2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring heated seats useless?

D

danijene85

Member
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Mazda 6 Grand Touring
Hey guys, I recently bought a barely used (Mazda corporate car) 2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring. For the most part I love it, but I do have a major issue with my heated seats. I describe them as being just this side of lukewarm, and not the warm side. I actually drove around with them on for a week without realizing it.

I returned to the dealership and the head mechanic said he just worked on an older Mazda and didn't realize the heated seats were on until he started getting really hot and he couldn't really feel mine in comparison, but he compared it to another 2016 Mazda 6 & it was the same heat level. He basically said that it's rare Mazda will even put heated seats in a car, so I should be lucky it's even in mine. Uh, not really. They might as well not be there. Anyone else experienced this?

Both my Mom and I have disabilities that cause chronic back pain, and heat is often necessary to get through the day. So this is really important, especially since I can have a two hour one-way commute to work if traffic is really bad. In hindsight it's stupid that I didn't check, but I've been in numerous cars in all price classes with heated seats, and I've never had a problem, in fact I usually have to turn them down to be comfortable. It never occurred to me that a car wouldn't have adequate seat warmers.
 
I haven't really tested the heat in my 2016 Mazda6 Grand Touring since I live in South Carolina and usually forget to turn them on when it's cold. I've also got a 2008 Mazda MX5 Miata Grand Touring and those heated seats are pretty darn toasty. I'll have to test my 6's seats tomorrow.
 
There are three levels of control.
At the highest level, it gets pretty warm in mine.
 
Tried mine tonight. Had mine set on high and I did feel warmth but I also have a Cover King SpacerMesh seat cover installed. Didn't seem all that toasty to me but the seat cover could be why. I turned on the passenger side seat heater too but it didn't even come on. I guess it won't come on unless a passenger is sitting in the seat.
 
Correct. If no one sits on it, the seat warmer is off on that seat.
That is the way it should be.
 
ceric said:
Correct. If no one sits on it, the seat warmer is off on that seat.
That is the way it should be.
Click to expand...

Yea, I figured that was the case as well. But, figured I would at least try so I could help out the OP.
 
Had a passenger in my Mazda6 yesterday. She put the seat heater on high and while she felt the warmth it was definitely less than hot. She owns an Avalanche and said if she put her seat heater on high it would roast her butt. She also test drove a new CX9 yesterday too and the seat heater in that Mazda was definitely better than my Mazda6.
 
Put these in your back pockets.

71jQHwJ%2BApL._SL1500_.jpg
 
When I had our M6GT in for regular service a couple of weeks ago, I had them check the heated seats, because I felt they were only lukewarm even on high.

They measured the seat temp: 82 on low 88 on high. They compared it to a new car on the lot, same results (according to THEM). They said everything is working as designed. The brand new CX-5 loaner I had practically fried by butt. Most other cars I have ever owned had seats that felt quite hot on high setting. My 530i gets noticeable warm before I get to the end of my street, and after a couple of miles have to turn it down to low or medium. I don't drive the Mazda on a daily basis, so just noticed this defect even though the car is 2 years old. I guess there is nothing that can be done about it. Unless enough people complain and get a mod/re-design implemented. Not optimistic, though! :(
 
danijene85 said:
Hey guys, I recently bought a barely used (Mazda corporate car) 2016 Mazda 6 Grand Touring. For the most part I love it, but I do have a major issue with my heated seats. I describe them as being just this side of lukewarm, and not the warm side. I actually drove around with them on for a week without realizing it.

I returned to the dealership and the head mechanic said he just worked on an older Mazda and didn't realize the heated seats were on until he started getting really hot and he couldn't really feel mine in comparison, but he compared it to another 2016 Mazda 6 & it was the same heat level. He basically said that it's rare Mazda will even put heated seats in a car, so I should be lucky it's even in mine. Uh, not really. They might as well not be there. Anyone else experienced this?

Both my Mom and I have disabilities that cause chronic back pain, and heat is often necessary to get through the day. So this is really important, especially since I can have a two hour one-way commute to work if traffic is really bad. In hindsight it's stupid that I didn't check, but I've been in numerous cars in all price classes with heated seats, and I've never had a problem, in fact I usually have to turn them down to be comfortable. It never occurred to me that a car wouldn't have adequate seat warmers.
Click to expand...

uh.. have you tried the different modes for the heated seats? never had an issue with mine...
 
50Joe said:
3rd "winter" in my 2016 GT. Seat heaters have sucked from day 1.
Click to expand...

Strange. I don't have the answer, but in my new 2017 that I bought recently, the heated seats work great.
I/we set them to high to warm up, and then have to dial them back to the low setting to stop from getting almost burned.
Maybe they fixed it for the 2017 model year?
 
One of these days I plan to measure the temperature of the heated seats in our BMW & VW for comparison. They feel a LOT hotter than the Mazda.
 
First, the head mechanic does not know what he is talking about. Most Mazda's have had the option for heated seats for a while.

With that said, they don't burn you but rather just heat the seat so that it does not feel cold. They are definitely weaker than a BMW or Honda. If you actually have a medical condition that requires actual heating to prevent pain, I would recommend looking at getting a different heating element put in.
 
dougal said:
First, the head mechanic does not know what he is talking about. Most Mazda's have had the option for heated seats for a while.
Click to expand...

Heated seats have been around for years, and most, if not all, manufacturers pre-wire their cars for heated/power seats.
Even if you buy a base model with manual cloth seats, the wiring is more than likely there for the power/heated seats.
I'm sure Mazda does the same thing.
As an example, my 2002 Nissan Pathfinder came with manual cloth seats. I wanted power leather heated seats, so I went to a junkyard and tore out a set of leather seats from a higher optioned model.
I swapped out the seats and plugged them in. The wiring was all there tucked under the carpet.
The only other thing I had to do was install the two switches in the dash. They were pre-wired as well.
One thing I've noticed from one model to the next is that the heating elements in the seats are all different in terms of location and size.
I've noticed that my Mazda has better coverage than my Nissan, meaning the heating pads are bigger and cover more seat area.
The Mazda's also get hotter/stronger, and take less time to heat up. Each car is different.
 
Buzzman12 said:
Heated seats have been around for years, and most, if not all, manufacturers pre-wire their cars for heated/power seats.
Even if you buy a base model with manual cloth seats, the wiring is more than likely there for the power/heated seats.
I'm sure Mazda does the same thing.
As an example, my 2002 Nissan Pathfinder came with manual cloth seats. I wanted power leather heated seats, so I went to a junkyard and tore out a set of leather seats from a higher optioned model.
I swapped out the seats and plugged them in. The wiring was all there tucked under the carpet.
The only other thing I had to do was install the two switches in the dash. They were pre-wired as well.
One thing I've noticed from one model to the next is that the heating elements in the seats are all different in terms of location and size.
I've noticed that my Mazda has better coverage than my Nissan, meaning the heating pads are bigger and cover more seat area.
The Mazda's also get hotter/stronger, and take less time to heat up. Each car is different.
Click to expand...

Yes, I have heard people who get those Katzkin seats just plug right in and the seats work.
 
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