tydog07 said:
I see that you have had the heated seat issue as well, did you use a Haynes manual (or equivalent) to follow instructions? How hard was the process and how long did it take you?
I'm curious to know where I could find a good set of instructions or a how-to and would purchase a Haynes manual if it would actually walk me through it. Whats the RCM fuse and why did you disconnect the battery?
I appreciate any help you can give me.
Well, the whole process was a few days, as first I wanted to verify that the seat pad was the problem. Then I ordered the part and had my seat in my house while I waited for the heating element to be delivered to my local Ford dealer (saved some $$ on shipping that way). The part
(# 6E5Z14D696AA) was about $95. I drove my truck in the meantime. But it should be a total of a couple of hours, and that's not rushing it at all. It wasn't really too difficult, the most difficult parts are carrying your front seat, and those wire hog ties (more on those later).
Now I removed my seat to verify that there was a burnt wire in the heating pad before ordering one, so if this is you're only vehicle, you're seat will have to be put back in while you wait for the part. But it's pretty much guaranteed that the seat pad is your issue.
Watch the video at the bottom of this post, it's not a Fusion, but the repair is very similar. You can repair yours by soldering the wire if you want, but I just put in a new pad. I figured another spot will just burn out too, and didn't want to do this repair again.
1. Remove the seat, as seen at :30 seconds into the video. Raise the seat to make access to the rear screws easier.
2. This is when I disconnected the battery and pulled the RCM (Restraints Control Module) fuse. It's inside the cabin, above where your left foot would be. I can't remember which # it was at the moment, and it may be a different fuse number in your Fusion anyway. We're dealing with seat airbags, and it's better to play it safe. Then I waited before proceeding, to let any remaining power in the airbag system discharge. Airbag systems can have up to 20 minutes of backup power supply.
3. There are two plugs to undo before removing the seat, same as in the video. I just tilted the seat back a bit to access the plugs. Remove the seat and place it in your work area. Recline the seat all the way back to make it easier to access the rear portion of the seat.
4. You'll now need to peel back the leather to access the heating pad. It's not exactly like in the video, but you'll need to remove the side plastic pieces of the seat, same as in the video. You don't need to unplug any electronics. The front, I believe is simply held in by a clip, and it simply flips loose. You don't need to remove any other screws, you'll basically see what is necessary to fold back the leather. You don't need to remove much at all, the guy in the video removes a lot of unnecessary stuff.
5. The metal hog ties holding the leather to the seat are the same, there are 3 across, if I remember correctly. And there are two rows of them, and they are probably the most difficult part of the job. :madder: You'll need two pair of needle nose pliers to undo the metal hog ties. Undo them from the leather seat cover and leave them attached to the seat bottom. You'll be reattaching them later.
6. You'll then need to unplug the seat pad, which runs through the seat and disconnects under the seat. The seat heating element is held onto the seat cushion by a couple of rows of adhesive. The new pad has the adhesive rows already in place, and you'll simply peel the paper off to reattach it in the proper position on the seat cushion. Make sure to run the cable through the hole before sticking it down, and plug it back in.
7. Now the pain in the a$$ job of reattaching the leather to the seat with those hog rings. :madder: It is a little time consuming, but you'll get it done. Stretch the leather back over the front and sides, and reattach the side plastic pieces.
8. Replace seat back into your sweet Ford Fusion, put RCM fuse back in, reattach battery. Now enjoy your heated seat once again.
And don't forget a few frosty beverage breaks.
If the video won't play, copy and paste the link below into a new tab
and remove the space between you and tube.
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