!!!!!!!!! IMPORTANT ALL 850/855 OWNERS READ !!!!!!!!

[foggyjames]

A couple of thoughts...

1) There should only be a single spark before the fuse blows, so I think the dangerous part of the fault is with the foam.

2) The seat heaters seem to give up fairly quickly if you use them (although ours are all perfect, cos we never use them!). I've been told that they can give you piles...eek!!

cheers

James

Well I'll be darned if mine (1996 850 cd) hasn't got this very common problem too. Took a look under the driver's seat and its exactly as many others have described. Off to find a replacement thermostat as one tab has fractured off and isn't soldering back very well. Looks horribly dangerous though doesn't it :-o

Thanks for bringing this up!

[adieu]

Just had alook at mine on my 95 T5R, both the red wires were disconnected!!!!!

Have fitted new connectors but am still a little unsure if i want to use the seats or not.

Hi all Would like to thank you for rising this problem, just got my hands on a 855 T5 1995.
The car has been my company car from new and i brought the car from them when they decided to sell it.
The drivers seat has only worked for about 2 years and i wanted to get it fixed, the passenager dosen't work either.

Any up-dates from Vovlo uk?

It is a surprise that no-one has been seriously hurt & i think that the way Volvo are treating this matter is disgusting.
;(

I have just had the same experience of a burning sensation followed by the discovery of a hole in my seat. I have written to Volvo UK who have told me to take it to a dealer, because that will work! i wish I had seen this before i turned on the damned seat heater!!!

I notice this is an old thread and wondered if there had been any progress since 2003. I am definitly happy to try and get this progressed if there are any others out there that want to give it a go.

Stuart

Interesting.

I received a recall notice from my dealer regards this about one year ago.

Karl

[johnnyoro]

Hi I thought that it was common knowledge that there was and probably still is a volvo recall in the Uk concerning the heated seats . I think i found out about it on this very forum . Anyway when I heard about it probably 18 months ago i took my 97 855 tdi to Motorworld Oxford who confirmed that it needed the modification , the car was booked in there and then and the mod was carried out , it took about a half hour and consisted of a new wiring loom part which plugs into the seat harness and bypasses the existing thermostats in the seat cushions . There is some sort of box on the new loom which I think would contain a resistor which regulates the power to the heat pads . Seats work ok , no questions from the dealer, they were extremely helpful and have been very helpful on every visit. Needless to say that there was no charge for the recall work. !!! i would sugest that anyone who is concerned about their seats should ask their dealer if their car is part of the recall and go from there

Unfortunately, my volvo 850 is a 94 model and the recall was on 96/97 models, I don't know if there are any changes in design or just they can get away with saying older versions are older and it is wear and tear!

[DieselDoNicely]

Bad news guys, Volvo have had a heated seat recall out for ages. They redo the work free of charge. Mine was done about two months ago.

Dont know how this would stand up in court as main dealer servicing would pick up the need for the recall. They could say your at fault for lack of recommended servicing.

DDN

[bobcat]

>Bad news guys, Volvo have had a heated seat recall out for
>ages. They redo the work free of charge. Mine was done about
>two months ago.
>
>Dont know how this would stand up in court as main dealer
>servicing would pick up the need for the recall. They could
>say your at fault for lack of recommended servicing.
>
>DDN

so you cant just go into a dealer and get them to do it? even if you car hasnt been volvo serviced?