Hi, Fred.

I went to Volvo's site, plugged in my VIN and it said I had no outstanding recalls for safety and/or emissions. But based on your message, I went to NHTSA.GOV and verified there is no recall for '95 and seat heater issues. I looked at '96 and there is a recall, which I've pasted below. Sounds a lot like my problem with '95.

To answer your question, yes, I did the work myself. Once you pull the seat out of the car and bring into a warm house, it's not such bad a job. When the seat was working well (for the last 10 years), the heat was prodigious and fast, at least in comparison to my 945 and my prior 245. Wife loved it. I would say it failed quickly, sometime in November of this year.

All I replaced was the heating pad. Now the heat is beyond belief, bordering on too much. Even the wife says she now turns it off when she's had enough, whereas in the past she'd leave it on for the duration of her drive. I've tried it and I'm leery of it, so I've asked her to use it sparingly.

The circuit is quite simple: current goes from fuse to switch to t-stat, to bottom cushion, to back cushion, to ground. I've read that the recall put a relay in the circuit, perhaps to limit current. If you're having trouble post-recall, the relay may be the culprit. My 945 works that way: relay and no t-stat. I had a relay fail last year on that car. Replaced that and got heat back. It's decent heat, but probably 1/2 what the 850 cranks out.

Hope this helps you out in some manner.

Merry Christmas to all!



Make : VOLVO Model : 850 Year : 1996
Manufacturer : VOLVO CARS OF NA, INC.
NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID Number : 02V314000 Recall Date : NOV 19, 2002
Component: SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:SEAT HEATER/COOLER
Potential Number Of Units Affected : 65000
Summary:
ON SOME SEDANS AND STATION WAGONS EQUIPPED WITH SEAT HEATERS, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT EXCESSIVE COMPRESSION OF THE SEAT CUSHION COULD CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE ELECTRICAL WIRING OF THE SEAT HEATER.
Consequence:
IF THIS OCCURS, THE DAMAGE COULD RESULT IN A SHORT CIRCUIT THAT COULD CAUSE A FIRE.
Remedy:
DEALERS WILL DISCONNECT THE EXISTING WIRES AND INSTALL A NEW ELECTRONIC THERMOSTAT AND CABLE HARNESS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 19, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT VOLVO AT 1-800-458-1552.
Notes:
VOLVO CARS RECALL NO. 112. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION'S AUTO SAFETY HOTLINE AT 1-888-DASH-2-DOT (1-888-327-4236).
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'94 945t; '95 854 base