Help!!!

Bart- this happened to me shortly after I bought my first 550 (used). Exactly the same situation- but i was stranded up in Maine, and figured I was ****ed to get home. My recollection is that the problem essentially fixed itself by jiggling the power switches repeatedly- i also recall checking to see if I accidently disconnected a wiring harness under the seat, but i don't think i ever found anything loose. The other thing to check (I'm operating on memory here, this was back some years ago) is the fuses, but I don't think that was the problem, either. Ultimately, I think the dealer who diagnosed it when i got home concluded it was a funky ECU and simply replaced it. Don't know what's involved in that, or whether you could swap out the passenger one for the driver's one. But, I know i did solve the problem after several hours of repeatedly going back to the car, and monkeying with the seat adjustment switches. Good luck. Drove me crazy when it happened, but it's a dumb thing.

 

I don't know if this would apply to the 550, but for the Alfa 164, the problem was related to:


"If seat is in extreme position (fully forward or fully back) the
motor can stick. Tip in use is to back off a bit before leaving the
seat (e.g.) fully back for access to footwell or console. Getting
them unstuck is a matter of tapping and wiggling things to find a
non-null point on the motor commutator... Try gently tapping on the power units under the seats. Gradually increase
the force of the taps. This may free up the seized power unit. Don't be
too aggressive with the tapping, though."

Don't know if this will work on your car, but may be worth a try.

Also, make sure you check that you haven't disconnected anything.

Also, maybe try some contact cleaner on the switch.

Hope this helps.

Dom

 

I'm only speculating, but it's probable there are limit switches at the extremes of seat motion that tell the ECU/controller to stop further motion. There may be some dumb/broken logic in the ECU which is keeping it from working based on some combination of position and limit signals. If you applied some light pressure (don't force anything) to the seat (toward or against the limit positions) that might change the inputs to the ECU logic and allow the ECU to move the motors.

 

It's awful isn't it? Preparing the car for an event and something happens preventing it to be driven! Awful sitting there staring and can't do anything about it. Can't help but if I were you I would just flicking the switch back and forth and hope it works!

 

Did you check the fuse for the power seats. My 575 did the same thing and the dealer said the fuse was blown because the seat had been installed at the factory with one of the wires over the track and when I moved it forward it slice it shorting it and blowing the fuse. Dealer property installed the seat wires, replaced the fuse and it hasn't happened again.

 

Drive 12 or walk?

 

How long have you been holding on to THAT one ?

 

Looks like someone else was king of the road on Sunday.