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Hello to all. I am new to the forum but found the information listed here for the heated seat issues to be stellar. I have a 2003 Sierra SLE with the Denali power heated lumber seats that I had installed in 2007. I upgraded my power velour seats to leather seats cuz I love the leather seats in my BMW and Infiniti. When I bought them on eBay I didn't know they came from a Denali until AFTER I received them and the wiring harness. The wiring harness came from a Denali with the center console rear entertainment system and other stuff and I had no idea how to connect them up. I took my truck to an Audio shop and had them install them when they installed my Pioneer DVD system with backup camera. The installer told me that he got eveything working even though they were completely different systems. The install looked like the truck came with them and he did a great job installing the switches on the door panels. Professional job.

Everything worked for about 2 years and then I started having problems with the drivers seat heat function. Here's the deal:
1. The driver door switch has been replaced 3 times over the past 5 years and still does the same thing.
2. When you hit the driver door heat switch for the back or the back and bottom, the switch lights up and goes right back out. I cannot get the switch to stay on at all.
3. The passenger side seat works fine. When you turn the passenger side on, the bottom and top heat works fine and runs with no problems.
4. If the passenger side heat is turned on and I hit the drivers side switch - it turns off the passenger side switch.

Recently, I had a mechanic a friend referred me to check out the seats and he hooked the computer up to a fancy MAC TOOLS diagnostic tablet that was really kewl. He told me that he could see the heated seats and turn them on on both driver and passenger without issue thru the tool. He could control the driver seat heat from low, to medium, to high and it would heat up well... all thru the tablet. But as soon as he used the switch, the heat would not work. He figured out that if you move the driver side electric seat in some way and continue to move it and turn on the driver door switch, the switch will actuall stay on and run the heat UNTIL you stop moving the seat. This is driving me crazy to figure out what is causing the problem. On top of all that, I have a draw on the battery that is killing my battery every 2 to 3 days if I don't start it within 24 to 48 hours. I have to jump it to start her again and then put the battery on a charger to recharge it. I have replaced my battery 5 times in the past 6 years. So that is another major issue I am fighting.

Because I have replaced the seats in my truck with Denali seats and added the door switches for the heat function, as well as replaced the stereo with an indash DVD system with sub box and amps under the rear bench seat, no one wants to work on it saying that there is too much after market parts from the stock truck. I also installed aftermarket halo headlights and HID kits. The dealerships won't work on it stating there is too much non stock parts in the truck. I know this is a lot of information but can someone tell me where to start with the heat problem? Based on the information listed in this forum - it sounds like a short to ground issue but if the last mechanic tech could control everything from the computer, how is it a short? Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks to all and can anyone help? Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated as I had to buy another car because I couldn't rely on my truck starting everyday. Thanks again. Dennis
 
Hello all - So my 2002 Yukon Denali XL has a slightly different twist to the seat heat issue.

  • Only drivers side seat heat does not work. However passenger side works great.
  • My seat heat light on door control seems to work. Comes on when I select H or L. The light stays on as long as I drive or until I turn it off with the selector or turn ignition off.

Thanks for any ideas :)
 
Hi Roxie: RockAuto.com has the swicth, but sometimes it's not in stock. Currently it's not in stock, but you can call them and the will email when they come in. I got the email but I was working on brakes at the time. You can also go to the web site AIRTEX / WELLS Part # 1S11220 and here is the part number. If you email them they will also let you know when rockauto and other suppliers. Good luck, Eric
 
Hello to all. I am new to the forum but found the information listed here for the heated seat issues to be stellar. I have a 2003 Sierra SLE with the Denali power heated lumber seats that I had installed in 2007. I upgraded my power velour seats to leather seats cuz I love the leather seats in my BMW and Infiniti. When I bought them on eBay I didn't know they came from a Denali until AFTER I received them and the wiring harness. The wiring harness came from a Denali with the center console rear entertainment system and other stuff and I had no idea how to connect them up. I took my truck to an Audio shop and had them install them when they installed my Pioneer DVD system with backup camera. The installer told me that he got eveything working even though they were completely different systems. The install looked like the truck came with them and he did a great job installing the switches on the door panels. Professional job.

Everything worked for about 2 years and then I started having problems with the drivers seat heat function. Here's the deal:
1. The driver door switch has been replaced 3 times over the past 5 years and still does the same thing.
2. When you hit the driver door heat switch for the back or the back and bottom, the switch lights up and goes right back out. I cannot get the switch to stay on at all.
3. The passenger side seat works fine. When you turn the passenger side on, the bottom and top heat works fine and runs with no problems.
4. If the passenger side heat is turned on and I hit the drivers side switch - it turns off the passenger side switch.

Recently, I had a mechanic a friend referred me to check out the seats and he hooked the computer up to a fancy MAC TOOLS diagnostic tablet that was really kewl. He told me that he could see the heated seats and turn them on on both driver and passenger without issue thru the tool. He could control the driver seat heat from low, to medium, to high and it would heat up well... all thru the tablet. But as soon as he used the switch, the heat would not work. He figured out that if you move the driver side electric seat in some way and continue to move it and turn on the driver door switch, the switch will actuall stay on and run the heat UNTIL you stop moving the seat. This is driving me crazy to figure out what is causing the problem. On top of all that, I have a draw on the battery that is killing my battery every 2 to 3 days if I don't start it within 24 to 48 hours. I have to jump it to start her again and then put the battery on a charger to recharge it. I have replaced my battery 5 times in the past 6 years. So that is another major issue I am fighting.

Because I have replaced the seats in my truck with Denali seats and added the door switches for the heat function, as well as replaced the stereo with an indash DVD system with sub box and amps under the rear bench seat, no one wants to work on it saying that there is too much after market parts from the stock truck. I also installed aftermarket halo headlights and HID kits. The dealerships won't work on it stating there is too much non stock parts in the truck. I know this is a lot of information but can someone tell me where to start with the heat problem? Based on the information listed in this forum - it sounds like a short to ground issue but if the last mechanic tech could control everything from the computer, how is it a short? Any suggestions would be great.

Thanks to all and can anyone help? Any suggestions or comments would be greatly appreciated as I had to buy another car because I couldn't rely on my truck starting everyday. Thanks again. Dennis
Dennis did you ever figure out the problem with the heated seat only working while the seat is in motion?
 
I have an '04 Yukon XL in Germany - no GM Dealer near by ... and the heat in the driver seats comes on automatically and cannot regulate temperature. Even when turned off manually, the heat will kick on high then fluctuate between low, medium, high. sometimes it turns off, or just stays on. Thousand times you turn it off but the heat comes back on.
The pedal adjustment don't work. Trouble always the same if you move the driverseat and the wires under the seat are ok. Even the wires under the doorpannel looks great.
The member "Like2build" had the same problem - does he fix it ?

Thanks 4 good news :)
 
Jammer,
That was a great write-up.

My seat problem is just the opposite. We have an '03 Yukon XL and the heat in the driver seats comes on automatically and cannot regulate temperature. Even when turned off manually, the heat will kick on high then fluctuate between low, medium, high. sometimes it turns off, or just stays on. No matter how many times you turn it off the heat comes back on.

I've heard of places claiming the Seat Memory Module has bad components in the board which need replaced. Do you know of any services that perform this repair, and does that sound like a reasonable possibility?

Thanks,
Kevin

Hello Kevin,
I got an '04 Yukon XL in Germany - no GM Dealer near by ... and the heat in the driver seats comes on automatically and cannot regulate temperature. Even when turned off manually, the heat will kick on high then fluctuate between low, medium, high. sometimes it turns off, or just stays on. Thousand times you turn it off but the heat comes back on.
The pedal adjustment don't work. Trouble always the same if you move the driverseat and the wires under the seat are ok. Even the wires under the doorpannel looks great.
I saw you had the same problem - have you fix it ? Was it only the doorpannel ?

Thanks 4 good news :)
 
Sounds like the door heater switch, Rockauto.com has the switch but they do run once or twice a year-mabye it's more like they have it three or four times a year but they do go fast as I am waiting for the same thing, The key word is Seat Heater Switch and the company that makes the is AIRTEX / WELLS, part #1S11220. hope this helps..Eric
 
Wow, that is the best description I have seen to solve this issue. My exact set of symptoms, for my 2004 Suburban, doesn't match your troubleshooting guide, so would you mind telling me which fix you think might work, or if I need to do more than one?

Power controls do not work on driver side.
Power DOES work on passenger side.
Heat does not work on either seat. Not the seat or the back, and the lights in the door switches do not come on at all.

The driver power worked backward since the day I bought it used in 2009, but did work completely, (not fits and starts, just backward) and the heat on the driver side had gone out once before, but worked again after turning the ignition off and on again. It didn't fail permanently for several more months. The pedal adjustment works fine.

Thank you in advance!
 
I don't know why, but it can apparently happen at any time. A friend of mine has the same year of Sub with a few more miles than mine, and when something goes out on one, the other soon follows. Her seat worked in the correct direction until a couple of years ago when it suddenly started working backward. Soon after my seats quit working hers did the exact same thing, but her pedals quit working as well. Which is unfortunate for her since her husband is a foot taller. She was able to sometimes resolve her seat issues by jiggling the connector under her driver seat.
 
My heated seats still work(with the exception of the lower pad on the driver side is burned out) my pedals also still work. It really has not bothered me enough to look into it. One day I will get my scan tool out and watch the bcm inputs as I press the seat buttons. Maybe that will tell me what is up. If the inputs are still what they should be then I would assume that it is on the bcm. My memory recall buttons do not work. No matter how many times I set them the seat always goes all the way back when either button is pressed
 
Great write up. But it mainly covers the heating section. I have a question regarding the seat positioning: Both seats of my 2004 Denali work with one little exception: The driver seat front lift does not work. The rear of the seat does lower and raise, but not the front section. If I activate the switch I hear a click like a relais is activated. Again, absolutely everything else works just fine. Does someone has a schematic of the seat explaining which motor does what? What exactly drives the front section of the seat? Are there two different motors for front and rear section?
 
Well now it's spring the turn signals are starting to give me problems again. Working then not then back again all in one right turn.
Now that sounds like the multi function switch. Also controls cruise and wipers.
 
Very informative posts, I've been dealing with my heated seat issue in my 02 Silverado since I got it 3 years ago. The driver's heated seat has never worked, but passenger does perfectly. Driver's power seat controls worked fine for about 1.5 years, then started working intermittently, then just quit all together, passenger side works just fine. I just took the power seat control module off today to see if it has a short or burned connection, it does not, but when I plugged it back in, the seat controls work, but only for one use, then it quits again until it's disconnected again. The memory seat settings have never worked right, I can set it to where I want it, but as soon as one of the buttons is pressed, the driver's seat moves all the way forward. I was also informed today by GM that the heated seat pads for 02 models has been discontinued, and O'Reilly's could not even find any info about the heat pads. If anyone has any idea as to what the problem could be, I would greatly appreciate your time and help.
 
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