Driver side heated seat in my 03 forester doesnt work. Connections are fine. anything else i could check? Dealer said it was the element in the seat. How would you replace this? I've searched the forums to no avail. TIA for your help.

I guess you should check to make sure you have power and all but the elements fail frequently. I find it hard to find any good ones once they get any age to them at all. Apparently the in and out sitting on them damages the elements quickly.

 

The process for replacing them requires upholstery kind of work/tool, so it's not something many folks dig into.

 

Scott (i forget his username) has a nice write up on dismantling older generation seats which is a similar process, though those aren't heated but the cloth disassembling portion is similar. That thread thoroughly convinced me never to reupholster something.

You could check the resistance of the heating elements.

 

I don't know how many ohms you should find. But it would be easy to compare the driver's-side with the passenger-side.

 

I would start there.