[GBobak]

Hello Again Everyone,

My latest issue on my 2015 Optima SXL Turbo, actually started back in January-2019.

The recently installed and "Freshly Dated/New" Battery was being drained and car would not emit even a courtesy light.
The car would start right up after jumping it and continue to run with no IMMEDIATE re-starting issues.
But then at random intervals the dead battery issue would occur again, and again (battery tested multiple times/alternative test multiple times, different shops...both found to be good.).
Initially, I thought it had something to do with the extremely cold because unfortunately, it would be the most bitterly cold mornings or evenings (in the teens) when we found it would not start.

The issues all of a sudden stopped occurring until about the end of June, when it happened again. It happened after I used the car, then the next day, when my son used the car. I asked....what did you turn off or on differently than in all the other days. We found that both of us had remembered about the seat cooling, and decided to try it on the 90+ degree day....only on the driver’s side.
We have stopped using the Heated/Cooled Seat on the driver’s side, and it has not occurred again. I feel sure this is the problem.

Has anyone heard about shorts in the switch for the heated/cooled seats...or about bad placement of wiring under the seat where movement of the seat, possibly cuts into the wiring??? Also Do they sell the switches, and are they easy to remove/install?

Thanks for listening!

 

[KingFatty]

Have you used a multimeter to look and see what the voltage is doing when you turn on or off the seat heater?

One issue is the seat heater could be draining. Another issue is somehow the alternator stops charging when you turn on the seat heater.

 

[GBobak]

Hi,
No I personally have not used a multimeter to see what the voltage is doing,
but back in January, I took it to a friend's radio/remote started install shop, where at least twice, they tested the voltage after they disconnected the battery, and then reconnected it.
Nothing abnormal, zero voltage draw.
The second test however, they would start the engine, turn everything on and then, turn the engine off (Automatic head lights were turned off).
They found a continued 18milli-amp draw after it was shut down. That was as far as the investigation got.

I told my son not to use the heated seats or heated steering wheel, as this is when it seemed to happen. No dead battery until we clicked on the seat cooling this summer.
Anyway, in searching at other forum conversations, "Hey KIA Techs! - Seat Warmer Replacement", it seems that the seat heater pad is an issues with many owners, and this made me recollect, that the bottom portion of the seat heater-pad was NOT working during those winter months possibly replacing this will fix the problem???

I just need to know where to buy, and if anyone has a link to a video on how to install, I will try this approach to see if it fixes it......It has to be fixed anyway.
Just hoping that having "cooling" seats doesn't make it much more difficult.

 

[Turbonut]

I'd certainly track down the draw, if there is one. MM is cheap, and didn't view the following:

using a mm to check voltage draw - Google Search

www.google.com

Not saying it's not in the heated seat circuit, but I've not heard of a problem. Just had a passenger seat apart the other day ( not my car) to change the seat pad becuase the sensor was bad. Not a bad job, but rather than splitting the seat, just removed the trim and raised the cushion, unhooked and removed the cover, slipped oiut the pad, installed new pad assembly and buttoned everything up.