Problem with climate control illumination

[Misfit]

For the past few months, I noticed that when I leave out early in the morning, the climate controls are not lit up. After a few minutes, they will usually come on. All other dash lights work fine.

It's getting worse and worse now. Sometimes, the climate control lights won't come on at all.

I'm sure it's just a loose connector, but I'm a bit wary of what I have to go through in order to get at the plug.

It's not a big problem, but I would like to fix it.

Anyone else have this problem?

[cohee3]

Originally Posted by Misfit

For the past few months, I noticed that when I leave out early in the morning, the climate controls are not lit up. After a few minutes, they will usually come on. All other dash lights work fine.

It's getting worse and worse now. Sometimes, the climate control lights won't come on at all.

I'm sure it's just a loose connector, but I'm a bit wary of what I have to go through in order to get at the plug.

It's not a big problem, but I would like to fix it.

Anyone else have this problem?

It is probably not a loose connector.
Here is a thread discussing the issue.
Lights going out on A/C???
There are other threads, but we tend to call the same item different things (HVAC, A/C, dash lights, controls, etc) and it is hard to find what you want when you do a forum search.
I have the problem too. It happens to me particularly when it is cold. They twice replaced the circuit board that the HVAC controls are on but it did not solve the problem. I keep telling them that it is the dimmer switch, they say not. I work around the problem by just rolling the dimmer switch. As soon as I move it a little, the HVAC lights come on. There seems to be no other problem with any other lights. It took me along while to figure it out by myself, then I read about someone else's (same) work-around on this site later.
How could it be the dimmer switch if no other dimmed lights are affected? Don't know. But mine is as I say. I suspect that there is a voltage issue with one of the controls (transistor/capacitor) in the dimmer switch connection to the HVAC control circuit board. It is not as simple as an on-off switch or even a rheostat. It is an electronic control similar to a computer circuit board.

[roy365]

Mine did the same......i just played with my dimmer switch and presto it was fixed. Try that.

[Misfit]

Glad to see I'm not the only one with that problem.


More than likely, the dimmer control is not the problem since the other lights work.

However, I suspect that the dimmer switch can fix the problem because it varies the voltage to the lights. Voltage is an electrical pressure. By increasing the voltage, the bad connection is overcome by the higher voltage and the lights work. That's my theory anyways.

I'm not doing anything this weekend, I might do some digging to see what the problem is.

[helomech]

They have replace my climate control panel, and my dimmer switch and it still happens sometimes. I don't think they know what causes it.

[TedL2]

Moved dimmer switch full on and off and reset to original spot. Have not had problem come back for a couple of months so far.