Hello,
I have a 2017 Automatic Honda Fit EX, love this car so far. The knob that changes the HVAC system from cool to hot stopped working. I figured the wire got off track, but I was unfortunately wrong. I was moving it manually for a while by taking off the glove box and pushing or pulling the white level. That stopped working too and now the problem has escalated.

The lever stopped making the blend door move at all. I took off the lever and can move the blend door gear with a wrench but it's super difficult. I am wondering if something is stuck in there, which is very possible because the car had been in an accident with the previous owner where the entire windshield shattered.
Ive only had the car a year but I keep finding glass everywhere. On a side note Im considering pulling out the dash board and vacuuming all the glass inside.

From what I read, taking out the heater assembly is very difficult diy and expensive at the shop. Does anyone have experience working on the heater assembly or have any ideas for troubleshooting?

 

I've never been under the dash of a 3rd generation Fit, but on my 2010 it's pretty easy to see many of the HVAC controls and components once you pop the glove compartment door off.

Also (at least on 2nd generation) the blend door is above the cabin air filter, putting it in the "hallway" rodents take when they enter through the cabin air intake under the cowl. So, there's always the possibility that some rodent-aided debris is gumming up the blend door mechanism.

Or, in your case there could be glass fragments in places they were never meant to be.

Before removing the dash I would aggressively investigate everything you can reach through the glove compartment opening. Start by removing the cabin air filter and potentially even removing the blower motor to aid access (again, easy on 2nd generation). Use an air compressor blower (w/ safety glasses), vacuum, maybe even a bit of tappy-tappy with your hands to dislodge debris and see if that helps.

If you can access the 3rd generation service manual it would also be beneficial to compare the HVAC schematics with your car to make sure all cables, gears, etc. are properly aligned.

 

$2,600 fix from Honda. I just had the HVAC controls replaced for the same reason on our 2018 Sport. The hot/cold blend control function went stiff and then completely stopped working. Stuck on hot mode. And it will break more parts if the wheel is forced.

They have to pull the dash out so it's not a cheap fix sadly. No way around it.

 

Large difference between Fit generations. You can't fix it like that. The climate control unit has to be replaced as a whole when goes bad. You also not fixing it by just going tappy tappy with your fingers, and this clearly isn't a rodent issue. Nice try though. smh

 

Don't shake too hard. You might hurt yourself.

 

Yeah, I read somewhere in my research that you can't just replace the blend door you have to replace the WHOLE dang heater assembly. So stupid!

 

100% true. It's not a cheap or easy job. The money is all in the labor. Dash and center console all have to be removed and then reinstalled.