Dear Mike,
I have a 2014 Honda Accord and I’m experiencing issues with the dual climate control on the passenger side. It doesn’t seem to be working at all, and I’m not sure what’s causing it. I’ve tried adjusting the temperature and the fan speed, but nothing seems to work.
Can you please give me some advice on what could be causing this issue? I really don’t want to take it to the dealership and pay an arm and a leg for something that could potentially be a simple fix.
Thanks in advance,
Hazel
Dear Hazel,
Thank you for reaching out to me! It sounds like you may be experiencing issues with your blend door actuators. Now I know what you’re thinking, “blend door what now?” But don’t worry, I’m here to break it down for you.
The blend door actuators are responsible for controlling the flow of air in your car, allowing it to mix hot and cold air to achieve the desired temperature. When they’re not working correctly, you may notice that you’re only getting hot or cold air on one side of your car. In your case, it sounds like the passenger side actuator may be the culprit.
But before you get too worried and start picturing dollar signs flying out of your wallet, there are a few things you can try before taking it to the dealership. First, try checking your HVAC system’s fuses and relays to make sure they’re not blown or damaged. If they are, that could be the cause of the problem.
If that doesn’t work, you could also try recalibrating the blend door actuators. This may sound fancy and intimidating, but it’s actually a simple process that involves resetting the actuator motors to their original positions. You can find instructions on how to do this in your owner’s manual or by doing a quick Google search.
Now, if neither of those options works, it may be time to head to the dealership or a trusted mechanic. But don’t worry, the repair shouldn’t cost you an arm and a leg, unless you decide to go for the platinum encrusted blend door actuator (just kidding, that doesn’t exist…yet).
In the meantime, here’s a little story to ease your mind. One time, I had a customer come in with the same issue as you. They were only getting hot air on one side of their car. After checking a few things, I discovered that a squirrel had actually made a nest in their HVAC system and was blocking the flow of cold air. We ended up having to remove the nest and release the squirrel back into the wild (hopefully he’s not out there building more nests in cars). Moral of the story, sometimes the cause of a car problem can be unexpected and a little bit…nuts.
I hope this advice helps you out and gets you on your way to enjoying cool (or warm) air on both sides of your car. And remember, if all else fails, you can always roll down your windows and imagine you’re in a convertible, just without the windblown hair.
Best of luck!
Mike Urban, Founder of Urban Automotive