Heated seats not very warm.

[Neurobit]

Yeah I know
My 5th Ram
Heading into winter I'd like my heated seats to work
Don't know what to do
Called Chrysler Canada got a case number to give to dealership but they don't seem reluctant to do anything
Have 15,000 km

Copying @RamCares. Perhaps they can assist.

Cheers,

 

[Scram1500]

Mine get pretty hot after Taco Tuesday

 

[JayOntario]

They said today they checked the voltages and it fluctuates fine
Still very low heat in the seats
Said they we're going to change the module as a last resort
What a ratchet!
Any suggestions?!

 

[firemedic10584]

Add me to the list as well. My 2021 with the built-to-serve seats also do not get very warm. I've had a few Rams that have had heated seats. It seemed to be hit or miss with them actually getting hot or not. I really only use them when it's cold here in Florida, which isn't too often. My wife loves them year-round though lol

 

[tac63]

Wondering if anyone knows the voltage that the seat heater should show at each level? Curious if anyone with the "hot" seats could provide the voltage they are showing at each level that could be compared to the "cool" heated seats? I have the "cool" seats and would be happy to check voltages to compare. I know many of us with the "cool" heated seats likely have the same issue, which it they do "turn on" so the dealer says they are working and it becomes hard to prove they aren't working correctly. If we can show that either they seats are meeting correct Ram spec voltage, or even that the voltage is inconsistent it may help.

 

[Art Harper II]

2021 Rebel, Seats barley get warm. I have taken it into two different dealerships and they say it is fine. I used a thermal image gun on the seats and they reach about 102degF on high. You can feel them on but that is about it. Other vehicles have all been much hotter. After many years of sports the heated seats really help my back and I miss them in my otherwise wonderful truck. I know it is a first world problem but I still want them to work. Has anybody found a solution or suggestion for this yet?

 

[c3k]

Add me to the "barely warm" group. I've got a 2015 VW Passat TDi with heated seats, also with 3 heat settings. The highest setting on the VW is very warm. Excellent for 20 degree mornings in a cold vehicle.

My new RAM? On highest heat (45F morning), after ~10 minutes, I could barely even tell the seat warmer was on. (Cotton pants.)

Definitely not in the same class as VW. In fact, it's barely able to be called functional.

Of course, typing this, I've decided to go out and test it. Back in 10...

ETA: ...back after more than 10.

The three-bar heat works well. Not great, but well. It's better than my VW 1 bar, maybe the same as its 2 bar. Leather seats in the RAM. It took longer than I'd expect to feel any heat, and longer than I'd like to feel the extra heat from 3 bars. My RAM does not seem to be an Arctic Ready (igloo symbol ) Truck.

 

[thelittledoos]

I have a 2020 Ram Rebel that the seats barely get warm. Its been to the dealer twice now and they just seem to blow it of as normal. I have tested the seats myself using a calibrated infrared thermometer. The drivers seat on high will get to a maximum of 85F degrees after ten minutes time. On low the seat only gets to 72F. Both front seats have similar results. I have checked my other vehicles as well as a few friends and this is well below any of them. The last dealer gave me a print out that showed the specifications for the three settings of the seat heaters. Low- 95F, Medium-100.4, and High-109.4F. Obviously they are not reaching the target temperatures and there is a significant difference.
I went back to the service manager and inquired how it could be good when they were not meeting the temperatures. He called the technician in and it became obvious they had not measured any temperatures and didn’t even have a means to do so. The tech left the office as he was not able to answer my questions. I asked the service manager how they intend to fix the problem if they cant even measure the temperature. I didn’t get any answers. I tried to reach Ram Cares via a PM but haven't heard anything back. Has anyone had any luck getting them fixed?

 

[c3k]

I have a 2020 Ram Rebel that the seats barely get warm. Its been to the dealer twice now and they just seem to blow it of as normal. I have tested the seats myself using a calibrated infrared thermometer. The drivers seat on high will get to a maximum of 85F degrees after ten minutes time. On low the seat only gets to 72F. Both front seats have similar results. I have checked my other vehicles as well as a few friends and this is well below any of them. The last dealer gave me a print out that showed the specifications for the three settings of the seat heaters. Low- 95F, Medium-100.4, and High-109.4F. Obviously they are not reaching the target temperatures and there is a significant difference.
I went back to the service manager and inquired how it could be good when they were not meeting the temperatures. He called the technician in and it became obvious they had not measured any temperatures and didn’t even have a means to do so. The tech left the office as he was not able to answer my questions. I asked the service manager how they intend to fix the problem if they cant even measure the temperature. I didn’t get any answers. I tried to reach Ram Cares via a PM but haven't heard anything back. Has anyone had any luck getting them fixed?

It seems obvious now, having read your post, that a "seat of the pants" measurement is not sufficient. (Sorry...I had to do that. )

Your post mentions the spec'ed temps. A handheld IR sensor (I've got three...) should be able to give an instant, accurate, surface temperature reading.

Those spec temps are the key. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Johnny doe]

My heated seats don't get very warm. Sometimes they are comfortable on the highest setting but other times they will get a little warm and then feel like they turned off. I brought this to the dealership who told me everything seems to be alright with them according to the tests they claimed to have performed. They also said that the ambient temperature outside has an effect on them which I'm not so sure about. This is my first vehicle with heated seats but others I've been in feel much warmer. Anybody encounter this?

I have a 2021 classic with the same issue, heats up your tailbone at best. Much of my truck came from the parts bin so I suspect the heating element for the seats did too and are probably not the same ones or as good as in their newer designed trucks that are frying everybody's balls.so the heater in your seats are probably working fine it just is what it is unfortunately. I doubt if the dealer can do anything for you (or me) but if I'm wrong please let me know

 

[2019REBEL]

Both my Ram's(2014 Outdoorsman and 2019 Rebel) have been the same way. Some days it will roast you a$$ off and other days it like "is this thing on".

 

[MarvsAMartian]

My 20 Sport and 22 Limited are stupid hot. Not sure if having leather makes a difference? Or is this yet another "A/C isn't cold" issue? Seems odd to me.

 

[c3k]

So...I did a test with a temperature gun.

I went into my cold truck this morning, engine off and took this picture:


^^^
Yep, 33.4 degrees inside. Then, I started it up. The dash temp showed 34 outside. All good.

I set the driver's seat to three bars hot and two minutes later, took this:



^^^
I was aiming at the rear-most pad (no laser visible in my pic). This was at the 2 minute point. The surface temperature of my leather seat had increased by about 15 degrees.

I took other shots, but I'll skip to the 10 minute point:







^^^
I made sure to have the laser spot visible. You can see that the ***-spot is the warmest at 76. I was surprised to see the two forward sections (call them under-thigh and under-knee) were significantly cooler, at just 60.

The rear cushions tracked the rear-most (***-spot ) temperatures.

I did not run it past 10 minutes.

With a full 3-bar heat selected, I would've expected a bit more "oomph". I'll test my other heated seats another day. (Busy stuff this morning.)

Take the above as a data point with all the caveats you'd think.


ETA: Okay, my wife was delayed leaving, so I tested our 2011 Ford Edge. It had similar starting temps (a little warmer due to the delay and the sun rising). After 10 minutes, the Ford Edge driver's seat got up to 78F. Very similar performance to the RAM. (Of course, the Ford Edge seat heater maxes out at 2 bars...so, there's that. )

 

[SpeedyV]

My 20 Sport and 22 Limited are stupid hot. Not sure if having leather makes a difference? Or is this yet another "A/C isn't cold" issue? Seems odd to me.

Yeah...after about a minute following a remote start or on any cold morning, I need to go into the Comfort settings and turn it down to 1 bar.

 

[MarvsAMartian]

Yeah...after about a minute following a remote start or on any cold morning, I need to go into the Comfort settings and turn it down to 1 bar.

Yeah exactly. I literally turn it off when I get in after a remote start. Stays toasty enough for a 10 minute drive.

 

[Idahoktm]

Yeah...after about a minute following a remote start or on any cold morning, I need to go into the Comfort settings and turn it down to 1 bar.

I have to turn mine off after the first few minutes of driving after a remote start. I tried dropping it down to low, but it's still too warm. I'm sure it will be different when temps are in the single digits and the truck is cold soaked.

 

[mikeru82]

I have to turn mine off after the first few minutes of driving after a remote start. I tried dropping it down to low, but it's still too warm. I'm sure it will be different when temps are in the single digits and the truck is cold soaked.

I might make it a couple miles before I turn mine off. It takes about 2 minutes to get from my house to the edge of town on my daily commute. It's rarely still on when the speed limit changes from 25 to 45, except on the coldest days.

 

[Mattiusmaximus1216]

21 rebel with leather seats……heated seats are barley noticeable. Not sure if this can be fixed?

 

[c3k]

I've gotten some more time on my heated seats. They're perfectly adequate for my purposes, but I haven't seen temps below mid 20s (F...of course ).

In fact, I've got to turn it down from 3 to 1 after a few minutes. I'm curious about their performance in serious cold.

 

[SD Rebel]

I notice my seats get pretty warm, to the point I need to go down to 1 bar after a minute or off completely and be fine. My heated steering wheel however isn't getting as warm as I like, the lower part of the steering wheel is fine, but the middle and top are lukewarm at best.