LEMON Manuals: Even more car manuals for everyone: 1960-2025
Home >> Jeep >> 2020 >> Gladiator Overland, Automatic Trans >> Repair and Diagnosis >> Steering >> Steering Control Systems >> Heated Steering Wheel >> Description And Operation >> Description And Operation
April 5, 2026: LEMON Manuals is launched! Read the announcement.

Description And Operation

DESCRIPTION 

GC0192708Courtesy of CHRYSLER GROUP, LLC

The Heated Steering Wheel system is comprised of several different components. Those components are:

COMPONENT INDEX

1. Refer to COMFORT SEAT AND WHEEL MODULE (CSWM) .
2. Refer to RADIO  - Certain radios contain a soft button heated steering wheel switch.
3. Refer to BODY CONTROL MODULE .
4. Refer to INTEGRATED CENTER STACK (ICS) MODULE  - Contains the hard button heated steering wheel switch.
5. Refer to HEATED STEERING WHEEL .
6. Refer to STEERING COLUMN CONTROL MODULE WITH STEERING WHEEL SWITCH .

OPERATION 

The heated steering wheel system is designed to enhance the thermal comfort of the driver by heating the steering wheel, when desired. The steering wheel heating element is made of copper wire and is inserted between the leather and the substrate material of the steering wheel. A vehicle with a heated steering wheel can easily be identified by the heated steering wheel switch located in the ICS, at the center of the instrument panel or, when equipped, within the radio climate control touch screen. When the heated steering wheel switch is pressed on, the heated steering wheel switch illuminates.

The Auto ON feature is a customer configurable feature that, when enabled, will activate the driver heated seat and heated steering wheel on engine start based on ambient temperature. If Auto ON feature is enabled, and the ambient temperature is at or below 4°C (40°F) the CSWM will activate the driver heated seat and heated steering wheel feature at the high level after engine start. This feature also works with remote start.

The heated steering wheel system is diagnosed using a scan tool. Refer to DIAGNOSTIC CODE INDEX . The steering wheel heating element is not serviced separately from the steering wheel and if inoperative or damaged, the entire steering wheel assembly must be replaced. Refer to WHEEL, STEERING, REMOVAL AND INSTALLATION .

For vehicles equipped with Engine Stop Start (ESS) functionality, the CSWM will deactivate the heated seats and steering wheel during a ESS event if the battery voltage dips below 9v. Once the battery has reached 9.5v, the CSWM reactivated all the heated outputs to the same levels they were operating at prior to the voltage dip.

Drive Comfort System Feature 

The Drive Comfort System feature is customer programmable. This system has three settings:

  1. Remote start only - When the remote start only feature is enabled, the CSWM activates the driver heated seat and steering wheel outputs during a remote start vehicle engine start event only based on ambient temperature.
  2. Remote start and normal start - When the remote start and normal start feature is enabled, the CSWM activates the driver heated seat and steering wheel during both remote and normal vehicle engine start events based on ambient temperature. The ambient temperature will need to be less than 4.4 °C (40 °F).
  3. Disabled - If the Driver Comfort System feature is disabled, the CSWM will only activate the driver heated seat and steering wheel when the customer activates the system.

If the ambient temperature is less than 4.4 °C (40 °F), the CSWM will set the heated seats and steering wheel to HIGH and will continue with control of the heated seats and steering wheel for a specified period of time. After this time has expired, normal CSWM heated seat and steering wheel operation will resume. If the ambient temperature is above 4.4 °C (40 °F) when the engine start event occurs, normal CSWM heated seat and steering wheel operation will commence. The Driver Comfort System feature default setting is set to "Remote start and normal start".

Load Shedding  - The heated seat and steering wheel outputs participate in the load shed reduction strategy. The CSWM monitors several bus signals to determine which type of load shedding is needed, if any. There are four levels of load shed reduction strategy and the CSWM responds differently to each level:

  1. Level 1 - If output is active, no change will occur. The CSWM retains the current setting(s).
  2. Level 2 - If the output is active and the setting is Low, the CSWM will behave normally. If the output is High or Medium, the CSWM will turn off the PWM signal until the temperature reaches the low steady state. Once the low steady state has been achieved, the CSWM resumes its timer operation and diagnostic monitoring of the heated seat and steering wheel system.
  3. Level 3 or  Level 7- If the outputs are active, the CSWM sets these outputs to not active. If the outputs are already inactive, the CSWM prevents this state from changing to active until the load shed event has completed.

The heated seat and steering wheel control system is diagnosed using a scan tool. Refer to DIAGNOSTIC CODE INDEX .

BODY CONTROL MODULE

Refer to COMPONENT INDEX .

The BCM provides gateway functionality for certain heated steering wheel input signals between the SCCM and the CSWM. The BCM is also the vehicle configuration master.

Inputs

Outputs

COMFORT SEAT AND WHEEL MODULE (CSWM)

Refer to COMPONENT INDEX .

For heating the steering wheel, the CSWM shall provide power and return to the steering wheel heating element using hardwired signals through the SCCM. In order to achieve temperatures based on three configurable settings (High, Medium, Low), the CSWM uses hardwired PWM control signals. The CSWM regulates the steering wheel heated PWM outputs using a closed loop feedback controller. The CSWM allows control of the heated steering wheel independent of the heated seats.

Inputs

Outputs

HEATED STEERING WHEEL

Refer to COMPONENT INDEX .

The heated steering wheel contains a heating element in the steering wheel. Power to the heated steering wheel heating elements are provided using hardwired signals from the SCCM, via the steering wheel switch. The heated steering wheel contains a Negative Temperature Coefficient (NTC) type of thermistor. The thermistor is used for temperature sensing of the heated steering wheel element. The heated steering wheel provides thermistor feedback to the steering wheel switch using hardwired signals.

INTEGRATED CENTER STACK (ICS) MODULE

Refer to COMPONENT INDEX .

The ICS can a monetary non latching hard button for the heated steering wheel activation or deactivation. This switch has two states, pressed and not pressed. The ICS is placed on the CAN-IHS bus for communication with the CSWM.

Inputs

Outputs

RADIO

Refer to COMPONENT INDEX .

Certain radios allow for a climate control touch screen menu that includes a heated steering wheel soft button. When this button is pressed, a CAN-IHS signal is sent to the CSWM for the selected heated steering wheel operation.

The Radio also contains the customer programmable Drive Comfort System Feature menu options that includes heated seat and wheel operation under engine start events.

Inputs

Outputs

STEERING COLUMN CONTROL MODULE WITH STEERING WHEEL SWITCH

Refer to COMPONENT INDEX .

For heating the steering wheel, the SCCM provides power and return to the steering wheel heating element using hardwired signals. The steering wheel switch monitors the heated steering wheel temperature through hardwired circuits connected to a thermistor. The thermistor is what detects the temperature of the heated steering wheel. The steering wheel switch, via the SCCM, reports the heated steering wheel temperature on a signal sent over the Local Interface Network (LIN) bus. The steering wheel switch is also used to detect and report faults, via the SCCM, in the thermistor.

Inputs

Outputs

scientia non olet · About LEMON Manuals