heated seats

[rommey]

The driver's side heated seat isn't working but the passenger side heated seat does work on my 2000 Continental. Can anyone tell me what I should be checking to fix this problem? Thanks.

[Towncar]

Aparently some things never change (or imporve) with newer models.

In the 1990's, all of them with heated seats, the wire veins that connect the upper heating pad, to the lower pad crack and short out.

It's said that the veins are too close to the thinner leather on these newer models and flex too much as the passengers get in and out of the car. Since they are veins (thin plastic encased ribbon wire harnesses, using flattened solid core wire), similliar to what you see connecting components in small electronic toys, they crack when flexed or bent.

Some folks are quite handy and pull like hell to peel back the leather and expose the heater elements, test and locate the shorts, and solder a flexible wire bridge over the crack.

Others have had good luck, and not tooo expensive, taking their problem to an automotive upholstery shop for repair. Most are familliar with this problem.