Heated Mirrors - Not Working - Please Help

[dogtag114]

My heated mirrors are not working this season. I checked the fuse and it appears OK.

How can I troubleshoot them... how do I know if they are on (other than ice remaining on them )

Thanks for any help.

 

[RiverRat]

They come on when you press the defrost button right? To do some testing I'd guess you need to remove the door panels to get to the mirror connector and check for power/ground.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Are you sure they're heated?? If your description is correct about your '00 Eddie Bauer, then your mirrors aren't heated unless it's an aftermarket item. From '95-'01, only the Limited model has heated mirrors.

BTW, welcome to the site!! You'll learn a whole lot about your Explorer and you might catch the "bug".

 

[dogtag114]

Yikes! This is my wife's car and mine have always had heated mirrors. I just checked the specs and it doesn't have them.

I checked the manual and I had a fuse in the heated mirror spot on the fuse box...

Funny, the brochure I saved when I bought the car said heated mirrors w/puddle lights for the limited only. I have puddle lights and assumed I had the heated mirrors. Thanks all anyway.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

No biggie. If the mirrors are heated, there will be a word printed "Heated" in Script font on the upper left hand (driver's side) or the upper right hand (passenger's side) corner of the mirror.

 

[A Wise Guy]

'98 XLT with heat and puddle lamps here. Unless Ford goes through the trouble of wiring in unnecessary fuses for stuff. They sure act as if they are heated though.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Do your mirrors say "Heated" in Scripted font on the surface of them?? If so, then you got lucky. If not, then you don't have them.

 

[Garth]

How hard is it to install aftermarket or do you guys think if I should buy a ford heated, it would work by just installing it?

 

[A Wise Guy]

No they don't say heated but I find it hard to believe that Ford would go through the trouble of installing the wiring and fuse if the option wasn't there. Or at least installing as much as they did. With the truck running the fuse for the heated mirrors does show power flowing through it when the rear defrost is turned on. Turn the defrost off and the power is gone. Ford would go through this much trouble with the mirrors but not put the wiring harness up to the overhead councel if not equiped? Now if we were talking Honda I would have to say ok maybe but it doesn't seem that Ford would waste that kind of money.

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Well...That's Ford, I guess. Here's an easy test if you still don't believe it, turn your rear defroster on, once you've turned that on, the heated mirrors are activated. Wait about 5 to 10 minutes and use your hand and touch the mirrors. If they're hot, then you have heated mirrors, if not, then you don't.

We did that when we had our '94 Chrysler Town & Country. We didn't even know we had heated mirrors until I touched the mirror. And the sad thing was that we bought the van brand new. Those mirrors get pretty warm!!

 

[A Wise Guy]

I will have to do some further fooling around in the heated mirror department. Initial temp on the mirror was 36 degrees. After one full cycle of the rear defrost I got up to 39 degrees. I need to wait for it to get colder out so I can start at a lower temperature to see if there is an actual difference and I will need to drive at the time of the test to eliminate the possibility of the temp difference just being engine heat of a stationary vehicle. Or maybe Ford is just stuck doing 25 MPH in a 50 MPH zone again. (half fast)

 

[Ak LTD Xplorer]

if it does not say "heated" you don't have heated!!..xlt's where to cheap to get them..only limited's got them

 

['96explorereddiebauer]

Originally posted by A Wise Guy
I will have to do some further fooling around in the heated mirror department. Initial temp on the mirror was 36 degrees. After one full cycle of the rear defrost I got up to 39 degrees. I need to wait for it to get colder out so I can start at a lower temperature to see if there is an actual difference and I will need to drive at the time of the test to eliminate the possibility of the temp difference just being engine heat of a stationary vehicle. Or maybe Ford is just stuck doing 25 MPH in a 50 MPH zone again. (half fast)

The mirror gets a whole lot warmer than 39 degrees. It'd be moderately warm or hot to the touch. Like I said, we had one in the Town & Country so that's how I know.

 

[xltv82003]

I wanna add heated mirrors to my 2003 XLT. I found the mirrors on americanbodyparts.com for $85 each. I am hoping ford did run the wire up to the mirror so I can just install the new mirrors but I am going to wait until spriing to do that...too cold now.

 

[A Wise Guy]

Ford actually went through a whole lot of trouble. With fuse in place and getting power when the rear defrost is turned on no heated mirrors on the xlt. Now I just wonder how far the wiring harness for the heated mirrors travels? Does it make it all the way to the mirror or does it stop at the fuse?

 

[Ak LTD Xplorer]

i think it stop's at the fuse

 

[xltv82003]

I am going to find out this spring....I hope they just ran it with the rest of the wirting for the power mirrors and the puddle lights. I know a guy who does aftermarket sunroofs, interiors, trim, etc. I am going to ask him and see if he knows.