My rear headrest button will no longer make the HR's go down. Nothing else seems to be affected. any suggestions?
its a 96 c280
Thanks,
Josh

 

On my 99 C280 driver head rest will operate only when no one is sitting in the seat. you have to adjust it before you get in. Doesn't make any sense why it is like this, but my dealer told me it is normal?
Lugnut and sleepwalker your opinions please. Thanks

 

I failed to mention in my original post that the problem happened right after I had my battery repplaced.

 

I've had 3 batteries in my 99 C280 in the past 4 years. I did look in the owners manual and there is nothing about resetting the headrest. As I said it only works when no one is sitting in the drivers seat. Once you sit in the drivers seat and the car is running the seating functions work fine except for the head rest. The passenger seat works with someone sitting or not sitting. I can't figure it out and I don't think this is normal, as the dealer said. But I have posted this question on a couple of boards and no one could give me an answer.

 

but working from the front button?

it is released by air pressure from PSE.

have it checked with star diagnosis

 

it may be more than just a coincidence that this happened when the battery was replaced. i think your battery is loc within 1 ft of the pse (A37 module). the pse is normally padded and protected. also, since it is new, the battery voltage needs to be at least 11 volts. here are a couple of quick checks:

like sleepwalker says, the rear headrests (wizard) are manually lifted and then released by pneaumatic psi from the pse by the dash switch.

does the locking feature of the doors seem to operate normally?

does the switch seem to operate the pse? i.e. when u press the switch, do u hear an elex motor run for a few seconds and then stop?

no - ck switch for being stuck in one position, this will deactivate the system. ck pwr to pse (fuse)

yes - ck pneumatic lines from pse to h/r (at least the exposed areas) for obvious damage. maybe la ine was bumped or disconnected during battery inst.

 

The rear headrest button walks fine. When I am sitting in the drivers seat I press the headrest button and nothing happens, no noise, no movement. When I get out of the car, I press the headbutton and it works fine. I have 2 month left on my Starmark warranty, I will take it to the dealer to see what is going on. The locks work fine also. Also, the driver seat's other functions work when I am sitting with the door closed and the key on or the engine running, or when I get into the car and leave the door open the power seat also works fine except for the headrest, I have to get out to have that work? The battery is located near a module and a fuse box? I never checked to see if there is a fuse back there for the seat or headrest function. What does the A37 module look like, as if it is padded and protected I might not see it? I have a wiring diagram I download from the web the Star diagnositic site. I check and see is A37 is shown. I was looking for the connection for DRL's module, but I got two locations, one in the CPU aka former front battery box and one under the dash driver side. So I haven't installed this module as I am not sure I want to tear the CPU apart to get at the place the module is supposed to go. I haven't checked under the dash as I can't bend that far. Thanks to both of you for the information.

 

Josh 740 - Have you been able to resolve the problem which you had with the headrest release button last summer? I came upon this thread through a search today, because I've been having the same trouble. My car is the same year and model as yours - a 1996 C280.

Please reply at your convenience.

thanks,
Tony

 

Josh, I had this same problem and had problems locating a resolution on the forum. After trial and error and a trip to the dealership finally got mine fixed. I have a '95 C280 and would be more than happy to help out any way I can.

I don't know if you're like me, but things like the rear headrests not going down just drive me crazy more than anything else. Sure it blocked some of my rear view, but mostly just bothered me because I knew it should work

Tim

 

I have the same problem on my 99 C280. The problem has to do with the black box that is inside the seat and located approx in the shoulder height area. If I sit and bend slightly forward they work, If I sit back is doesn't. I have had the seat back off. If you have a panel tool you can pray is off, but remember to pull it down and then off. How to fix it? Is a good question. It was loose the first time I tried fixing it, so I tightened some small screws and it worked for a week. Then I tried putting some foam between the black box and the seat back inside, no good. I read on a recent post on, a loose wire is the really problem, as the wires cross over in front of in back of the set rest and work loose. I haven't had a time or the inclination to take off the seat back and see which one is loose. I have it set where I like it so for the time being I am going to leave it alone. Here is another tip hit the seat in front below the headrest, I noticed 2 or 3 whacks and it works for a while.


So far I haven't had a problem with the rear headrest, but I usually keep them down.