Searched but no joy: Three or four times now, I've turned the rotary fan control from 0 to 1 or higher, yet the HVAC system and blower will not respond: No blower, no air, no a/c light, no fresh / recirc light; nothing. I'll try it again later and everything works fine normally.

I'm stumped. Perhaps the rotary fan control is faulty and has an intermittent connection. It's not a fuse, because it's intermittent. The dealer can't replicate the problem or find any fault codes.

Any idea what the problem might be? Anyone else have this problem?

(P.S. I refuse to say "issue" when I mean "problem.")

 

Is it because your Headunit connection is loose?

 

Hmmm. I dunno. I've never been into that part of the console. Sounds like a possibility, though. (My dealer may have been in there for some reason, although I can't think why.)

 

I absolutely despise intermittent electrical faults! It could take 10 minutes to fix, or 10 years.

 

Yup!

 

Ever thought about checking your fuses? Now I don't know exactly where to look for these fuses. I'd check the one in your engine bay. Or the one under your dashboard. (if there is one there)

 

Thanks. That was my first impulse. But then it came back to life again, and a blown fuse should not account for the problem being intermittent.

 

I think the loose headunit is the best guess at this point.

If you search the DIY forum, I believe there is a step by step on how to remove it.

Keep up posted.

 

Cool; thanks.

 

Update: After working fine for weeks, on a long trip last week my climate controls went out and stayed out. I now have no fan, a/c, defrost, etc. It just sends hot air through the vents by default. Fuses are fine.

I may take the car in under warranty, but first I might try removing the head unit as suggested above. But my radio works fine, which makes me wonder if it could be a loose connection. Do the two units have separate connectors?

I'll check the DIYs and keep you posted.

 

Hard,


Just a quick question: If your car is under warranty, why are you going to bother checking it yourself?
I say just take it into a dealership, drive a rental around for a few hours and have them diagnose the issue.

Last thing we want is the dealership blaming YOU for removing the head unit and possibly damaging something. Unlikely you'll do any damage back there but not unlikely they might try to make such a claim...

 

This is a dilemma I often consider, O Jedi Master, and truly it is a puzzling question. Is it better to call, make an appointment, drive out there, wait in line, leave my car there, go to the rental agency, wait in line, rent the car, drive it a few hours, then return and hope they've fixed the car without breaking any fasteners or leaving anything unconnected ....

OR

Try to fix it myself, and risk getting my warranty claim denied later?

Sometimes I let the dealer try it, sometimes I do it myself. In this instance, the panel removal looks so easy I might do it myself. Sometimes I bring it in for a repair and they break something else, and then I have to bring it in again ...

 

Epilogue: I popped out the ashtray panel and reached underneath the climate control panel, and all the connectors were attached. So I brought it into the dealer service department, and they kept it for several days and I just got it back yesterday. One part had to be shipped from a third party supplier in New York.

It turned out that it needed both a new climate control panel AND a new ignition switch; somehow both components were contributing to the problem. Works fine now.

 

Glad you got your problem solved now. I know how frustrating it is to live with a problem that takes so long to fix.

 

Thanks!

In hindsight, my suspicion is that the climate control panel was not defective; I bet it was the ignition switch all along. Why? Because they replaced the panel first (after days of waiting for the part), and then the problem resurfaced while the car was still in the shop.

Just in case this happens to anyone else.