--- title: "How to Fix a Power Seat Module Without Going Broke or Crazy" description: "On this episode of DIY Lab, Spinelli fixes an annoying electrical problem with the Jag, with some help." date: "2017-06-15" modified: "2017-07-14" authors: - name: "Mike Spinelli" job_title: "VP of Content" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/mike-spinelli" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/video/11516/how-to-fix-a-power-seat-module-without-going-broke-or-crazy" categories: - "Culture" - "Features" - "Maintenance & Repair" - "News" - "Project Car Diaries" - "The Garage" tags: - "DIY Lab" - "Jaguar XJR" --- # How to Fix a Power Seat Module Without Going Broke or Crazy ![]() *\www.thedrive.com\* When you own an off-warranty luxury car, the Sword of Damocles hangs over your engine compartment by a horse's hair. Your ears perk up at every sound. *Was that a tick? How about that? How about that? How about that?* Nights coil into vortices of primal fear: transmission meltdown, air-suspension fault, [full-on powertrain armageddon](). You dream of wolves, vultures, a midterm you haven't studied for. You imagine yourself as every person on that shotgun carousel from *Saw VI*. Then, while you're waiting for the worst to happen, your power seat glitches out. I bought my 2002 Jaguar XJR 100 sight unseen (on [Bring A Trailer]()), had it shipped from the other side of the country, got it running and registered, then waited for the powertrain to become a mushroom cloud of atomized aluminum. When it didn't, I relaxed for 15 minutes. On the 16th minute, my driver's side power-seat return stopped working. I jiggled the switch in disbelief, accidentally reclining it so far that even with both arms at full stretch I struggled to reach the wheel. I'm not too proud to say I cried out at that sonofabitch in real anguish. ![message-editor%2F1497531906603-screenshot2017-06-15at9.02.27am.png]() *Spinelli cried out at the broken seat return in real anguish., *The Drive** I went to the forums for help. I needed to hear from those who'd seen The Darkness, faced it, and returned battered but alive. I needed a community with answers and secret fixes born from real torment. I turned to[ Jagforums.com](). I followed a few threads, found a reoccurring issue others had had, and dug in. After some poking around, I figured the switch was probably okay; it was likely the module that was the problem. I pulled the seats out and swapped the driver's side and passenger's side modules, and the seat return sprang to life with a sneering whine. I'd bought myself some time, and my sanity returned. Temporarily. I still had to find a fix for the module itself, whose leading edge had likely become corroded, cracked, or otherwise damaged. The seat back return circuit -- the first on the board -- was typically the first sign of trouble. I looked for a new module, which had a Ford part number, and was quoted between $600 and $700. I dug deeper into the forum, and found the answer inside one of the many topical threads. A forum member who'd had the same problem posted the phone number for a retired Navy electronics expert in San Diego who'd fixed his module for a flat fee. Since then the expert, Darryl, had become a secret MacGyver for other Jag owners bedeviled by janky circuit boards. ![message-editor%2F1497532034059-circuit\_board.jpg]() *Darryl's circuit-board handiwork., *The Drive** I called Darryl at home. He told me the module cases were under-protected from the elements. A corrosive combo of moisture seeping in and the circuit board rubbing against the case had damaged countless modules. In fact, he had six of them in for repairs; mine would be the seventh. I sent my module and return postage, and in a few weeks, I had it back. Darryl even called a week later to verify his handiwork. I pledged to let him know when I got around to making the fix. That's what I did on this episode of *The Drive*'s [DIY Lab video series](). I'll have to call Darryl back and let him know how it went. ## Author A sucker for Ford-era Jaguar XJs and glitchy, early-90s BMW V12s, Mike was the founding editor of car culture site Jalopnik, and a former editor-in-chief of 0-60. He's also a co-host of the TV show /DRIVE on NBC Sports, which can be seen from time to time on NBCSN, usually after midnight. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [Twitter]()