Anything wrong with cooled seats?

The seat bottoms for sure work 100% of the time. The back part of the drivers seat seems to be noticeable around 50% of the time. I usually notice it when it's on full, but sometimes it works when its at 2 bars. I do notice that when the seat coolers are on, I never get swamp ass/back while driving for long periods of time, so the backs probably still work but are only noticeable when wearing those synthetic sport shirts/polos.

I absolutely notice the back cooler- its just about half as good as the bottom of the seat.
-Drew

I paid more attention yesterday. While I do feel it a bit in the lower back, I now think this is just coolness radiating from the seat bottom. Putting my had directly on the seat cushion, I could feel cold. Putting my hand on the backrest (top and bottom), I couldn't feel a thing.

opensesame said:

Cooled seats work great for me, however it kinda feels like my seat is "wet". Anyone experience this as well?

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Yes it feels like I pissed myself whenever I used cooled seats. The seats in my Mustang work ok, but not nearly as good as they do in my wife's Explorer.

Edited: I am mistaken, my fault

Burningcoals said:

There is no cooling element in the seats, pipe dream folks. I have seen the parts break down.

In addition you can't have a peltier without a moisture drainage system, and there is no heat/peltier single unit device.

It's just a fan folks. Otherwise you would all have moldy under seats as it would be impossible to not have moisture build up.

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Free Agent said:

The cooled seat is cooled by a Peltier unit, not a fan. There are no fans, no ducting or anything running from the HVAC to the seat. The unit is in the seat bottom. There is no separate Peltier unit in the seat back. Any "cooling" people are feeling in the seat back is the process of thermodynamic energy transfer from the warmer seat back to the cooler seat and/or setting the HVAC to blow from the console onto your feet and transferring heat that way.

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:shrug:

Okay I think I am part right and part wrong. I will be emailing Ford to find a definitive answer. There is a fan blowing air, I can hear the fan at all 3 speeds. I believe this fan may be associated with a Peltier unit in the seat. I may be incorrect but am not sure. The fan may blow this cooled air onto the seat back as well. It did feel slightly cooler as I tested it today. I don't believe the seat is any way connected to the HVAC system. The cooled seat works poorly with the HVAC system turned off. This would leave me to believe it isn't working the compressor but the Peltier unit. I guess I need to hit the button and listen to see if the compressor kicks on when just running the cooled seats. This should give us an answer. I apologize for any confusion caused. If Ford lets me know I will share my findings.

Update:

Still haven't got an answer back from Ford yet but tried the cooled seats out on the way back home today with the AC off and they didn't cool the seat at all, just blew air on the bottoms. So I would now assume that yes there is a duct that runs cooled air from the compressor/AC unit to the seats. So I appear to be WRONG about the Peltier unit. I guess Ford does use them in some products but it sure doesn't appear the Mustang has them. I'll share my findings from Ford. ;)

Free Agent said:

Update:

Still haven't got an answer back from Ford yet but tried the cooled seats out on the way back home today with the AC off and they didn't cool the seat at all, just blew air on the bottoms. So I would now assume that yes there is a duct that runs cooled air from the compressor/AC unit to the seats. So I appear to be WRONG about the Peltier unit. I guess Ford does use them in some products but it sure doesn't appear the Mustang has them. I'll share my findings from Ford. ;)

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I have definitely driven with the AC off, windows down and with the seat coolers on and the seat bottom cooled 100%. It is not connected to the HVAC, but they do definitely have a fan in them.

I don't know who started the idea that the cooled seats were somehow tied into the A/C system... They are not. The seat bottoms have fans in them that blows the cold air produced by the A/C system that is directed to the floor and sends it through the seat perforations. With the A.C system off, it can only move ambient air. In my GT Premium there does not seem to be any fans in the seat back.

I don't know if it's just me, but I think you just contradicted yourself.....

pctek said:

I don't know who started the idea that the cooled seats were somehow tied into the A/C system... They are not. The seat bottoms have fans in them that blows the cold air produced by the A/C system that is directed to the floor and sends it through the seat perforations. With the A.C system off, it can only move ambient air. In my GT Premium there does not seem to be any fans in the seat back.

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Funny thing happened today. I picked up my friend, who has never been in my car and I turned on her cooled seats to see how she would react. 5 minutes go by and I have already forgotten about it when all of a sudden she freaks out and starts squirming all over the place touching the seat, because she thought her butt was wet

hahahahaha

Interesting find, both seats on High Cooling, a passenger in the back (kid) told me his legs were getting hot. I touched the back of my seat and it was much warmer then the passenger.

My driver is the one that seems to be having the problem.

Gdyup50 said:

I don't know if it's just me, but I think you just contradicted yourself.....

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It's probably you. But let me simplify... the cold air produced by the a/c system not only comes out the the air vents on the dash but is also directed at the floor. The colder >ambient< air goes along the floor and when it's gets under the seats the fans built into the seat pan lift the the cool air and recirculates it into the seat pan, hence cooling the butt. But the seat cooling does not have a direct connection to the a/c compressor. It just uses natural flow of air. That's why when the a/c unit is off, you wont feel cold on the butt, rather just the >ambient< air of what ever temp is along the floor and under the seat. Better?

OK I see what you are saying, the fans pick up the air that is inside the car already, it isn't coming from say a vent under the floor connected to the AC.....I misread what you were trying to say...

pctek said:

It's probably you. But let me simplify... the cold air produced by the a/c system not only comes out the the air vents on the dash but is also directed at the floor. The colder >ambient< air goes along the floor and when it's gets under the seats the fans built into the seat pan lift the the cool air and recirculates it into the seat pan, hence cooling the butt. But the seat cooling does not have a direct connection to the a/c compressor. It just uses natural flow of air. That's why when the a/c unit is off, you wont feel cold on the butt, rather just the >ambient< air of what ever temp is along the floor and under the seat. Better?

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I had the heated/cooled seats in my '05 Expy, and these seem to be on par with those. Not cold air like coming from the vents, but cool enough to provide some comfort on those hot days.