make sense that there is damaged wiring within a connector that houses the airbag & vented seat stuff... but I've looked, and can't see anything obvious. Any thoughts on where to dig further?

Without being there to physically see it I would have a hard time trying to narrow it down. From the codes it would deffinently appear to be wiring or connector related. I would unbolt the drivers seat and disconnect the wiring and then lay the seat back so you have access to the whole bottom of the seat and disconnect each connector and look at every wire and every pin for damage. I would also inspect the truck side harness as far up and you can go under the carpet for any damaged or cut wires. You can also unzip the side if the seat and access some of the wiring there to inspect it.

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