[richmz]

Wasn't sure where to post this so it may need to be moved to a Tech Section. I haven't posted in a very long time and see that it's awaiting approval.

Our 2010 Acadia SLT Ventilated seats haven't been effective for several years. About 2 years ago the Driver Side Seatback panel fell off, caused by the upper attach clips plastic keepers breaking off from the back panel. That's when I figured out how the ventilators are configured. That's also when I noticed broken pieces of a thin rubbery material that had been falling off of the ductwork membranes. Same pieces found on the floor under the seat bottom. Clearly the rubbery material used in manufacturing only lasts a few years. It crumbles easily. It is possible that my hot climate may have contributed to the deterioration of the rubbery material, but I suspect not. If you hear the motors running and get no ventilation, this is likely your problem.

After years of no ventilating seats, I finally got ambitious and repaired all 4 duct membranes. Here is my detailed process.

Remove battery power before working on the seats as they are always powered with key off. Since this car had the Airbag recall done on the underseat connectors from a connector plug to soldered wires, I did not want to pull the seats out. They can be tilted to gain access.

You will need basic tools and a supply of cloth adhesive tape. Duct tape may work too but may be harder to use as it's very wide.

Seat Bottom Repair:
I removed the 2 rear seat track bolt covers and 2 bolts holding the tracks to the floor. I then simply tilted the seat forward and placed a 2x4 block post about 10" long under it to keep it raised.

Here is the rubbery debris from the underseat duct.

This is the duct membrane. The rubbery coating is gone and is also used as a retainer to hold it to the blower motor outlet. Remove all of this rubbery material including where it enters the seat foam.

Here's a edge view of the duct membrane and the blower outlet.

I pulled the motor to properly remove the outlet which I will reattach to the duct. It is very difficult to release the outlet split post tabs and I didn't want to risk damage. Pull the power connector apart and release the 3 attach rubber holder ties.from the seat spring wires. Note where they attach to the seat wires with marker/tape etc.

There are 2 round split tabs that need to be compressed to remove the blower outlet. I placed orientation witness marks on the blower housing and outlet as it can only attach one way.

Squeeze the split tabs with pliers and remove the outlet from the housing. Once the outlet is removed, scrape away and remaining rubbery material to ensure proper adhesion of the repair tape to the outlet.

Adhesive tape that I used. This is a cloth fabric about 2" wide. It is very sticky and should last a long time.

I lightly wrapped a piece around the end of the membrane being careful not to deform it at the outer edges to maintain a square profile.

I then placed the blower outlet, properly oriented, over the edge of the taped membrane. I then added another tape wrapped around the outlet and membrane to hold it together. I then continued wrapping tape one piece at a time around the entire membrane, overlapping previous pieces and deep into the seat foam.

Edge view.

Reinstall the blower assembly under the seat at the 3 tie points and snap the membrane outlet back on. Reconnect power plug.

 

[richmz]

Here are a few reference photos of the blower motor. Note it has a removable filter. Twist to remove. The motor also has a heat outlet to exhaust motor.circuit heat under the seat. The seatback has a unique method which I'll show later.

Here are the attach ties. Rubber strap snaps over the tabs.

Blower motor label details.

The rectangular hole, apx 2" x 1/4", center of photo on the bottom, is the motor exhaust. It actually gets quite warm when running.

Seatback repairs next.....

 

[richmz]

Seat back Repair:

This will use the same repair process as the seat bottom. Easier access on this one.

With seatback cover removed you can see the same rubbery membrane pieces everywhere. Clean it all out and whatever is left in the foam.

Remove the vertical exhaust duct from the blower. This exhausts the motor heat down to the floor.

I removed the blower motor but it is really not necessary. There are unique clips to hold it which are not easy to detach. There are attach points molded into the seatback foam.

Note the outlet attaches differently from the seat bottom method.

Backside of blower showing 3 attach points.

Motor attach points molded into foam. 2 uppers are rods that the blower hooks attach to. The center is a unique spring clip. These are made for easy assembly, but not for removal. After releasing the center clip with small pliers and screwdriver and expletives, the blower must be raised up and unclipped from the top 2 clip rods.

Here are details of the blower outlet attachment ends. Left side is a flat tab, right is a split post.

I used the same taping process as the seat bottom shown in post#1 to make this repair. Here is the completed seatback repair.

To reattach seatback panels if your panel plastic clip holders are broken, you can use stiff wire tied to the upper outer corners of the panel and feed them through the seatback square holes where the metal clips normally attach. Thread the wire back into the panel slots just above the magazine holder pocket, twist the wires together and tuck them up under the slot. Sorry no photos of that.

After the repairs to all 4 positions the ventilated seats are now working like new.

Rich