perforated seat heaters not as hot and conventional type?

[foxtemple]

Has anyone with the perforated leather seats noticed that it takes longer for them to heat up and it seems as though they are not as hot as in other cars [non perforated leather seats]? I'm talking about the seats that are heated and cooled. Would replacing the filter help? I'm at like 22k miles.

 

[blwnsmoke]

Mine get very toasty.. just as warm as my F250. 36k on my original filter.. I keep mine at lwvel 2 for comfort, 3 just till it gets hot.

 

[Tar Heel Sport]

I thought the same thing, the seat in my new Sport does seem to take a while to heat up and it doesn't seem as warm as my old 2004 Grand Prix GTP

 

[peterk9]

Has anyone with the perforated leather seats noticed that it takes longer for them to heat up and it seems as though they are not as hot as in other cars [non perforated leather seats]? I'm talking about the seats that are heated and cooled. Would replacing the filter help? I'm at like 22k miles.

I rarely use them but the few times I have they seem very good. Could feel the warmth through a 3/4 length Winter jacket. It was 0 degrees F last night when I went out and never bothered turning them on. Like blwnsmoke said, the 2 setting is comfortable.

Peter

 

[jrmexplorer]

They seem nice and toasty to me. Way better than my wife's Jeep's heated seats which are the conventional type.

 

[phareous]

I haven't had any complaints...they feel warm enough but it does take 25-30 minutes for me before it gets so hot I have to turn it off... not that it is a bad thing

 

[13Sport]

Has anyone with the perforated leather seats noticed that it takes longer for them to heat up and it seems as though they are not as hot as in other cars [non perforated leather seats]? I'm talking about the seats that are heated and cooled. Would replacing the filter help? I'm at like 22k miles.

Coming from the XLT w/ standard heated seats I can agree with you. The fan based heater in the Sport is much slower to get 'hot' than the coils were. They do however eventually get toasty, and I usually find myself turning them down to the second setting after 10 minutes.

 

[wadge]

I rarely use them but the few times I have they seem very good. Could feel the warmth through a 3/4 length Winter jacket. It was 0 degrees F last night when I went out and never bothered turning them on. Like blwnsmoke said, the 2 setting is comfortable.

Peter

Ours work well particularly this morning at -45c. Appreciated the heated steering wheel as well.

 

[generaltso]

CThe fan based heater in the Sport is much slower to get 'hot' than the coils were. .

I thought the fan was only for the cooling function? My seat's fan doesn't kick on when I use the heat function. I assumed there was a conventional heat pad in the seats even though they're perforated. Is that not he case?

 

[13Sport]

I thought the fan was only for the cooling function? My seat's fan doesn't kick on when I use the heat function. I assumed there was a conventional heat pad in the seats even though they're perforated. Is that not he case?

Now you're going to make me do homework. It's been 80 here, I haven't needed them, but I'll check tonight. If that's the case I'm really concerned about why perforated seats wouldn't heat faster and hotter than standard seats, because my XLT was worlds faster and hotter than my Sport is.

 

[Edgieguy]

My wife complains constantly about this. The seats in our 2011 Edge Sport heat up quick and have only two settings, toasted buns or burned buns. Our Explorer doesn't even come close in terms of heat output. We've had it in twice to the dealer because of the heaters and they tell us they're working within spec. Of course they could not explain how they came to that spec, or what temp it was.

 

[RandyH2]

My understanding, and please correct me if I am wrong, is that the heated and cooled seats use a Peltier device which is very inefficient for large scale heating and cooling. The technology "works" for car seats but is at the limit of usefullness. It is, however, a great marketing tool. "Your old car had heated seats- this new Ford has heated AND COOLED seats... Turn it up to 11." Unfortunately, the heating function is much less efficient than the "old" style dedicated seat heaters. Eventually I will turn my seat heaters down to medium, but that is generally after the main air heaters have warmed the interior air and surfaces- 20 minutes or so on a sub-freezing day. Our 2010 BMW seat heaters are hot in less than 4 minutes- hot enough to really feel good on a tired back even through a coat. Twenty minutes in the BMW and the heaters have relaxed my back muscles, made me nice and warm, and get turned down to the lowest setting.

 

[foxtemple]

Is it just me or does it feel like the heated area of the perforated seats is much smaller then that of other cars. Sometimes I feel as though only a small portion of the seat is actually "hot". By the way, thanks for the insight guys; glad to see [kind of] that my car isn't defective.

 

[jrmexplorer]

Is it just me or does it feel like the heated area of the perforated seats is much smaller then that of other cars. Sometimes I feel as though only a small portion of the seat is actually "hot". By the way, thanks for the insight guys; glad to see [kind of] that my car isn't defective.

The heaters draw air through a filter that needs changing periodically. Perhaps your filter needs to be changed?

 

[foxtemple]

The heaters draw air through a filter that needs changing periodically. Perhaps your filter needs to be changed?

Great point. I am almost at the 25k mark. I think the manual says replace them at 30k. I was thinking about buying them on amazon and installing them myself. Anyone try installing it themselves yet? Seems pretty straightforward (not really because there aren't any instructions anywhere I think).

 

[Bryceb]

Seems pretty straightforward (not really because there aren't any instructions anywhere I think).

Page 175 of the manual has instructions. Looks pretty easy

 

[FordService]

Is it just me or does it feel like the heated area of the perforated seats is much smaller then that of other cars. Sometimes I feel as though only a small portion of the seat is actually "hot". By the way, thanks for the insight guys; glad to see [kind of] that my car isn't defective.

Hi foxtemple,

You're always welcome to swing by your dealership so a Ford tech can take a look at your heated seats. You can give changing out the air filter (if equipped) a try as others have suggested; download a free copy of your Owner's Manual for specifics: https://owner.ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/VehicleDetails&vehicleIndex=1 In the 2013 Owner's Manual, 4th Printing, instructions to change the filter begins on page 178.

The heaters draw air through a filter that needs changing periodically. Perhaps your filter needs to be changed?

Page 175 of the manual has instructions. Looks pretty easy

Thanks for the suggestions, jrmexplorer and Bryceb!

Crystal

 

[foxtemple]

Hi foxtemple,

You're always welcome to swing by your dealership so a Ford tech can take a look at your heated seats. You can give changing out the air filter (if equipped) a try as others have suggested; download a free copy of your Owner's Manual for specifics: https://owner.ford.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Owner/Page/VehicleDetails&vehicleIndex=1 In the 2013 Owner's Manual, 4th Printing, instructions to change the filter begins on page 178.





Thanks for the suggestions, jrmexplorer and Bryceb!

Crystal

Thanks for the reply Crystal,

I will definitely get my filters replaced. I don' think it is a defect or anything. My seats do get warm, just not as quickly as "conventional" heated seats. You win some and loose some I guess. Having cooled seats is a nice feature too.

 

[FordService]

Thanks for the reply Crystal,

I will definitely get my filters replaced. I don' think it is a defect or anything. My seats do get warm, just not as quickly as "conventional" heated seats. You win some and loose some I guess. Having cooled seats is a nice feature too.

Let us know how the filter replacement goes, foxtemple. If you have any future questions or concerns, you know where to find me.

Crystal

 

[Lisa915]

I have the convetional heated seats...

I have the 'conventional' heated seats in my 2013 Limited. The seats get barely lukewarm on high. According to my Dealer Service Department, they could not even find a spec for the acceptable temperature.

Mine only get to 95 degrees with a person in them on high over 30 minutes. Since body temp is 98.6 on average, that's really sad.

Currently, the service department is looking for a solution.