So this may be a weird question or just a plain dumb question (so please forgive me). I had the heater basically blasting for about 20-30 minutes and noticed this black plastic part got really hot and the other side (which would be on the passenger side ) was not hot or even warm at all. It could be just that i had my heat blasted and perhaps the vent was pointed towards there but i don't think that's the case. I only noticed because i dropped food near there and the back of my hand touched it and I was like wooh this is absurdly hot. Just found it weird since the other side (the one on the passenger side) didn't even feel warm. I'm probably overthinking this but anyone else notice or experience this? Am i just being a little crazy haha. I'm probably just being nuts because my basic warranty is running out and i'm trying to fix every minor thing even if its nothing LOL.

 

Maybe the heater duct for the back seat vent runs on that side ??

 

Is the floor vent under the drivers seat blocked? Move the seat all the way forward to check that air is coming out. Are the vents at the back of the armrest open?

 

I second the rear seat ducts most likely run through there.
are the vent controls set to the feet circulation?

 

We need someone who has taken their car apart to chime in... eddie420 maybe?

 

I'd wager that the duct runs closer to the driver side than the passengers side. Models that aren't equipped with rear zone climate control I'd assume use the drivers side temp to provide air to the rear seats.

 

Yes it's the ducts going to the rear seat vents on the back of the console.

 

 

random question to tack on but has anyone noticed auto heat/cooling for passenger side turns on sometimes when no one is sitting there or anything in the seat at all?

 

 

 

The heated seats are like a heating pad, no air is pushed through your seat. The cooled seats push air through the seat. I am not certain, but I think they pull air from the blow the seat via fans. I do not think it comes directly from the heat/AC ducting.

As far as OP's question goes, I do think the ductwork for the rear ducts goes through here. I have noticed that my center console interior gets cold or warm depending on if I have heat or AC on.

 

Correct - the seats are heated by a pad (mat or blanket) with heating element wiring that is operated by applying voltage to the element wiring. The cooled ventilated seating is accomplished by fans mounted underneath the seats that pick up air from the floor area and is forced through the perforations in the seat bottoms and seat backs. (Note: When the ventilated seats are turned On you can lean forward toward the dash and hear the rush of air created by the seat fans.)

In the picture below (from eddie420) it shows [what appears to be] the duct running through the console toward the rear seat vents. If true, the driver's side of the console (at least near the shifter) should not be hot because the duct does not run next to it...except further back toward the rear. Of course, there will be a certain amount of heated or cooled air dissipated inside the console from the duct work carrying that airflow to the rear seat vents.

 

This image confirms it. I've also had condensation form on the sides of the console when running the AC with the windows down.

 

Good point on cooled vs ventilated. I always forget to use the correct terminology. But I suppose cooled seats would refer to a seat that gets cold air directly from an AC duct. That would be pretty sweet! The GS ventilated seats get the job done for me though.