My Wife recently traded her 05 Outback in an an almost new 2012 Outback. Personally I like the extra room and height of the new design. The heated seats will come on, and heat up nicely, then turn themselves off after ten or fifteen minutes. Sometimes they come back on, sometimes they do not. The LOW setting on the switch seems to work the same, maybe it stays on longer, not sure. Her 05 would stay on until you turned them off. The owners manual reads like they are supposed to come on and stay on. She took it into the dealer today and was given the "its supposed to work that way" line.

If it is supposed to be that way, it SUCKS! Just when your butt get nice and toasty, all of a sudden its cold! (Keep in mind I live in the Frozen Northern Wastelands, AKA Vermont)

So, if it is on some sort of timer, why couldnt that be bypassed so when you turn them on they actually come on, and when you decide you are warm enough you turn them off, rather than some engineer deciding my butt is warm enough and shutting it off for me.

Thanks for your advice,

Tim

http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/104-gen-4-2010-present/39656-2012-ob-seat-heater-stops-working-2.html

Thanks, I tried the search and didnt find that.

So, anyone tried to subvert the system and put the control back in the sitters hands?

Thanks,

Tim

It's going to be a heat triggered relay/thermostat, much like a flasher. You can probably find a way to circumnavigate the thermostat to have them on at all times. Heated seat systems are a very basic circuit (I used to have to replace them all the time in VWs)