# Heated seat not working



## trol (Dec 4, 2010)

I have a 2011 Cruze and when I turn on the heated seat, after about a minute it shuts off. I have only used it a few times over the years. Sadly I'm outside the 36k warranty. 
Bad element or perhaps something else?


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## Aussie (Sep 16, 2012)

trol said:


> I have a 2011 Cruze and when I turn on the heated seat, after about a minute it shuts off. I have only used it a few times over the years. Sadly I'm outside the 36k warranty.
> Bad element or perhaps something else?


Does this happen on both seats, if so indicates another problem than element fault?


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## 02GT (Jul 8, 2012)

My wife's is doing this as well hoping to put it in the shop an find something out


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## trol (Dec 4, 2010)

Just the drivers side shuts off.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

trol said:


> I have a 2011 Cruze and when I turn on the heated seat, after about a minute it shuts off. I have only used it a few times over the years. Sadly I'm outside the 36k warranty.
> Bad element or perhaps something else?



trol,
I would recommend that you have your dealer look into this for you. They are in the best position to get this diagnosed for you. I would like you to keep me posted on this. If you have any questions or would like my assistance please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## trol (Dec 4, 2010)

Stacy, I was just throwing this out there to see if others had this problem yet and if so, what was found to be the problem. Being it is outside of the warranty, it involves the $$$$$$.
You get my PM with the info you needed about looking into my clock issue?


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## hspence33 (Dec 28, 2012)

I am having the same problem with my 2011 Cruze. Only the drivers side is having the trouble. I hear it click on, the lights come on, then it clicks off after about a minute. Also just outside the 36K warranty. I'm thinking heating element, but have not done any troubleshooting as of this posting. I think if it was a fuse,it would not come on at all and the indicator lights would not work. I'll post again if/when I get a chance to get it fixed.


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## Jim Frye (Mar 16, 2011)

There is a known problem with GM's larger vehicles and heated seats. It was written up in the November 2012 Techlink. One of the computers needs to be reprogrammed with the service tool. Looks like a dealer job. Don't know if it applies to the Cruze.


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## hspence33 (Dec 28, 2012)

Took mine into the shop yesterday. Apparently the heater for the seat has gone bad. Will cost $277 and change + tax to fix. $150 for labor and $127 and change for the part.


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## trol (Dec 4, 2010)

hspence33 said:


> Took mine into the shop yesterday. Apparently the heater for the seat has gone bad. Will cost $277 and change + tax to fix. $150 for labor and $127 and change for the part.


 Thanks for the follow up. I ordered the $65 part and expect it in this week. I will then try doing the replacement, which doesn't seem to difficult. If you haven't had yours fixed yet, I will let you know how it turns out.


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## trol (Dec 4, 2010)

I got the part in. Easily unsnapped seat straps, unzipped seat cover. Pulled seat cover up to expose underside. Saw back element was burned. Peeled it off, stuck on new one. Fastened back up and good as new.


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## XtremeRevolution (Jan 19, 2012)

Nice work! Did you get a part number by any chance?


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## trol (Dec 4, 2010)

Part 95298527.


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## tmw (Feb 14, 2013)

have the exact problem with my 2011 Cruze. Drivers side heated seat stays on for 1 minute or less then shuts off. My dealer told me that it is suposed to do that. other than finding a new dealer, any suggestions.


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## bryanakron40 (Nov 8, 2012)

tmw said:


> have the exact problem with my 2011 Cruze. Drivers side heated seat stays on for 1 minute or less then shuts off. My dealer told me that it is suposed to do that. other than finding a new dealer, any suggestions.


Look back a few posts and you might find your issue.


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## bryanakron40 (Nov 8, 2012)

trol said:


> I got the part in. Easily unsnapped seat straps, unzipped seat cover. Pulled seat cover up to expose underside. Saw back element was burned. Peeled it off, stuck on new one. Fastened back up and good as new.


Thankfully they made the seat covers easier to remove. The older ones were much more difficult.


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## Chevy Customer Care (Oct 29, 2011)

tmw said:


> have the exact problem with my 2011 Cruze. Drivers side heated seat stays on for 1 minute or less then shuts off. My dealer told me that it is suposed to do that. other than finding a new dealer, any suggestions.




tmw,
I would recommend that you have a dealer look into this for you. If you would like me to locate you a different dealer in your area I would be happy to do that for you. I would just need you to send me a PM with your zip code. I would also like you to keep me posted on this. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime.
Thank you,
Stacy Chevrolet Customer Service


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## trol (Dec 4, 2010)

tmw said:


> have the exact problem with my 2011 Cruze. Drivers side heated seat stays on for 1 minute or less then shuts off. My dealer told me that it is suposed to do that. other than finding a new dealer, any suggestions.


 I'll tell you for a fact, that is not correct. It means you have the same problem I had, one of the two seat elements shorted out. If your in the 36k mileage warranty, ask them again to check and fix.


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## tbill (Dec 4, 2011)

I just recently did the drivers seat bottom heater in mine. if the light comes on and then goes off after a minute, there is a malfunction in the heated seat system, it's the way it's designed. give me a minute here and i'll look up what the resistance values of the heater 'pads' are supposed to be, then you can check to see if it's the bottom or back element.


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## tbill (Dec 4, 2011)

if you unplug the wires for the seat back heater, you should have .5 to 2 ohms resistance between the two wires, [make sure you are checking the wires that go to the seat back] if this checks ok, plug it back in, and disconnect the 16 wire connector at the seat heater module under the drivers seat [connector body should be black with 16 cavities in it], now check the resistance between the wire in the number 1 cavity and the number 3 cavity [3 being yellow, 1 being black], should have 1-5 ohms resistance, if not between 1 and 5, seat bottom element is most likely burned out. hope this helps out some.


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## DLDBCASEY (Mar 12, 2013)

Where did you order the $65 part from? My 2011 is having the same issue.


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## hspence33 (Dec 28, 2012)

Chevy dealer told me it was the bottom heater and that the back was good. I replaced the bottom, and still had the problem. Finally replaced the back and I'm good to go.


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## JustinNck1 (Jan 21, 2013)

Does anyone have both bottom and back heater part numbers?


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## Lori Ann (Feb 5, 2014)

JustinNck1 said:


> Does anyone have both bottom and back heater part numbers?


I researched and found the following part numbers for the heated seats. Drivers seat back heater #95298527 - drivers seat cushion heater #95298528 - Passenger seat back heater #95298527 - passenger cushion heater #95298529 We ordered from the Chevy dealer $99.00. Installed ourself. Super simple and took care of the problem. Hope this helps. 
2011 Chevy Cruze LTZ RS (70K already)


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## cruze2011white (Feb 2, 2011)

trol said:


> I got the part in. Easily unsnapped seat straps, unzipped seat cover. Pulled seat cover up to expose underside. Saw back element was burned. Peeled it off, stuck on new one. Fastened back up and good as new.



I need to do this repair. Are the snaps you are talking about under the seat itself in back?


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## EdFromOhio (May 10, 2012)

tbill said:


> if you unplug the wires for the seat back heater, you should have .5 to 2 ohms resistance between the two wires, [make sure you are checking the wires that go to the seat back] if this checks ok, plug it back in, and disconnect the 16 wire connector at the seat heater module under the drivers seat [connector body should be black with 16 cavities in it], now check the resistance between the wire in the number 1 cavity and the number 3 cavity [3 being yellow, 1 being black], should have 1-5 ohms resistance, if not between 1 and 5, seat bottom element is most likely burned out. hope this helps out some.


Your post has helped me out more than any other I've read. With your help, I can tell that my back heater on the drivers side went kaput. Thank you very, very much


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## NickD (Dec 10, 2011)

Typical super high markups on all automotive parts, has a nichrome single wire heating element, series circuit, one tiny break and is history.

Here is a 120VAC model with a UL approved line cord, and a three heat selector controller for 12 bucks. Concept is exactly the same as what is used in the Cruze.


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## cruzegirl1971 (Aug 14, 2012)

UGH....Just started having the same problem with my 2011....I swear....This car is such a piece of junk. I have never had a car with so many problems. Out of warranty so I am out of luck. GM Customer Service has been a nightmare to deal with the past 3 years. This is my first and last American car.


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## silverbullett (Jun 20, 2014)

I also Have a 2011 LTZ/RS. When I got the car the heated seats did not work. The dealer said that they would fix it but it was the middle of summer and didn't worry about it then. I was working on something else one day and disconnected the battery. After reconnecting the heated seat magically started working. I'd say give that a try before dealing with a dealer just in case it wasn't just a fluke thing for me. 


Sent from AutoGuide.com Free App


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## JoumanaCruze (Mar 1, 2015)

tbill said:


> if you unplug the wires for the seat back heater, you should have .5 to 2 ohms resistance between the two wires, [make sure you are checking the wires that go to the seat back] if this checks ok, plug it back in, and disconnect the 16 wire connector at the seat heater module under the drivers seat [connector body should be black with 16 cavities in it], now check the resistance between the wire in the number 1 cavity and the number 3 cavity [3 being yellow, 1 being black], should have 1-5 ohms resistance, if not between 1 and 5, seat bottom element is most likely burned out. hope this helps out some.



I know this post is very old, but I am trying to use it to diagnose my Cruze's driver's seat. The back (top) pad reads 4.9 ohms while the lower pad reads 6.1 ohms. The back feels like it gets warm, but the bottom does not. This makes me feel as though the bottom needs to be replaced, but neither one is reading out at the correct resistance. Any thoughts on this?


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## JoumanaCruze (Mar 1, 2015)

tbill said:


> if you unplug the wires for the seat back heater, you should have .5 to 2 ohms resistance between the two wires, [make sure you are checking the wires that go to the seat back] if this checks ok, plug it back in, and disconnect the 16 wire connector at the seat heater module under the drivers seat [connector body should be black with 16 cavities in it], now check the resistance between the wire in the number 1 cavity and the number 3 cavity [3 being yellow, 1 being black], should have 1-5 ohms resistance, if not between 1 and 5, seat bottom element is most likely burned out. hope this helps out some.


I know this is an old thread/post, but I am trying to diagnose my fiancee's vehicle to know which element needs to be replaced. I made these two measurements and found that the upper was around 4.7 ohms (as opposed to 0.5-2), and the lower measured around 6.1 ohms (as opposed to 1-5). Also, the upper/back feels like it gets warm whereas the lower doesn't feel too warm when turned on repeatedly. Thoughts on this?


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## John62 (May 20, 2015)

My 2011 Cruze is doing the same thing. Drivers side heater turning off at about 60 seconds. The passenger side works fine. Has this been identified?


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## Isabelle11 (Sep 25, 2019)

trol said:


> I have a 2011 Cruze and when I turn on the heated seat, after about a minute it shuts off. I have only used it a few times over the years. Sadly I'm outside the 36k warranty.
> Bad element or perhaps something else?


I have a 2011 Chevy Cruze LT as well, and sure enough both heaters shut off after a minute. It doesn't even warm up during that time. It's very annoying.


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