[jtnieder]

I'm hoping someone might have an idea here; or then again it might be normal behavior, though I've never encountered this in another vehicle. Admittedly, I'm new to the Ridgeline world, but posts on this site were very influential in my purchase. As an aside, though I've only had my 2008 RTL for a few weeks, I've quickly grown fond of it and love to drive it!

Now, on to the seat warmers. When I bought, I noted that the lights weren't coming on in the seat warmer switches, and while I didn't feel any warmth in the short time I test drove it, I assumed it was either faulty switches or a fuse somewhere. I didn't do a thorough check like replacing a relay or anything, but I did check fuses and things looked OK. Still the lights or heat never came on. Winter is over here in GA, so I figured I'd worry about it when it got cold again. Fast forward to tonight. My daughter had inadvertently turned on the passenger warmer and a few minutes after driving down the road she realized her seat was warming. We looked and the light was on! I checked the driver's side and it worked too! This was understandably a shock. We later went inside to eat and when we came back out the lights and warmers wouldn't work again...until after driving for 3 minutes or so.

Is this normal behavior? We reproduced it several times tonight and I'm now wondering if this was the 'problem' all along? Every other car I've ever used with warmers, they come on immediately after the car starts. I also couldn't find anything in the manual or on the forums that described this behavior. Any ideas?

Thanks!
JN

 

[donuteater306]

It's really common for the lightbulbs to burn out in the switches. Mine were similar to yours...the bulbs would light intermittently. For the actual heat, it does take a while for the seats warm. For me, it's 2-4 miles on high before I switch from hi to low. By the way, the driver's seat heats both the base and back rest, while the passenger seat only heats the base.

There are a few threads on here regarding the replacement of the bulbs. The seats should warm regardless of whether or not the indicator lights work.

 

[jtnieder]

donuteater - I don't think that's it because anytime the lights are on, the seats are warm. Of course, neither was on before yesterday, but I think that's because I never left them on long enough.

More reproducible information. So I took the kids to school this morning and left them both in the 'off' position until 5 or so minutes after starting the engine and driving. Turned them on and nothing happened. In fact, nothing happened for the remainder of the 30 minute drive. After I dropped them off, I turned the RL off and then put the switches in the 'on' position. Cranked the truck and no lights, no warmth. However, a few minutes after driving, they came on again.

So it seems if I want to use them I need to have them on when the truck is started, and then also wait a few minutes for them to actually come on. On the upside at least they work and are getting power, so it's probably not a fuse. I'm inclined to blame the switches, but I would assume they would either work or not. I should note that by using the 'turn on then crank then wait' method to get them working, they do actually function fully. They can be switched to Hi, Lo, or even turned off and back on again. Relay maybe? I'm at a loss...

 

[Walji786]

Hey everyone! I’ve recently picked up a 2009 Ridgeline again and noticed that the heated seats do not work. The driver seat switch has an indicator light that flickers and no heat, and passenger seat doesn’t run or light up at all. I’ve checked the fuse (#11) under the hood, did a basic check of wiring behind the switches and underneath the seat to make sure everything was seeded properly. I didn’t have my meter with me to check voltage at all. Before I do, any ideas or troubleshooting tips? Thanks!

donuteater - I don't think that's it because anytime the lights are on, the seats are warm. Of course, neither was on before yesterday, but I think that's because I never left them on long enough.

More reproducible information. So I took the kids to school this morning and left them both in the 'off' position until 5 or so minutes after starting the engine and driving. Turned them on and nothing happened. In fact, nothing happened for the remainder of the 30 minute drive. After I dropped them off, I turned the RL off and then put the switches in the 'on' position. Cranked the truck and no lights, no warmth. However, a few minutes after driving, they came on again.

So it seems if I want to use them I need to have them on when the truck is started, and then also wait a few minutes for them to actually come on. On the upside at least they work and are getting power, so it's probably not a fuse. I'm inclined to blame the switches, but I would assume they would either work or not. I should note that by using the 'turn on then crank then wait' method to get them working, they do actually function fully. They can be switched to Hi, Lo, or even turned off and back on again. Relay maybe? I'm at a loss...

Did you ever figure anything out with this issue? I’m having issues with my heated seats on my 09 currently and looking for ideas before I start investigating.

 

[Roadsterrick]

I'm hoping someone might have an idea here; or then again it might be normal behavior, though I've never encountered this in another vehicle. Admittedly, I'm new to the Ridgeline world, but posts on this site were very influential in my purchase. As an aside, though I've only had my 2008 RTL for a few weeks, I've quickly grown fond of it and love to drive it!

Now, on to the seat warmers. When I bought, I noted that the lights weren't coming on in the seat warmer switches, and while I didn't feel any warmth in the short time I test drove it, I assumed it was either faulty switches or a fuse somewhere. I didn't do a thorough check like replacing a relay or anything, but I did check fuses and things looked OK. Still the lights or heat never came on. Winter is over here in GA, so I figured I'd worry about it when it got cold again. Fast forward to tonight. My daughter had inadvertently turned on the passenger warmer and a few minutes after driving down the road she realized her seat was warming. We looked and the light was on! I checked the driver's side and it worked too! This was understandably a shock. We later went inside to eat and when we came back out the lights and warmers wouldn't work again...until after driving for 3 minutes or so.

Is this normal behavior? We reproduced it several times tonight and I'm now wondering if this was the 'problem' all along? Every other car I've ever used with warmers, they come on immediately after the car starts. I also couldn't find anything in the manual or on the forums that described this behavior. Any ideas?

Thanks!
JN

 

[Roadsterrick]

No clue. I have the 2021 Black Edition with intermittent seat warmers. The drivers seat comes on High with no warning, and I can’t shut it off. Off to the dealer soon.