Heater buttons won't work

[mhoyle]

My 1999 legacy wagon heater buttons won't change the air flow from one direction to the other. Offer me some suggestions please

[Fairtax4me]

When you push the button the green LED under it should turn on. If it doesn't, usually this is because one of the buttons is stuck. Dirt, dust, sticky stuff getting spilled on the dash, over time can cause the buttons to stick. Its best to remove the control head and unplug it, then spray around the buttons with some glass cleaner and push each button several times. Eventually you'll feel them start working properly again. Then let it dry really well (couple hours) before plugging it back in.

 

If the green LEDs do light up, then the problem could be the mode door actuator motor, which is on the side of the air box under the center dash. Pretty sure that one is on the left side of the box, somewhere next to or near the gas pedal. With the key On push each button and listen closely to see if you can hear the motor turn. Also try to touch the motor and see if you can feel it doing anything when you change modes on the control head.

 

If you feel/ hear the motor moving but the mode doesn't change, could be stripped gears in the motor housing, or the mode door is broken. Hope its the motor.

Edited March 26, 2016 by Fairtax4me

[Rooster2]

I have had same experience on both my 98 and 99 Outbacks. Suggest you spray the buttons with Windex, then push buttons and dry off with a paper towel. Do this repeatedly. With the control under the drink cup holder, it is likely that a soft drink has got the buttons stuck. This cleaning generally fixes the problem. but with repeated cleaning, my buttons began not working very well even after cleaning. I had to replace both controls with units from a wrecking yard. Not difficult to replace, just takes some time to swap in.