Skoda Rapid Passenger Seat Issue

I've got a head-scratcher with my 2004 Skoda Rapid, gasoline engine, with 90652 km on the clock. The passenger electric seat has completely stopped working! No seat adjustment whatsoever. VCDS is showing an error stored in the error memory, but won't give me specifics. My gut feeling is that it might be related to a heavily discharged or defective battery, maybe not enough juice to power the seat motor correctly. Has anyone experienced similar power seats issues or have any thoughts before I start tearing things apart to check seat wiring?

4 comment(s)

Sounds like a familiar problem. Electrical gremlins are common. Check the seat wiring harness for any obvious damage or loose connections first. Have you tried scanning the car for error codes? A heavily discharged battery can definitely cause weird electrical issues. It's often the first thing to suspect in these Skodas with power seats.

I did scan it and it threw up an error related to the passenger seat motor. I'll double-check the seat wiring harness. Is there a specific way to test if the battery is the culprit before I go ripping apart the seat looking for seat wiring issues?

Given the error code and your suspicion of the battery, and knowing the age of the car, a weak battery is the likely cause. While you could try load testing the battery, honestly, if it's the original, or even a few years old, it's probably time for a replacement anyway. Seeing as you have an error, and its not a simple fuse, I'd recommend a visit to a workshop to get it sorted and avoid further damaging anything. Electrical gremlins can be a nightmare.

Took the Rapid to the workshop. It was a dodgy battery causing the passenger seat motor to throw a fit. A new battery fixed the power seats. Total cost: 290€.

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