ecoboosted

Two years ago or so, I replaced my drivers side seat heating element because it had shorted out. This winter it failed again and I figured the same issue happened so I ordered another element. Attached are the pictures of what I discovered. These elements are shorting and melting my seat cushion. It's only a matter of time before my *** catches fire!

Drivers seat heater short

Left lead shorted the first time and after replacing, now the right lead has shorted. Both obviously got hot enough to burn/melt the seat cushion.

Seat heating element is prone to shorting here on either side. Ford needs a fix for this!

paintballdude05

I'm just getting ready to do this job on the used seats I got from a 2010, it's a bit disconcerting that you've had to do this job twice now. I'm also considering changing out the seat cushion because it seems to be starting to break down too.

ecoboosted

Not a hard or labor intensive job, but having to change this twice now is ridiculous. The passenger seat has been fine since new. I'm guessing probably because the drivers seat sees more *** time is the reason for the issue. I should probably just order another one now so I have it on hand for when it goes out again...

paintballdude05

I installed aftermarket carbon fiber heater elements in my original XLT seats and they have been pretty resilient. However, I've found that the heat output from them isn't as good as most OEM setups. I'm not sure if it's something you could look at as an alternative that would probably last longer.

ecoboosted

I may look into this option when it fails again...