Well it started getting chilly out and I was only down to one heated seat switch(The passenger side, Gotta keep the Mrs. Happy) So I just decided to go ahead and fix the one that has been sitting in my drawer for about a year and a half now. Ford already replaced about 5 of these over the years so I got tired of that and figured that I was probably not the only one with this problem. The passenger one you had to slam it hard for it to turn on/off so that was about to kick the bucket anyways.
Well Here’s a guide with 2 fixes that will more than likely fix your switch if it’s broken. I’ll try and include as much details as possible or you can just look at all the pretty pictures that I took for you. Let me know if I didn’t describe everything enough to understand?
All Images are clickable to full size of 800×600.
Tools needed:
Needle nose pliers
small flat head screw driver or a razor knife
patience and 20/20 vision
Step #1:
Remove the switch from your car and take the cover off. There are 4 tabs holding it together. I broke a few of mine but you can break them all and just wrap electrical tape around it when you put it back together. Just slide your flat screw driver in them to pop it off. Or you can use your razor knife.
Step #2:
Now you will see a white lever with a metal clip on it. Pull that metal clip off with needle nose pliers. You might notice that it is kinda loose (Pic #3). Tighten it up a little bit with your needle nose pliers to make it a spring again(Pic #4). Now put it back on. Test your switch to see if it works now, if it doesn’t then you will need to proceed to step #3.
Step #3:
Warning! This is a more pain-staking fix and the slightest increments will affect the switch to if it will work properly or not. So only proceed if you got great vision or a magnifying glass.
Slide open the white lever and take your needle nose pliers and pop up the switch that’s underneath it and pull it out(Pic #2). This piece needs to be perfectly flat(Pic #3). Use your needle nose pliers to flatten it if it’s bent.
Step #4:
Installing this piece back in is critical. You have to make sure it goes into the groove in the back as you can see in the picture(Pic #1). Adjusting the tension on the back copper tab with a razor(Pic #3), try clicking the switch to see if that flat copper piece stays open or closed(contacting or not). Push in the copper tab on the back(Pic #3) to create more tension if the switch doesn’t keep contact. Or you may have to pry it out just a bit to relieve some of the tension. This may take a while so keep making small adjustments until it works properly. It works properly when pressed in stays in the position of either up or down (off/on).
