Issue with Memory Seats on 2014-2015 C7's (Solved)

[DDHRocks]

Hey all, I thought I'd share an issue I came across that might have people puzzled.

What was happening was that, periodically, my memory seats and the exit option wouldn't work. The seat wouldn't return to my settings and if I pushed the memory button, it wouldn't work right away and only by pushing it over and over could I get the seat to return to a normal position. This was frustrating when it happened because it took about 20 button pushes to finally inch my seat to where it was supposed to be. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't.

So, what's happening is that there is a safety switch on the back wall of the cabin behind the seat. It's there to sense when the seat hits the back wall and prevents someone from burning out the seat motors trying to move the seat back. It was installed on the 2014/2015 C7's because the seats had the ability to automatically adjust their position without the user pushing anything. You opened the door and the seat moved. Theoretically this was a bit of a safety risk as anything moving around automatically could result in an issue. In future model years, the seats don't auto-adjust and you have to recall your memory seat setting by pushing your memory button. I'm not even sure that particular switch exists in the newer model years.

So... back to the point. If you have your "exit" option setting with the seat all the way back to the cabin wall, it sets off the safety switch. The system then defaults to requiring the user to manually adjust the seat, with a two second reset, until the switch is disengaged. Since it moves the steering wheel first, this means you may not get off of that safety switch until the 20th button push.

The solution is to ensure your memory seat and exit memory settings do not have the seat all the way back as far as it can go. Just bump the seat ahead a half inch or so and that switch won't get set off.

My seats are now working flawlessly.

This was recognized in a service bulletin, but it's a bit of an obscure one and it took some digging by my local dealership to uncover.

 

[ddgermann]

Good post DDH
Agreed and good explanation.
My 17 does the same thing and to get the recall to work getting in the car; I just reach down and bump the seat ahead a tap. Then the recall pulls everything right into stored position. I have to hold the memory button at this point.. but it works.
Have to read up again on how to keep the exit setting from going so far back.

 

[DDHRocks]

Basically you just program the Exit memory setting with the seat just a tad forward to avoid the lock. From the bulletin it didn't sound like the '17's had the same issue, but maybe it occurs on all the models.

 

[LE BARON]

Had a few issues with my seat memory recall. It wouldn't reposition. Tried to reset the memory. Ended up having to shut down and restart and then reset to what I wanted.
Small hiccup.

 

[Robert Pare]

I haven’t had the particular issue noted above but I have had a problem where I get in and it wants to put the car in my wife’s seat position rather than mine even if I was the last driver? I have associated this with the occasional swapping of the key FOBs. Does anyone know if the car senses seat memory with key FOB being used?

 

[ddgermann]

I haven’t had the particular issue noted above but I have had a problem where I get in and it wants to put the car in my wife’s seat position rather than mine even if I was the last driver? I have associated this with the occasional swapping of the key FOBs. Does anyone know if the car senses seat memory with key FOB being used?

Yes I believe it does. When I get in my car will display “you are driver 1” or 2.
This is the car recognizing the FOB, thus moving to the presets for that FOB. Having both FOBs in the vehicle is another jackpot that I’m working to evaluate the effects.
I didn’t see any marking on the FOBs to ID them as 1 or 2 either.
Guess we need to put a unique trinket on the FOBs so we know which is one and 2.
My car is set up with a cruising comfort setting on 1 and a more clutch friendly upright shifting setting for the city on 2.

 

[Robert Pare]

Interesting. So I am not crazy! Mine doesn’t seem to identify the driver on the display, the only thing was the memory seat settings. I will put some identifier on the FOB going forward.

 

[ddgermann]

Interesting. So I am not crazy! Mine doesn’t seem to identify the driver on the display, the only thing was the memory seat settings. I will put some identifier on the FOB going forward.

It flashes up quickly right when you get in. Only lasts a couple seconds so it easy to miss. I just noticed it this month.

 

[nascar03]

My C5 key fobs are molded with a number....

Graham

 

[ddgermann]

C7s have no ID marks I could find.

 

[Miagi]

Hey all, I thought I'd share an issue I came across that might have people puzzled.

What was happening was that, periodically, my memory seats and the exit option wouldn't work. The seat wouldn't return to my settings and if I pushed the memory button, it wouldn't work right away and only by pushing it over and over could I get the seat to return to a normal position. This was frustrating when it happened because it took about 20 button pushes to finally inch my seat to where it was supposed to be. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't.

So, what's happening is that there is a safety switch on the back wall of the cabin behind the seat. It's there to sense when the seat hits the back wall and prevents someone from burning out the seat motors trying to move the seat back. It was installed on the 2014/2015 C7's because the seats had the ability to automatically adjust their position without the user pushing anything. You opened the door and the seat moved. Theoretically this was a bit of a safety risk as anything moving around automatically could result in an issue. In future model years, the seats don't auto-adjust and you have to recall your memory seat setting by pushing your memory button. I'm not even sure that particular switch exists in the newer model years.

So... back to the point. If you have your "exit" option setting with the seat all the way back to the cabin wall, it sets off the safety switch. The system then defaults to requiring the user to manually adjust the seat, with a two second reset, until the switch is disengaged. Since it moves the steering wheel first, this means you may not get off of that safety switch until the 20th button push.

The solution is to ensure your memory seat and exit memory settings do not have the seat all the way back as far as it can go. Just bump the seat ahead a half inch or so and that switch won't get set off.

My seats are now working flawlessly.

This was recognized in a service bulletin, but it's a bit of an obscure one and it took some digging by my local dealership to uncover.

Thanks for the information. I have mentioned this problem with the service technician on several occasions when car has been in for servicing. Each time I'm told that there have been no codes available to indicate there was something wrong. duh! Obviously they did not take the time to put the seat in the exit position and then try to have it go back to the pre-set driver position. Also, it is obvious they had not read the service bulletin explaining the issue with the safety switch you mentioned. Now that I have re-programmed the exit position to be not quite back all the way, the recall position works great!

 

[LE BARON]

I would haphazard a guess that that dealer needs to train their mechanics in trouble shooting!
Listen to the customers complaint and then try to simulate it with the customer watching to offer their observations.
The good old way. You don't have to plug in the computer that way!

 

[Dik]

Hey all, I thought I'd share an issue I came across that might have people puzzled.

What was happening was that, periodically, my memory seats and the exit option wouldn't work. The seat wouldn't return to my settings and if I pushed the memory button, it wouldn't work right away and only by pushing it over and over could I get the seat to return to a normal position. This was frustrating when it happened because it took about 20 button pushes to finally inch my seat to where it was supposed to be. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't.

So, what's happening is that there is a safety switch on the back wall of the cabin behind the seat. It's there to sense when the seat hits the back wall and prevents someone from burning out the seat motors trying to move the seat back. It was installed on the 2014/2015 C7's because the seats had the ability to automatically adjust their position without the user pushing anything. You opened the door and the seat moved. Theoretically this was a bit of a safety risk as anything moving around automatically could result in an issue. In future model years, the seats don't auto-adjust and you have to recall your memory seat setting by pushing your memory button. I'm not even sure that particular switch exists in the newer model years.

So... back to the point. If you have your "exit" option setting with the seat all the way back to the cabin wall, it sets off the safety switch. The system then defaults to requiring the user to manually adjust the seat, with a two second reset, until the switch is disengaged. Since it moves the steering wheel first, this means you may not get off of that safety switch until the 20th button push.

The solution is to ensure your memory seat and exit memory settings do not have the seat all the way back as far as it can go. Just bump the seat ahead a half inch or so and that switch won't get set off.

My seats are now working flawlessly.

This was recognized in a service bulletin, but it's a bit of an obscure one and it took some digging by my local dealership to uncover.

Yip, you nailed it .... 2019.

Thanks!

 

[Vanguard2001]

On all 3 GM cars I put a small DYMO label on the back of each FOB to indicate 1 or 2. My wife and I have very different driving preferences. While she does not drive the M7 Vette, it still keeps me aligned for the seat memory.

 

[Jerry W]

Hey all, I thought I'd share an issue I came across that might have people puzzled.

What was happening was that, periodically, my memory seats and the exit option wouldn't work. The seat wouldn't return to my settings and if I pushed the memory button, it wouldn't work right away and only by pushing it over and over could I get the seat to return to a normal position. This was frustrating when it happened because it took about 20 button pushes to finally inch my seat to where it was supposed to be. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't.

So, what's happening is that there is a safety switch on the back wall of the cabin behind the seat. It's there to sense when the seat hits the back wall and prevents someone from burning out the seat motors trying to move the seat back. It was installed on the 2014/2015 C7's because the seats had the ability to automatically adjust their position without the user pushing anything. You opened the door and the seat moved. Theoretically this was a bit of a safety risk as anyth, ing moving around automatically could result in an issue. In future model years, the seats don't auto-adjust and you have to recall your memory seat setting by pushing your memory button. I'm not even sure that particular switch exists in the newer model years.

So... back to the point. If you have your "exit" option setting with the seat all the way back to the cabin wall, it sets off the safety switch. The system then defaults to requiring the user to manually adjust the seat, with a two second reset, until the switch is disengaged. Since it moves the steering wheel first, this means you may not get off of that safety switch until the 20th button push.

The solution is to ensure your memory seat and exit memory settings do not have the seat all the way back as far as it can go. Just bump the seat ahead a half inch or so and that switch won't get set off.

My seats are now working flawlessly.

This was recognized in a service bulletin, but it's a bit of an obscure one and it took some digging by my local dealership to uncover.

Thanks for posting this. I added some sound deadening foam behind my seats and my memory quit working, I did not relate the two and it was driving me crazy! I removed the foam and, TA-DA it started working again. I made the minor adjustment to the exit mode and it's all good. Thanks again!