Baffling problem with driver's seat

[swisdom]

Greetings,

My '01 Boxster S, which I bought used just 10 days ago, has a baffling problem. As I was driving home today from work, I heard a humming/buzzing sound, like a small electric motor, coming from the driver's seat area. Then when I got up out of the car, the seat 'exploded', with the seat-back popping loose from the seat frame. Under the seat back are two air pouches, about 6" square each, fully inflated (for what purpose? I have no idea), connected respectively to a blue and a red plastic hose (for inflation?). These inflated pouches keep the seat-back from being re-seated, and the humming/buzzing has continued for hours, with the motor off (I'm concerned it will drain the battery, whatever it is). I'll call the dealer I bought it from tomorrow, but the car's out of warranty and I'm not sure what I can work out. Can anyone offer a guess as to the nature/magnitude/cost of this? Has anyone seen this before? If it matters, I have the heated-seats option.

Thanks, SW

<posted also at http://www.babblers.org/ which I hope isn't bad form>

[frogster]

i'm pretty sure those bags are inflatable lumbar supports. you should be able to deflate them and put everything back together. for some reason the pump must just have kept going. did you keep your hand or elbow or something on the switch? i don't even know where the switch is since i've never seen them before but heard they were an option.

[PTEC]

Yeah those are the lumbar supports. The pumps could have shorted out or the switch may have gone bad. The switch is next to the rest of the power seat switches and is almost circular. Try pressing in all directions and see what happens.