2

My 2006 Jeep Commander continues to blow hot air even when the switch is turned completely off. Has anyone had this problem before?

Problem description from OPs 'answer' below: "If I turn the fan switch on and then set the heat temperature to a warmer or hotter setting, I get warm or hot air as desired. However, when the fan switch is turned off, very warm or hot air continues to blow through all vents even when the heater switch is turned completely off. It feels as though the fan is still running on a very low setting even when the switch is turned off. In order to get the hot air from continuing to flow, I have to turn the fan switch back on AND set the air conditioning switch on to get cooler air to flow through the vents. The fan will still continue to now blow cooler air through even though the fan switch is turned completely off."


If I turn the fan switch on and then set the heat temperature to a warmer or hotter setting, I get warm or hot air as desired. However, when the fan switch is turned off, very warm or hot air continues to blow through all vents even when the heater switch is turned completely off. It feels as though the fan is still running on a very low setting even when the switch is turned off. In order to get the hot air from continuing to flow, I have to turn the fan switch back on AND set the air conditioning switch on to get cooler air to flow through the vents. The fan will still continue to now blow cooler air through even though the fan switch is turned completely off. Mark G

5
  • 1
    Do you mean it won't stop blowing hot when you turn the temp down, or when you try to turn the fan switch off completely? Commented Mar 30, 2016 at 18:46
  • 1
    I've had cars with very good outside vents that would push in quite a bit of air even when the fan is turned off. Is this what you could be talking about?
    – JPhi1618
    Commented Mar 30, 2016 at 18:57
  • If the temperature knob is turn to hot, the heater core valve is likely open.
    – rpmerf
    Commented Mar 30, 2016 at 20:09
  • Does it start blowing when the car is started with the switch off, or only after the first time you turn on the switch?
    – 3Dave
    Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 14:56
  • Also, does it blow when the car isn't moving?
    – 3Dave
    Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 14:58

2 Answers 2

4

bad air duct door

You have multiple air duct doors in your car.

One of them will control the air from your heater.

You may have situation where the servo motor is bad in a particular door.

Sometimes you can have a situation where hot air comes out of one vent and cold air comes from another and various combinations of the issue that maps back to a bad ducting door which directs or blocks air from a particular place and directs it to globally to your various vents on the dash and floor.

If you have to tear out your dash, more than likely, to get to the problem door it may bring tears to your eyes due to the intense emotional and intellectual pain it can create within you. I suggest keeping hammers and other heavy objects that can be thrown out of arms reach.

This what your dash will look like when it's torn out

enter image description here

I also suggest thinking about organization of components, parts, screws at a very high level. Here's a great link on organization.

Word of advice if you do this yourself. Plastic baggies and sharpie pens.

3
  • Also, thank you for answering so quickly and with such detail. I forgot to mention that in my answer below. Mark G
    – Mark G
    Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 13:07
  • I also like the cheap magnetic bowls.
    – 3Dave
    Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 14:57
  • Yeah, those things are good for sure. Like em too! Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 15:23
0

Your update makes it clear to me that your car's external vents simply pull in enough air to give you some airflow even when the fan is completely off. This isn't really a problem, and doesn't indicate that anything is wrong.

I had an '88 Celica in the past, and even with the fan off, it felt like the fan was on 1 or even 2 when I was on the highway. The location of the external intake was in such a position that air was just forced into it at speed. The A/C never worked, so I considered it a feature.

The only way to make air completely stop coming through the vents is to turn on "recirculate" which normally looks like an arrow doing a U-turn or similar. This will close the opening to the outside vent and stop the residual air flow.

Recirc button

Right now with the A/C and fan off, you're going to get cool or warm air depending on if the heat or A/C was on last.

2
  • If that was the problem, wouldn't the air stop when the car isn't moving?
    – 3Dave
    Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 14:58
  • Yes, this would only happen when the car was moving, but this is either his problem or the fan switch is broken and it's never turning off (unlikely).
    – JPhi1618
    Commented Mar 31, 2016 at 15:02

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .