99 tahoe heated seats

on my 99 tahoe the driver side heated seat is not working the pass side is working i have no clue need help

Hello fellow 99 tahoe owner. I have the exact same problem. I'm in the process of working out what is specifically wrong. I have read hundreds of pages regarding this issue and have a good plan of action on this.

There are usually 2 common problems regarding this. Especially since you narrowed down the problems by stating the passenger seat is still working.

1) It could be the relay that is under each seat. This is the theory that I'm currently thinking may be my problem. This is better than having problem #2. You can purchase the relay (OEM for about $100) or I found a generic replacement that many people have used that say it works great for ~$5

The part is here:
https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2009073013315492&catname=&qty=1&item=11-2443

I *think* I found mine up under the driver's seat right under the front lip. It looks like the other relays that are in your fuse box under the hood. You can test if this is the problem by taking the relay from the passenger side and swap both relays between the seats. If it was the relay, your driver seat will work and your passenger seat will not.

2) Problem #2 is the heating element. This is much more intensive to replace only because it requires you remove the leather from your seat completely and have it reupholstered which could add quite a bit of labor cost. I have seen elements stating they are made for the tahoe for $100-$150. If you were handy with leather you could do that for relatively cheap but taking it in could cost.

I'm hoping to be able to dig out the relays today and try that swap out and see if that helps. Those relays are quite commonly going bad. They are a bit tricky to get to under the seat and several people have mentioned taking their seat off the mount and tipping it back to get to it.

---------- Post added at 03:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:19 PM ----------

Oh one more thing! This is what makes me think my relay could be the problem.

Turn your car on and let it run. Then plug in the seatbelt on your passenger side (the seatbelt has to be plugged in for the seat heater to operate). Now get your ear under your seat and flip the seat heater switch between off and on. You should hear the relay switch click. Do this several times so that you are sure of what you hear. It's pretty easy to hear.

Now goto your drivers side and do the same. See if you can hear the click. I could not on mine. That click between off and on is good. Check it out on yours.

Well I just took both seats out tonight. They come out real easy btw.

I swapped the heat relay module that I was speaking of between the seats. The passenger seat still works and the driver seat still does not. I also used the switch from the passenger on the driver seat to make sure the switch wasn't at fault. At this point I'm pretty much guaranteed that nothing else could be wrong except the heating element on the drivers seat.

The leather also comes off the seat quite easily and is easily replaced. Soooo if you can find the heating element for a decent price it would be fairly trivial (maybe an hour of your time) to take the seat out, remove the leather, install the new heating element and then put it all back together.

If anyone knows of a great place to by identical heating elements for the 1999 Chevy Tahoe drivers seat please post a link. I found one earlier but it kind of looked like it might've been a bit undersized (no real info that I found).

---------- Post added at 06:31 PM ---------- Previous post was at 06:28 PM ----------

This is the link I mentioned above. Anyone had any experience with this?

http://www.1aauto.com/1A/SeatUpholstery/Chevrolet/Tahoe/1AIPS00001/288690

Well since you have determined that the relay is fine, then its the heating element that is bad. The great part about leather seats, unlike cloth ones, is that you can undo the hog rings and pull the cover right off.

Once you do this, turn it inside out, and im about 99.999% sure you will see one little burnt area of foam on the bottom heating element. This is where your butt has worn the insulation off the heating element, and has burnt itself out.

I cut about an inch back each direction and soldered a new piece of 18 gauge wire where it was burnt out. Remember, it wore out here once, and it probably will again. I did mine this way 2 years ago, and had to redo it this winter.

Its an easy, 30 minute fix, and costs virtually nothing, as compared to the $800 that the stealership wants for a new cover and heating element.

I wish I would have done a writeup on this when I did mine, this is an all to common problem. Hopefully this helps!

Can you post pics of the relay your talking about.

I too have tried diagnosing my heated seats. Havent worked since day 1 when I got the Hoe. I checked the Fuses under the hood and they are good.

I also pulled out the switch and was going to test to see if the switch was getting power. It has 4 wires into the plug. I couldnt check for power bc I couldnt find schematics on the computer to see which one is power.

I called up a pro on the job and they said heated seats are tricky with all types of relays and resistors built into it to make sure it doesn't overheat and cause a fire.

I would love to have heated seats so the girls don't complain that thier bare ass is cold.

I dont mean to jack your thread but, my Tahoe doesnt have heated seats.
How can i add them to my Tahoe?
Do they make and aftermarket kit or OE kit?

Thanks

**** Disclaimer: This is a use-at-your-own-risk guide. I am not an expert and am a motivated hobbyist. ****
**** Note: I would probably not recommend using my "test" listed below long-term. It is merely a test to find out if your back-cushion element works. *****


Okay guys I made great headway today. A couple people I work with happen to have Electrical Engineering degrees and explained the wire diagram under my seat enough for me to figure out what does what. I used 2 paper clips and bypassed my bottom seat cushion to make sure my back seat element still works. It came RIGHT on. I'm going to post pics and explanations.

Here is the real kicker. YOU CAN DO THIS WITHOUT TAKING YOUR SEAT OUT OR APART.

Most of people's problems reside in that the bottom seat cushion element burns out. That sucks. But maybe you'd just be okay with the back one working?

Underneath your seat is a 4pin connector.


Sorry for the bad pic. When I get everything back together I plan on taking good pics and documenting this well.

You can see how I labeled and shorted out the pins with paper clips to test.
I used 2 paper clips and paper clipped the purple to the light blue and the yellow to the purple. This immediately made my back element heat up like a champ!
<edit>
Please note that you should have your heated switch turned off or the car turned off while putting these in. I left my car running and turned the switch off.
Also note that the passenger seat *requires* the seat belt to be in it's receiver (buckled) for the heated seat to be allowed on. The drivers seat does not require
a belt to be buckled.
Also it is hard to see from the picture, but the clip that holds the connectors together is on the right side. The clip labeling in the picture is pointing to that clip and not the paper clip I have drawn in. This will help you navigate which pins you should be shorting out.
</edit>
The end conclusion is that for right now I'm okay with just having that one element working even though the seat cushion is not. I may or may not replace it but haven't decided yet.

I have a wire diagram I plan on adding to the forum as well.

If your driver seat has gone out. You should jumper these pins together like I have them and see if your back element turns on. If you did it right and it does indeed turn on, then your seat cushion element is burnt out and you can either just be happy you got half of the system working or know that you pinpointed the problem exactly down to the bottom element and can replace it with a 12v aftermarket part and get both working.

Stay tuned for more pics. I hope to have this done on 1/18/2010. That's my plan anyway

@992dr

You definitely can add heated seat functionality to *any* car including yours.

It requires running a 12v line from your battery to the seat area. These kits usually
include an in-line fuse. They also include a switch to turn the seat on.

Basically here's what you'd do:
1) buy the kit. http://www.1aauto.com/1A/SeatUpholstery/Chevy/Tahoe/1AIPS00001/288690 is one example I found.
2) Run the line from the battery connection. You will also need a ground.
3) Remove the leather from your seats (I have taken the bottom one off and it is easy but I have not removed the top leather for the upright part of the seat).
4) Lay the elements on the foam. This is where you would need to be creative a bit to avoid just covering up your velcro underneath or your leather cover won't "stick" right.
5) connect all the wiring and put the switch somewhere accessible. Depending on yoru skill you could actually mount this on the seat itself like it came that way or on your dash.

It wouldn't really be too hard, but you'd need to be able to adjust as you find things and figure out where things ought to go.

robertclemens said:

Hello fellow 99 tahoe owner. I have the exact same problem. I'm in the process of working out what is specifically wrong. I have read hundreds of pages regarding this issue and have a good plan of action on this.

There are usually 2 common problems regarding this. Especially since you narrowed down the problems by stating the passenger seat is still working.

1) It could be the relay that is under each seat. This is the theory that I'm currently thinking may be my problem. This is better than having problem #2. You can purchase the relay (OEM for about $100) or I found a generic replacement that many people have used that say it works great for ~$5

The part is here:
https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.asp?UID=2009073013315492&catname=&qty=1&item=11-2443

I *think* I found mine up under the driver's seat right under the front lip. It looks like the other relays that are in your fuse box under the hood. You can test if this is the problem by taking the relay from the passenger side and swap both relays between the seats. If it was the relay, your driver seat will work and your passenger seat will not.

2) Problem #2 is the heating element. This is much more intensive to replace only because it requires you remove the leather from your seat completely and have it reupholstered which could add quite a bit of labor cost. I have seen elements stating they are made for the tahoe for $100-$150. If you were handy with leather you could do that for relatively cheap but taking it in could cost.

I'm hoping to be able to dig out the relays today and try that swap out and see if that helps. Those relays are quite commonly going bad. They are a bit tricky to get to under the seat and several people have mentioned taking their seat off the mount and tipping it back to get to it.

---------- Post added at 03:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:19 PM ----------

Oh one more thing! This is what makes me think my relay could be the problem.

Turn your car on and let it run. Then plug in the seatbelt on your passenger side (the seatbelt has to be plugged in for the seat heater to operate). Now get your ear under your seat and flip the seat heater switch between off and on. You should hear the relay switch click. Do this several times so that you are sure of what you hear. It's pretty easy to hear.

Now goto your drivers side and do the same. See if you can hear the click. I could not on mine. That click between off and on is good. Check it out on yours.

Click to expand...

What "relay"?
Where is the"relay"
I tore my seat all apart and did not find any "relay" that looks like the "relays" in my fuse box. Please post a pic of the "relay"
Did I mention the "relay"? lol

it's tuked under the bottom front lip of the seat you will need to
unbolt the seat to get to it. I paid $20.00 for a 99 driver seat at
jnk yrd the seat leather is worn but in a lot better shape than mine

the bottom warms up but the back don't thats how i know where the relay is.