Heated Seat Issue

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Claydus

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2020 RAM Rebel
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My 2020 Rebel is experiencing heated seat issue on the driver side.

Symptoms:
-Press driver heated seat button and it illuminates with the red 3 bars
-After 2-3 seconds the light goes off

Heated steering wheel and passenger heated function as they should.

I checked under the seat for the connections and they seem ok.

Is this the common heat pad issue that I see on older RAM trucks? The entire heat pad has to be replaced?
 
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Claydus

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Dealer... had a similar problem on my wife's jeep. Replaced the seat element.
This is what I figured. Seems to be a really common failure point across multiple products.

My truck isn't under warranty but the dealer I bought mine from is pretty good with working with me.
 

4CEFEDV

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This is what I figured. Seems to be a really common failure point across multiple products.

My truck isn't under warranty but the dealer I bought mine from is pretty good with working with me.
How much did it end up costing, parts & material? I have a 2500 Limited and the heated driver seat does basically the same thing, I turn the heated seat on and it says its on on the digital screen but never heats up and eventually just turns off after a few minutes. I can hear the relays click when I turn on the heated steering wheel or passenger seat heater but nothing when I turn on the drivers side for heat. The cooled portion works on the driver seat.
 
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Claydus

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Quick update

-I tested the resistance on the seat bottom element at showed an acceptable value
-I tried looking for the heated module under the seat but couldn't find it. Was just seeing if there was loose connection.
-I cranked the truck and started feeling around the where the seat bottom and seat back meet. I started pressing and squeezing that area.
-Then I pressed the driver heated seat button and tada! It's working!
-I sat in the seat and it remained on.
-So there is a small break or short someone on the pad but we will see if this reoccurs
 
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Claydus

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Another update:

-Went to hop in the truck to pickup kids at school this afternoon
-Thought that I try the heated seats again
-Flipped on the driver heat and then 2-3 seconds later the heater went off like before
-Now back to my original issue with the heating element possibly being bad
-If there is significant weight on the seat at all or the motion of getting in and out the heating element shorts out
-I'm at the point that I don't need heated seats for until Nov/Dec of this year.
-I will call around to a few dealers or other shops and get some estimates
 

JW2 Innovations

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If you can source the element part its not all that bad to replace it. Have done several seats, just not a Ram one yet. All others I got a cheap pair of hog ring pliers, some hog rings (I always have one or two that I don't want to reuse so I replace) and take your time taking the seat out, breaking it down, replacing the heating element, and back together reverse order. Probably plenty of videos to watch specific to your model online.
 
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Claydus

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If you can source the element part its not all that bad to replace it. Have done several seats, just not a Ram one yet. All others I got a cheap pair of hog ring pliers, some hog rings (I always have one or two that I don't want to reuse so I replace) and take your time taking the seat out, breaking it down, replacing the heating element, and back together reverse order. Probably plenty of videos to watch specific to your model online.
I have watched several videos on it. I just have too many projects and chores to take care of. It's more on a inconvenience towards any free time that I have. I am just going to pay someone else to do it.
 

JW2 Innovations

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I have watched several videos on it. I just have too many projects and chores to take care of. It's more on a inconvenience towards any free time that I have. I am just going to pay someone else to do it.
I get it. We all get there at one point or another.
 
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Claydus

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Does $500-$600 sound about right for this job from the dealer?
 
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Claydus

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Ugh the local dealer said that they will most likely need to replace the entire seat bottom cushion since these elements are glued on and typically lift off cushion material if they try to remove it.

Quoted $1040 parts and labor.
 
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JW2 Innovations

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That may be the route they take doing to fix it, but if DIY you can gently peal the old one off and the put the new one in it's place if going with an OEM pad replacement. Probably get away with using 3M headliner glue spray to hold in place if it doesn't have any tape around edges - as long as you don't go crazy with it. For my front seat bottom heating element on a 2016 Ram 2500 - and looks like it covers many years of 1500/2500/3500 models - is P/N:

4610134AB​

Which I found at this LINK (may not be best price - just the one I found first)

If you go after market ones they usually come with tape on the edges or some of the edges. There's a video - 2013 RAM - about a guy who left the original heating pad (since OEM pad has temp sensor as well which is why 3 wires go into them) and just put after market one on top. Said his vented seats still worked as well - I don't know haven't had to do this in a vented seat myself but have done in other seats without and works. Here's the LINK
 
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JW2 Innovations

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Ugh the local dealer said that they will most likely need to replace the entire seat bottom cushion since these elements are glued on and typically lift off cushion material if they try to remove it.

Quoted $1040 parts and labor.
Funny how they tell you this, but sell just the heating element........:hmm:
 
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