drivers seat heat and cooling really have issues

gabagoo · Nov 7, 2016

I received a recall for my Murano about a month back and have just got back from a driving vacation so figured might as well take it in for the recall and an oil change, but more importantly to get them to seriously check the drivers seat as the heated seat honestly has a problem as well as the cooling option.

I put the heat on full and honestly after driving for 15 minutes I feel it but not the way I have in any other car or any other seat in my Murano for that matter. I know there is something wrong with it, even though it works. The same can be said for the ventilated seat...again on the drivers side. I can hear the fan running but hardly feel much on the highest setting.

I have sat in the passenger seat and both heating and cooling work much bettter than the drivers side...in fact when on vacation I let a friend drive and sat in the back. the rear seat heater on low was almost instantly noticeable, in fact almost uncomfortable to be honest.

Left the car at the dealership and within 2 hours get called that it is ready for pickup.

Sure they fixed the recall item and did the oil change, but I see on the work order that the technician could find nothing wrong with the seat heater or cooler. I guess they don't get paid much to check for such things and don't spend but a minute to determine if they work. I told the gentleman who took my keys in detail exactly what I have written here, but I don't think he conveyed my point to the technician.

I got the SUV back and sat outside my office with the engine running and turned the heat on. It was very quiet I could hear a fan running when I turn the heated seat on.... why? Can someone confirm to me if this is supposed to happen? I have never heard a fan running in any other vehicle that heated seats?

JohnS · Nov 8, 2016

The rear seats are only heated and not cooled, which means the seat heater is basically the old style heater with heated coils, just like an electric blanket

The front seats are heated and cooled and instead of heated coils they blow air through a thermoelectric device that heats or cools depending on the direction of the electric current flowing through it. These thermo-electric devices do not get as hot as heating coils nor do they heat up as fast, so the trade-off for having cooled seats, is that the heater part of it does not get as hot or heat up as quickly as the old fashioned heated only seats.

In Canada, I don't have much use for the cooled seats and would have preferred heated-only seats, but that is not an option on the Platinum edition.

gabagoo · Nov 8, 2016

Thank you...I too live in Canada, but find with a black leather interior and summer heat they come in handy. I guess I am having trouble with both because they both work off the same fan. The passenger side works great.
though. I might have something blocking the ventilation coming through the seat.

gabagoo · Dec 9, 2016

Just out of curiosity..... I leave my drivers seat with the heat on full all the time... I barely feel it although I know it is on. Just want to know if others seats get hot enough that they have to turn them off or am I alone out here in the cold.

Freezn · Dec 9, 2016

gabagoo said:
Just out of curiosity..... I leave my drivers seat with the heat on full all the time... I barely feel it although I know it is on. Just want to know if others seats get hot enough that they have to turn them off or am I alone out here in the cold.

That's a difficult question to answer because temperature is such a subjective and personal preference. Kind of like asking someone how hot do they like their coffee.

Do you have access to an infrared thermometer? If so, maybe take a temperature reading on the seats after they've been on for 15-20 mins and post the results here to see if anyone else is getting roughly the same readings. I'll take a reading on my seat temp (heating & cooling) this weekend and post the results here. I'd be interested to see if the results are somewhat consistent (taking into account outside ambient temperature and interior temperature)

futuremurano · Dec 9, 2016

I was going to suggest what Freezn mentioned, infrared thermometer is your best route, if the results between passenger and driver seat are way off, then you have a good case to present to take to the dealer.

MyMoCMH · Dec 9, 2016

gabagoo said:
Just out of curiosity..... I leave my drivers seat with the heat on full all the time... I barely feel it although I know it is on. Just want to know if others seats get hot enough that they have to turn them off or am I alone out here in the cold.

I had a2016 SL with tech and now a 2016 platinum with tech, and I'd say the heated seats on the SL heated up way faster than they do on the platinum, the SL seats had the traditional heating element in the seats, the platinum has a different system so it can cool and heat with forced air, but none the less both Mo's I have had, the seats were very warm after about 20 mins being on , I usually end up turning it down to the first setting for heat as it's pretty warm on high once warmed up, some guys have said their drivers seat the fan in it doesn't blow as well as passangers side seat , if at all compared to passangers seat, I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure each seat has its own blower fan in it, have you listened to see if you can hear the fan blower runnng on each seat? Just a thought if your drivers fan isn't blowing maybe that's why it doesn't seem to get warm? I just checked mine again and I believe I can hear a fan running in each seat....

gabagoo · Dec 10, 2016

MyMoCMH said:
I had a2016 SL with tech and now a 2016 platinum with tech, and I'd say the heated seats on the SL heated up way faster than they do on the platinum, the SL seats had the traditional heating element in the seats, the platinum has a different system so it can cool and heat with forced air, but none the less both Mo's I have had, the seats were very warm after about 20 mins being on , I usually end up turning it down to the first setting for heat as it's pretty warm on high once warmed up, some guys have said their drivers seat the fan in it doesn't blow as well as passangers side seat , if at all compared to passangers seat, I may be wrong but I'm pretty sure each seat has its own blower fan in it, have you listened to see if you can hear the fan blower runnng on each seat? Just a thought if your drivers fan isn't blowing maybe that's why it doesn't seem to get warm? I just checked mine again and I believe I can hear a fan running in each seat....

Yes I can hear the fan and the passenger side is much louder.... Heated and cooled seats is one of the most important options these days in a vehicle and to have the drivers seat with the pitiful performance is just inexcusable.... I might just get a private mechanic to swith the fans around, seeing that Nissan does not seem to think it is an issue. I don't need to use an infra red heat detector. I have heated and cooled seats in my 2012 Optima SX and both work like a charm, so I know what they should feel like. I don't think I have ever been in a vehicle where I can leave the heated seat on the full position continually and wonder while I drive....is this thing on? just say'n

GoBlue · Jan 28, 2017

I bought a 2016 Murano Platinum in October and had this exact same problem. I haven't tried the cooled seats yet, but the first time I tried the heated seats I had it on high for 15 minutes and could barely feel it. I turned on the passenger side heated seat and it was way hotter. Just went in for my first oil change and they agreed the driver's side heated seat isn't working properly. They are ordering me a new seat under warranty.

Robotaz · Jan 28, 2017

gabagoo said:
I don't think I have ever been in a vehicle where I can leave the heated seat on the full position continually and wonder while I drive....is this thing on? just say'n

Inexcusable. I'd buy a little laser thermometer and check new ones on the lot and prove your dealer wrong if they argue.

GoBlue said:
... had it on high for 15 minutes and could barely feel it. I turned on the passenger side heated seat and it was way hotter.

Exactly. Good thing you have a decent, honest dealer. It's rare. Congrats.

gabagoo · Jan 30, 2017

I took the vehicle in again for another warranty issue and insisted that they check the seat out and they determined that it needed a new blower. Today was the day it went in, so I should have it back in a few hours... ironically today was also a day that each of the 3 times I started the vehicle to go somewhere before taking it in for service that the bluetooth would start dialing my own cell phone that it hooks up to....of course when I got to the dealer and tried to show them it worked flawlessly lmfao...that issue will never be solved.

Don's MO · Jan 14, 2020

So my first post, so apologies in advance if I'm addressing a way out of date thread, or if I'm off track here somehow.
I have a brand new 2020 Platinum and have a very peculiar problem with my heated seat - at least on the driver side. The seat cushion and back cushion heats up as expected, except for the back 1/4 or so of the bottom cushion. Does that make sense? The front 3/4 of the bottom cushion, and all of the back cushion seem to heat up as expected, but the rear portion of the bottom cushion is cold. And when I say cold, it's not just that it doesn't heat up - it's cold! I would swear the cool function is on instead of the heat!
I plan to borrow a laser thermometer this weekend to see if I can quantify the issue, but I thought I'd probe this knowledgeable group before I fumble along too much further on my own.
Thanks in advance for any help.

vortex · Jan 14, 2020

Don's MO said:
So my first post, so apologies in advance if I'm addressing a way out of date thread, or if I'm off track here somehow.
I have a brand new 2020 Platinum and have a very peculiar problem with my heated seat - at least on the driver side. The seat cushion and back cushion heats up as expected, except for the back 1/4 or so of the bottom cushion. Does that make sense? The front 3/4 of the bottom cushion, and all of the back cushion seem to heat up as expected, but the rear portion of the bottom cushion is cold. And when I say cold, it's not just that it doesn't heat up - it's cold! I would swear the cool function is on instead of the heat!
I plan to borrow a laser thermometer this weekend to see if I can quantify the issue, but I thought I'd probe this knowledgeable group before I fumble along too much further on my own.
Thanks in advance for any help.

Mine operate the same way. The heating and cooling on these seats is very patchy. You'll notice on the bottom cushion that not all of it heats up but only two strips. In my opinion the implementation of heating and cooling in these seats is awful.

If you're not convinced, take it into the dealer and have them take a look. But I'll tell you that both my passenger and driver seat have the exact same issue that you describe and many on this forum have also stated theirs operates in this manner.

Don's MO · Jan 15, 2020

vortex said:
Mine operate the same way. The heating and cooling on these seats is very patchy. You'll notice on the bottom cushion that not all of it heats up but only two strips. In my opinion the implementation of heating and cooling in these seats is awful.

If you're not convinced, take it into the dealer and have them take a look. But I'll tell you that both my passenger and driver seat have the exact same issue that you describe and many on this forum have also stated theirs operates in this manner.

Thanks for the validation... doesn't sound too likely that I'll be able to get it resolved?!?

Riprock · Jan 16, 2020

Don's MO said:
So my first post, so apologies in advance if I'm addressing a way out of date thread, or if I'm off track here somehow.
I have a brand new 2020 Platinum and have a very peculiar problem with my heated seat - at least on the driver side. The seat cushion and back cushion heats up as expected, except for the back 1/4 or so of the bottom cushion. Does that make sense? The front 3/4 of the bottom cushion, and all of the back cushion seem to heat up as expected, but the rear portion of the bottom cushion is cold. And when I say cold, it's not just that it doesn't heat up - it's cold! I would swear the cool function is on instead of the heat!
I plan to borrow a laser thermometer this weekend to see if I can quantify the issue, but I thought I'd probe this knowledgeable group before I fumble along too much further on my own.
Thanks in advance for any help.

I have the same issue on my 2018. From. Reading here the dual heated/cooled seated are ventilation heated. So only the part of the seat that is ventilated heats. That back 1/4 portion isn't ventilated it looks like.

My issue is the back roasts the lower portion on my legs only gets to about low hot on the highest seating. So my back is sweating and my butt and legs are freezing.

Holger Cordero · Jan 16, 2020

gabagoo said:
Just out of curiosity..... I leave my drivers seat with the heat on full all the time... I barely feel it although I know it is on. Just want to know if others seats get hot enough that they have to turn them off or am I alone out here in the cold.

I will say i get warm a lot easier, so my opinion wouldnt really matter here, but my wife, she is always cold and i have heated seats in my Lexus and she almost never turns them off, she may lower it to Mid power. Meanwhile on the Murano she will constantly turn them off or set them on Low Power. I feel like the Murano does warm up better and sometimes gets to the point of turning it off and even then they dont cool down super fast. I think my heated seats work great in both cars but the Murano seats much better since the car is also 10 years newer than my Lexus lol.

HTomasini · Jan 22, 2020

I

Don's MO said:
So my first post, so apologies in advance if I'm addressing a way out of date thread, or if I'm off track here somehow.
I have a brand new 2020 Platinum and have a very peculiar problem with my heated seat - at least on the driver side. The seat cushion and back cushion heats up as expected, except for the back 1/4 or so of the bottom cushion. Does that make sense? The front 3/4 of the bottom cushion, and all of the back cushion seem to heat up as expected, but the rear portion of the bottom cushion is cold. And when I say cold, it's not just that it doesn't heat up - it's cold! I would swear the cool function is on instead of the heat!
I plan to borrow a laser thermometer this weekend to see if I can quantify the issue, but I thought I'd probe this knowledgeable group before I fumble along too much further on my own.
Thanks in advance for any help.

have a 2016 and it does the same exact thing, 1/4 of seat doesn’t heat at lower back. My seat seems to work periodically, very disappointing.

NLMurano · Jan 22, 2020

HTomasini said:
I

have a 2016 and it does the same exact thing, 1/4 of seat doesn’t heat at lower back. My seat seems to work periodically, very disappointing.

I had an issue with the bottom seat cushion on our 15 platinum where it would barely get warm since new. Dealer couldn't find an issue with it till the 3 year warranty ran out and since I have the extended warranty they were going to replace the fan unit and they were going to charge me for the wiring harness going to the fan since the extended warranty would not cover wiring harness. I took the seat out to look at the harness to see why it had to be replace and of course it was in perfect condition. I did notice dust on the screen on the fan which I cleaned off and ever since the seat gets very warm to the point it has to be turned off.

HTomasini · Jan 23, 2020

NLMurano said:
I had an issue with the bottom seat cushion on our 15 platinum where it would barely get warm since new. Dealer couldn't find an issue with it till the 3 year warranty ran out and since I have the extended warranty they were going to replace the fan unit and they were going to charge me for the wiring harness going to the fan since the extended warranty would not cover wiring harness. I took the seat out to look at the harness to see why it had to be replace and of course it was in perfect condition. I did notice dust on the screen on the fan which I cleaned off and ever since the seat gets very warm to the point it has to be turned off.

Thank you for this info! I really appreciate it I’m going to see what I can do!

klotzkm · Jan 24, 2020

Just picked up or 2015 Murano Platinum from the shop after recent failure of the drivers seat heat/cooling and engine light illumition; We purchased the first "Pacific Sunset" model delivered in our area, however my retired wife does not put many miles on "her". "Murray" just turned 13K miles last week, at the same time of dropping her off for service. What this post is about is that our dealership granted a "Good Faith" discount and mostly covered the total service under warranty (we did not have an extended plan). Two O2 sensors were replaced (we had a previous O2 sensor failure previous) and the Seat controller AND wiring harness was replaced. The totaled bill was over $2K. Thankfully, Nissan extended a hugely credit reduced the walkout price to less than 25% of original charge. Whew!!! Following forum threads, it seems obvious that there likely is a design issue with the seat controller (and possible wiring harness?), and that is kept quiet? (we endured similar issues with a previous Nissan ZX..). I suggest that you question such failures and repair costs..at least in a friendly way, as there may be some undisclosed credits?

drivers seat heat and cooling really have issues

gabagoo

JohnS

gabagoo

gabagoo

Freezn

futuremurano

MyMoCMH

gabagoo

GoBlue

Robotaz

gabagoo

Don's MO

vortex

Don's MO

Riprock

Holger Cordero

HTomasini

NLMurano

HTomasini

klotzkm

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