TSB on seat heaters
Hello Forum members,
Note: The following was written on 11/13/06, but was just now allowed to post.
First time poster here. I soon looked up this forum right after buying a new '07 Luxury GV. I have a lot to say about why we bought a GV rather than one of the other similar vehicles out there but I'll save those comments for a later time and address this seat heater issue first. One of the selling points for my wife (it's her car), was the heated seats which help her arthritis condition. Soon after delivery the wife noticed the drivers seat was no longer heating. We returned to the dealer and were told they had seen at least one GV where the passenger seat did not work. While we were there, the drivers seat started working again but the passenger seat did not. We left the vehicle and they replaced the passenger seat with one from a new GV on the lot. During a conversation with the service manager we were told that heated seats in newer cars did not get as warm as those of the past and that the newer ones would "kick Out" by design. He then went on to say that if the outside temperature was above a certain point the seat heaters would not come on. I don't know if either statement is true or not. The wife pointed out that during our test drive it was over eighty degrees and the drivers seat heater in that vehicle worked just fine. They also stated that no issues had been noted in regards to seat heater problems in the '06 - '07 GV. It was during this time I looked up the Suzuki Forum and found out we were not alone with this problem.
Like Honda and others, car manufactures like to keep potential problems close to the vest until they know there is actually a problem and how to solve it. I have no reason to believe Suzuki is any different in this regard. I then told the dealer my research indicated there was a potential problem with the seat heaters and I would wait and see rather than just blindly changing out seats that most likely have the same problem, as one poster here indicates. It's a waste of his time and mine until they know what the actual problem is and how to resolve it.
My thoughts at the moment are to order a service manual for the '07 GV in hopes it would shed some light on just how the seat heaters are to function, what parts are involved and what to check for when trouble shooting. Can anyone on the forum comment on the factory manuals as to how helpful they are and what they cost ?
In the mean time, the seat heaters continue work briefly and then stop with no clear pattern. I purchased a cheap stand-alone seat heater with two small vibrating motors from WalMart for fifteen bucks which is keeping the wife happy for the moment, but it looks pretty cheesy on a brand new car. Interestingly enough, it works pretty good and actually heats the lumbar area of the back rather than just your butt. Part of the problem here is that the car the wife is moving out of was an Acura TL, which had excellent seat heaters with two temperature levels.
Because the number of posters on this forum represent a very small percentage of actual GVL owners and some of you are indicating a problem with the seat heaters, It's my feeling that there is an issue going on here and hopefully it can be identified and fixed. I have been a member on OdyClub.com for almost two years now after buying my '05 Honda Odyssey. That forum has been extremely helpful with issues like this and I hope the Suzuki forum proves likewise. I'm sure it will.
Thanks, Ward C
Update: 11/21/06
Was called by my dealer last night as to a TSB on the seat heaters. I picked up a copy of same today. It basically
reads:
TSB No. TS 21 11206 Grand Vitara 2006 - 2007
" The amount of heat on the passengers side seat heater is regulated to a lower temperature than the drivers side seat to accommodate the operational requirements of the smart airbag OCS weight sensor. This is a normal condition. Also note, the seat heater will not operate when ambient temperature is above 85 degrees F. and may not recycle if the ambient temperature is above 68 degrees. "
So, it seems that the GV seat heaters will not provide continuous heat when engaged, particularly here in Florida and it pretty much describes how my seat heaters function.
Knowing that will save me a lot of frustration trying in taking the GV back and forth to the dealer trying to fix something that is only functioning as designed. A poor design, but a design none the less. At this time the wife seems perfectly happy with the little WalMart heater for $15. Eventually I would like to install one of the aftermarket carbon fiber heaters under the factory leather that provides continuous two level heating, at least in the drivers seat, but I need to do a little more research before trying that.
Ward C
