Drying wet seats after a sunroof left open in the rain

Drying wet seats

I recently was unfortunate enough to leave the sunroof open over night in the rain and drying wet seats became a mission for several days.

And yes, the car warned me about the open roof and I missed it. The highlighted panel (right) flashes and an alarm sounds twice…

In any case, the Niro is equipped with heated and ventilated seats, which means the seat covers are perforated, allowing water to penetrate deep into the upholstery. Consequently, I needed to be careful with those electronics.

I toweled off everything as best as possible, and sat on towels for several days.

The passenger seat went without anyone sitting in it in that time, however, the passenger seat belt warning was on constantly. I left the seat belt connected throughout.

I left the vehicle in the (warm) sun with windows and sunroof cracked open, careful this time to avoid rain. I also avoided using the seat ventilation or testing the heaters for the same few days.

After three days, the passenger seat belt warning stopped chirping, which was a very good sign. I then tested the ventilators and heaters in each seat for the first time. And they work as normal. And there are no musty smells.

So, handling the problem was primarily a matter of patience: allow everything to dry out before opening circuits and pushing current in what could have been shorted wiring and connectors. Not so different from what I did after drowning my key fob about 18 months ago.

My best advice though is not to forget to close the sunroof!!

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