AWDman

hey guys my passenger seat control module is defective (battery drain) so i'm driving around with it unplugged.

anyone know how to get this fixed (save bellying up to the mb parts counter). which unit is it that need replacing? i think there's 3 under the seat. i'm fairly adept with a solder iron can this be repaired?

any insight will be much appreciated.

Zeppelin

If mine ever goes out I will sure try to fix it. First place to start is to pull the box that is causing the battery drain. Then remove the same box on the opposite side. With an OHM meter compare the inputs on each box to ground. You may find one of the inputs shorted on the bad box. You will then have to open the bad box and hopefully it is a shorted capacitor that can be easily replaced. It might also be a proprietary chip that is shorted and then we are out of luck on repairing it.

If someone wants to send me a bad box I will take a look at it.

c32used

I bought a new ultima redtop battery yesterday and had my old batt checked..which came out it couldn't hold a charge but after reading two threads that mentioned seat controls well I want to know how to and where to unplug these incase my issue included the seat control...so any instruction is appreaciated...

john89011

I don't understand why the power does not cut off when you turn your car off instead it's an open curcuit

Zeppelin

I think it is so the seat can move with the key out. Like when you open the door and you can't get in because your small wife had the seat too far forward.

AWDman

good suggestions. thanks. i'll keep the thread updated with what i find.

SACAMG

I too just had this same problem this week. I took out my battery and had it checked, and it did not needed to be replaced. So I took the car into the dealer and they said it was the drivers side seat controll module. They replaced it and the passenger side (under waranty) and sent me on my way.

Al Bundy

Same thing happened here. Battery is less than a year old. It drained last week before I left to go to a Christmas party. MB Roadside had me back running within an hour.

I told him I thought it was the seat control module and he said that's exactly what the problem was. He asked if I found that on the internet, so good job guys.

I went to start it today after not driving yesterday and it's as dead as a doornail. The doorman's battery jump pack doesn't have enough power to start it. It starts up the accessories, but the engine won't turn over, so I'm waiting for MB Roadside again as we speak.

I made an appointment for Monday morning, and it looks like my extended warranty (Total Protection Supreme from Prizm) should cover it.

Did anybody figure out how to disconnect the module yet?

AWDman

there are 3 sets of plugs under the seat. i disconnected them all. that will save you the jump starts as you (we) get this figured out.

john89011

it would be a good idea to install a seperate cut-off switch for the seats. So when you get out off the car you just turn on the switch to cut the power tot the seats. I think when I install my new control modules I am still going to unplug the seat just because I don't trust it anymore. I don't want to be somewhere in the boondocks and have modules drain my battery.

c32used

I was told to disconnect the three plugs infront of the seat on the underside by AMG-Jerry.....I bought the new battery but noticed I had a rough start in the AM on two ocassions.

TopGun32

I hope we can find a cheap fix to this common problem..

I have both seats unplugged due to the same issue.

I know I have seen the part numbers around this board.. but from what I heard they are not very cheap.

We need somebody that has a good discount with MB dealer to come to the rescue and have a group buy.

Or maybe somebody that can find the actual problem to the module and we can take apart and have the part fixed.

Brandon (Code3): Maybe this can be a small project to add to our list?

TopGun32

Part numbers:
211-870-46-26
211-870-47-26

$276.00 each for the parts.

anybody can help get these parts cheaper?

Al Bundy

I just got back from a 'recharge' drive and I unhooked the plugs on the seats as well.

Have to pick the girlfriend up from the airport tomorrow morning so I'm really hoping this works.

john89011

just remember to unplug ALL plugs under the seat both DRIVER and PASSEGER seats not just one seat unless you know which one exactly is drawing the power

raymond g-

OEMPARTSDIRECT has them about $50 cheaper. autohausaz didn't register
these numbers.

TopGun32

we need to find somebody that works for MB or works at a dealer.

$220 per module is way too expensive for this car at this point.

maybe.. we can use from another C class? here in So Cal, there are tons of "pick your parts" places.

I wonder if the same part will apply?

c32used

I bought a new uptima redtop a few days ago and its beens acting like the charge is going and 3am this morning I had to jump car and decided to unplug both seat controls hoping thats it...car started this afternoon fast so left it running for a little while to charge battery more. If its the problem then doing warranty work first to second week of Januaray 2008.

dkflipse

Sonofawitch! The dealer managed to get $700 out of me on the last day of the year!! Friggin' seat control module drained my battery. Even with the repair, SA told me they still were registering a draw on the battery. Two hours of diagnosis later (so they say) I was told the command is to fault . The SA was nice enough to quote me a new unit at about $3,500

c32used

Well after jumping car and disconecting all 3 plugs from each seat the car seems fine but will take it in for warranty work in a week or so for a few issues plus seat control unit faulty.

ESCOFIASCO

Cant Believe So Many People Have The Same Fault Including Me Too! Will Be At The Mb Dealer Doorstep With My Extended Warranty!!!

I Have A Problem With My Shocks, Heated Driver Seat, Parking Sensors , And Today Discovered A Secondary Air Injector Fault.

neihouma

Thank god nobody in my family drives my C32. I'm unplugging all connectors
under my seat right now!

TopGun32

does any body have a picture or diagram of this part?

I unplugged my seats, but just not sure which is the actual module causing the problem..

john89011

I think it's the big flat one in the middle and the little one to it's immediate right. As far as which seat is concerned you can try leaving one seat unpluged or take it to the dealer and they'll tell you right away (most likely it's both)

loudandheard

I just had this problem tonight. Unlocked the car and I noticed that the interior lights would not come on. I was able to jump the battery and start the car, so I'm thinking it's the seat control module. Now I have a list of things wrong with my car. Thank God for the warranty.

Alarm is not working, power drain, heated seat bottoms not working, heater is not working, ac control unit randomly switches from auto, and noise coming from the pulley. My hood shocks went out and my center console leather gets sticky when it gets wet, not sure if the warranty well cover those problems.