Why Some Heated Steering Wheels Heat Unevenly (And Why Tundra Owners Notice)

People who spend time in new cars complain about tech being overwhelming, pointless, or just not useful. Fair enough. But for every useless feature, there's at least one that's genuinely great and almost worth upgrading trims for. Heated steering wheels are one of those.

Heated steering wheels have been around forever and they're perfect for winter. Hit a button or tap the screen, combine it with heated seats and the regular heater, and you're warm everywhere. Staying warm in the car matters, especially when it's freezing. The new Mercedes S-Class even has heated seatbelts.

But in some cars, heated steering wheels are kind of hit or miss. One part of the wheel stays cold while another part gets so hot it's uncomfortable to touch. What's going on with that?

All Tundras Seem to Have This Problem

John Covello pointed this out on the 2023-2026 Toyota Tundra Owners Facebook group. He posted thermal imaging camera shots showing the outer part of the steering wheel sitting around 35 degrees, especially near the bottom spoke, while the inner rim on the top half measured over 114 degrees.

Covello said he loves his truck and was just wondering if his needed a trip to the dealership. Comments made it clear his Tundra was fine. Same thing happens in everyone's truck when they use the heated steering wheel. All he needed to do was hold the wheel a little differently while it warmed up to avoid the uncomfortable spots.

Easy to see why Tundra owners would worry something's wrong with the heating. Despite Toyota's reputation for reliability, the third-gen Tundra has a few known issues and hasn't performed quite as well as expected.