I tried to find a thread about this for a 7th Gen but didn't have any luck. I have a 2012 Maxima and today was cold enough outside that I decided to use the heated steering wheel function. It's not working at all. The light comes on and shows that it has power going to it so I'm not sure if the heating element is out or what. Anyone else experienced this issue?

 

Maybe the heating element is fused and the indicator light is not

 

In the 2009 (and probably all 7th gens), Nissan has a startup feature somehow tied to ambient temperature in the car, which blocks the system if the temp in the car is over 70 degrees. Also, if the steering wheel temp reaches a certain point (which is quite hot), the system cuts off until the steering wheel temp drops to a certain point, then heats up again.

I have never liked the way Nissan has this set up, but won't complain, for fear they might remove the feature, which, with my very old hands, would mean I would have to move to another brand of vehicle, else have my wife drive for the cooler half of the year.

If the heated steering wheel switch indicator is lit, but your heated steering wheel does not operate and you know it is below 70 degrees inside your car, either the heating element in the steering wheel is kaput, a fuse is blown, the switch is bad, or there is a wiring problem between the switch and the steering wheel. Those are the only parts involved in this system.

 

So if you set your heat for 71 and the car reaches that temp you can't use the heated steering wheel ?

I tried my mine one night just to make sure it worked, temp outside was about 80 ( had the AC on in the car) and it worked

 

My heated steering wheel, and also the seats, seem to work as Lightonthehill describes. The colder it is, the better they work and when the cabin reaches a very comfortable temp they both seem to become noticeably less warm.

 

...and the back of the seat seems to warm more quickly and get hotter than the bottom.

 

Thanks for the info. It was 12 degrees out when I got into my car and tried it again after it had been sitting outside for 5+ hours. Something must be faulty with one of the things you mentioned. It worked fine last winter...

 

I was having this problem last night. Thanks for the info, lightonthehill. I'll keep an eye on it but your explanation makes sense.