Driver's Seat Heater Not Working
 

My wife reports that the seat heater is not working. And that is just one feature she WON'T live without for long!

Strange part is that in looking at the Lexus service records for this vehicle, it seems the seat heater was repaired/replaced at 66,000 miles seven years ago and now the car has just 90,000 miles and the heater is out again.

This is a 2005 Lexus LS430ML.

Has anyone done this repair themselves? What's a simple trouble shooting procedure? I assume the problem is in the element in the seat, but I guess there's a chance it's in the switch. I checked the fuse and that's fine.

Advice?

The problem can be the fuse, relay, wiring harness, or the heating elements. See if the attached troubleshooting procedures will help...

Here's a diagram of where you will find the fuses, relays, and other parts mentioned in the procedures.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...a995ff9b70.jpg

Thank you! That will keep me busy tonight!

Are these for a 2005 LS430ML? My vehicle seems different. There isn't a D-IG1 Relay in the Driver Side J/B. Found the D S/HTR fuse there, but no relay.

Looks like I will have to take this in to a upholstery shop or something. Wish I knew who I could trust!

Yes, the drawing is for a 2005 LS430. The D-IG1 relay is located on the right side (the inner side against the firewall) of the J/B.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...21737be4da.jpg

Wow. Thank you. What's the charge?

This is turning into a real fiasco.

So I made an appointment with a local upholstery shop and they were able to troubleshoot the seat heater down to the point where we know the problem is in the bottom of the seat. The back heater now works.

I looked at the Lexus seat diagram and ordered part number 87501-50010 from my local Lexus dealer as they could get it to me the next day. The part arrived a week later..... The part does not include the bottom heating element as the picture on the diagram seems to imply. It's just the control assembly wire ($220). The Lexus dealer is telling me that to replace the bottom heating element I have to order the entire seat bottom for $1200.

So far I'm into this for only $80 for the first upholstery troubleshooting and $220 for the control assembly wire. The question now is whether I pay the upholstery shop to tear open the seat to rebuild it and try and fix the heater (maybe this control assembly wire is the problem as it appears to have a fuse our something in it) or do I just spend the $1200 and get all new?

Damn!!!!!!

And the hits keep coming. Finally got the part from Lexus and made the appointment with my upholstery guy. Tore the seat apart to find out I have the wrong part. The Lexus guy looked up my VIN, but didn't notice I have the climate controlled seats.:sad: Once we got the seat all apart, how it works all started to make sense.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...6f43d4386.jpeg


https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...52e6a4d50.jpeg


https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...f24f9542b.jpeg


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.clu...644b51161.jpeg

So for the climate controlled seats, you have the fan under the seat that blows air to two air nozzles...one in the bottom cushion and one in the back cushion. Each of those air nozzles(my description) has a heating element in it so the heating element warms the air just as it exits the nozzles. This explains why the back is working but the bottom is not. The bottom element is not working. The heating element inside the air nozzle with heating element seems to be a proprietary Lexus item made by Amerigon Inc.....made in Mexico.... I even have the part number shown there in the last picture.... But I can't buy it except from Lexus for $420.... Probably a $50 part from Mexico....

If it was my wife, after about $100 trying to fix the heat, I would just tell her "Sorry honey, looks like you will have to suffer a cold butt". ;)

Salvage yard would be the way I would go. Also, check out Lexus of South Atlanta Parts.

try flee bay.

Wait. What? There is no actual heating element in the seat? I thought all seat heaters had a pad of sorts that lies under the leather that heats up the seat. The heated and cooled seats have nothing more than a part that acts like a friggin hair dryer???

you are correct.

Both, my old Volvo and the BMW had heating elements in the bottom seat. Warmed up less than a minute, not having to wait until the engine gets up to operating temperature.
If my seat warm up would give me problems, I would just get a sheepskin seat cover for a few bucks. It would do the same as the ****fan