HOT SPOT ON HEATED SEAT CUSHION
 

I have a hot spot on my seat base. The seat back heats properly but the ass pad gets really hot in one spot. Is there a fix without replacing a $300 pad? I was told the heating element is in the leather seat pad itself. Is it possible it's just shorted in one area. Can that area be cut out and spliced? Is there a non oem replacement for the pad? If the pad is still getting hot, does that mean the rest of the system is working and the pad is shorted?

Thanks

On my 98ML320 The seat heater just stopped working. Open circuit. The early ML's had a heating pad underneath the leather upholstery an was an easy and cheep fix. I think I paid ~ $30.00 for the pad.
My 05ML had the same thing as you have, a hot spot near my left cheek. As you know the heating element is embedded in the leather upholstery in the later ML's and is an expensive fix. Luckily it was covered under my extended warranty and was replaced two weeks ago. This appears to be a common problem with the ML's and has been known to burn right through the leather.
What year an Model ML do you have? It makes a difference as you can see. While your at it please update your UserCP with your Year, Model and Location. Thanks.
Mike

Not to scare you but if you pull back the seat cover you will find burn marks where it is getting super hot. The heating element is broken and it is arching under the cover. On my 2002 ML500 the cover needed to be replaced as it is all one unit.