Steering wheel too hot!!

[BoHenriksson]

I know this has been reported here before, but has anyone actually had a fix for it?
The steering wheel gets so hot you can barely touch it. Then it shuts off and seems to stay off until the car is restarted.
You think this would be an easy fix for Nissan...

 

[Nubo]

Driving gloves?

It definitely aggravates me that they screwed up such a simple concept. If mine wasn't a lease I'd think about bypassing whatever "control" system is throttling this thing and feed the element with some sort of rheostat so I could have just the amount of heat I wanted -- FULL TIME, thank you very much. :twisted: :lol:

 

[kubel]

Potentially one of the LEAFs best features for winter driving wasted due to poor implementation. This goes up there right along with voice recognition.

 

[cwerdna]

^^^
I agree about the voice recognition. It's awful in that it's so limited and some of the commands are (IMHO) darn useless. Why would I bother w/some of those commands at all?

My 06 Prius has much more useful (albeit, still somewhat limited) voice recognition. Even back then, it actually let you enter a destination address via voice (but you had to go in reverse: push button, address, push button, California, push button, San Jose, push button, (street name), push button, recite house # 1 digit at a time). I used it numerous times and it worked ok.

 

[KillaWhat]

It does seem odd, in a time where you cant get a decent seat heater anymore because of the numerous seat fires and resulting legal actions, that we have a steering wheel that can cook a Kielbasa, but only for a couple minutes.

I mean, how about one of those new fangled thermostat gizmos I heard about?

 

[Rat]

I mean, how about one of those new fangled thermostat gizmos I heard about?

I wouldn't count on that. My Leaf's outside air thermometer reads 55 to 57 degrees constantly (the temperature in my garage), even when it's been out driving in 75 degree weather for an hour. Maybe Nissan is using the same technology to measure the steering wheel temperature! :lol:

 

[UBUYGAS]

Mine works fine. It never gets too hot, If it turns off or gets colder I flip the switch off and then on again it heats up again.

 

[goaliepride]

Mine works fine. It never gets too hot, If it turns off or gets colder I flip the switch off and then on again it heats up again.

yeah me too. Mine works fine, never gets too hot.

 

[XeonPony]

mine gets pretty damned hot, then much too cool, way to big a swing, they really need a better closed loop control system rather then cyclic.

 

[TomT]

The 2012 research car I am driving constantly varies between almost too hot and definitely too cold if the steering wheel heater is left on... Compare this to our other ICE car where the steering wheel stays a very constant temperature when the heater is on (and even has a three temperature selector for it)... I think the same person who designed the info and nav display UI designed the steering wheel heater...

 

[XeonPony]

mine gets pretty damned hot, then much too cool, way to big a swing, they really need a better closed loop control system rather then cyclic.

I'd have to agree, being the onboard GPS wanted me travel 130Km to get home despite me driving on the 64Km route! why the hell do they want me to drive across the country when there is a road that is a direct short route! Why must they be so stupid!

I think a 25Khz pwm heater controller for the steering wheel is in the futur for my car at least!

 

[goaliepride]

onboard GPS wanted me travel 130Km to get home despite me driving on the 64Km route! why the hell

Check your manual. Somewhere in there it shows you how to select how that GPS routes you. It's quite possible you have it set to find the most economical route (non freeway, avoiding hills, etc.)

 

[dgpcolorado]

Mine works fine. It never gets too hot, If it turns off or gets colder I flip the switch off and then on again it heats up again.

yeah me too. Mine works fine, never gets too hot.

Same here. Sometimes I only use it a couple of minutes to warm my hands a little, but even when I leave it on it never gets uncomfortably hot. Of course, I only use it when the cabin temperature is fairly cool so the steering wheel starts out cold to the touch.

 

[kubel]

For those who say the steering wheel works fine, how long is your typical commute? I'm guessing those that say their heated steering wheel works fine must not drive very long distances.

My commute is about 1 hour (one way). I've never actually timed the process, but it seems the steering wheel heats up rather quickly (like within a minute) and then stays a little on the hot side for about 3 minutes before cutting off for what seems to be 5-10 minutes. During this time-out, the light on the button stays on, but the heat goes away. I've tried cycling the heated steering wheel button, even stopping, parking, and turning off and on the car- nothing will get the heated steering wheel to turn back on UNLESS I wait the 5-10 minutes. Once it gets freezing cold again, it cycles back on automagically, only to do the same thing again 3 minutes later. Then, in the middle of my commute, the heated steering wheel will off entirely (button light turns off) and it must be manually turned back on.

I'm planning on moving just a few miles from work, so I expect during that commute, I will have no problems with the heated steering wheel (since I won't be experiencing the whole roller coaster of fail that I'm experiencing now with my long commute).

 

[goaliepride]

I drive about 20 miles, which takes between 20 and 45 minutes. I've noticed it cycle, but I've never felt it be an issue. I live in a warm climate (socal) so maybe that's the difference? My nancy boy hands need warming in the morning when it's like 55-60 degrees (f) out, and it does a great job then.

 

[XeonPony]

onboard GPS wanted me travel 130Km to get home despite me driving on the 64Km route! why the hell

Check your manual. Somewhere in there it shows you how to select how that GPS routes you. It's quite possible you have it set to find the most economical route (non freeway, avoiding hills, etc.)

No it is not, the first thing I did was tear into the setings as I dealt with many many gps(S) and this has got to be the worst I have ever seen! worse then the pos nextar one I had! and that is a sade bench mark to be beat!

 

[cwerdna]

^^^
I believe once you select a particular route (eco, fastest, shortest, etc.), it persists until you change it.

You might want to check Menu > Route > Route Settings > Other Routing Choices (per page 3-56 in the '13 Leaf nav manual).

I will agree that the nav system in the Leaf isn't great, but I wouldn't be surprised if for you, bad Canadian maps are an issue. The Canadian Priuschat moderator feels that Canadian digital map data is pretty spotty (in general) at http://priuschat.com/threads/canadian-map-quality-w-06-nav-dvd.82222/#post-1149377" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up carrying over to other PNDs and car nav systems.

 

[dgpcolorado]

For those who say the steering wheel works fine, how long is your typical commute? I'm guessing those that say their heated steering wheel works fine must not drive very long distances...

I often drive 45 minutes or more but some trips are only 20 minutes per leg. If I leave the steering wheel heater on it will eventually shut off at a half hour (I think). But once my hands warm up I often just turn it off myself. If I've preheated the car I don't need the steering wheel heater at all since it is warmed up along with the rest of the car.

Short answer:
1) It doesn't get too hot, as some have reported, including the OP.
2) It does cycle on and off, as everyone (?) has reported.
3) The cycling doesn't bother me.
4) Once my hands warm up I often turn it off anyway.
5) In really cold weather I usually have gloves on.

 

[XeonPony]

^^^
I believe once you select a particular route (eco, fastest, shortest, etc.), it persists until you change it.

You might want to check Menu > Route > Route Settings > Other Routing Choices (per page 3-56 in the '13 Leaf nav manual).

I will agree that the nav system in the Leaf isn't great, but I wouldn't be surprised if for you, bad Canadian maps are an issue. The Canadian Priuschat moderator feels that Canadian digital map data is pretty spotty (in general) at http://priuschat.com/threads/canadian-map-quality-w-06-nav-dvd.82222/#post-1149377" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. I wouldn't be surprised if this ends up carrying over to other PNDs and car nav systems.

The map is garbage, the route picking alogerithem is garbage, I driven accross country a couple times now, and am very well versed in GPSology !

I was stating a fact, it IS garbage, I checked all the various setings trying to teach it this more efficient route when a voice comes up (There is no map data for this area, just follow the signs and -----) yet it shows the road on the map <_< that is just an epic fail IMO!

I wish I could kill theres and put garmin on there! they have consistently been the best I have ever used!

 

[da119]

Potentially one of the LEAFs best features for winter driving wasted due to poor implementation. This goes up there right along with voice recognition.

Agree.