HVAC issues out of the blue

[morphrider]

Weird issue here. We were taking a short drive to the dealer to have them look at the exhaust leak from a rear joint on the driver side (which is now scheduled for this Friday) when my wife started to adjust the air flow to our feet. It continued to throw air to the defrost. I have an 08 Ram that has this issue and I know it is the flaps on the HVAC unit itself is broken, which is a recurring issue with Dodges. In order to fix that correctly the whole dash will be needing removed.

Ok, back on track here...

Has anyone had this issue before with their Stinger? I mentioned this to the dealer as well so they will be looking at this issue on Friday.

 

[MerlintheMad]

Not heard of any Stinger HVAC flaps breaking. But, there has been discussion about the "mysteries" of how this system chooses where, when and how much air to send. I just leave mine on Auto and forget about it.

 

[oddball]

Stupid question - was the front defrost button lit? If so, that'll override anything else you do on the panel. Gotta hit that button again to turn off the defrost request.
Note that the HVAC is 100% computer controlled. Anything you punch into the panel is just a request. The computer may - or may not - do what you asked it to do, depending on what in thinks best at the moment.
Seems unlikely that something would have broken already, but anything is possible.

 

[morphrider]

The front defrost button was not lit. I went through everything again, even hitting that button which sent everything to defrost as it should. When it is set to floor, it has somewhat of a half and half between defrost and floor. So some is getting down there, just not full force as it has always been in the past.

 

[SKStinger]

The front defrost button was not lit. I went through everything again, even hitting that button which sent everything to defrost as it should. When it is set to floor, it has somewhat of a half and half between defrost and floor. So some is getting down there, just not full force as it has always been in the past.

I would say that is normal in winter conditions. It will keep upper vent air moving if the ambient temperature is below a certain point to keep your glass from fogging.

 

[stoopid]

I would say that is normal in winter conditions. It will keep upper vent air moving if the ambient temperature is below a certain point to keep your glass from fogging.

Agree, it sounds like it's prioritizing air flow to the window which is more critical for safe driving. There's only so much air the system can push in a given direction, so it has to send the bulk of it where it's needed the most. Splitting the available airflow with the window and floor is going to result in one or both not getting as much air as likely desired.

 

[morphrider]

But it’s never done this before, that’s the problem. There is no difference between floor only then floor/defrost. When you go to vents, it stops flow to defrost and does nothing but vent. By all rights thats what it needs to do when I ask for floor only. It’s 62 degrees right now, I don’t believe ambient temperature has anything to do with this issue. in any case, it’s scheduled to be looked at the end of the week and I will update with findings. Maybe go sit in a newer one and play with buttons....

 

[morphrider]

Update...

What it’s doing is normal. They even brought in another Stinger for comparison since even the tech thought it was odd. I was in the comparison car as well, so it is the same no doubt. I did find a very descriptive item in the online Kia Stinger technical bulletin that describes where and how air flows. When on foot only, majority of air supposedly blows to feet while some goes to window and other vents, so not 100% to the floor as I once thought.

Disclaimer...
I do not drive this car, I have company vehicle as my daily. Wife might have just realized the noise and thought something was wrong. Has anyone else checked their own to see if it matches ours?

Exhaust leak has led to it being a cracked exhaust pipe. They are quoting that work out and will be getting back to me. This vehicle only has 16,000 miles currently on it, low miles, garaged and babied.

 

[morphrider]

It took them a week to approve the exhaust repair. Duh, bumper to bumper should cover it. My son is a VW tech and thought it rather odd it took them so long to approve the work. Sounds like VW goes from tech to service writer then to management for approval on the spot. Timing couldn’t be better, it completely broke now at the rear connection, muffler is just hanging on....

 

[Hawk853]

Weird issue here. We were taking a short drive to the dealer to have them look at the exhaust leak from a rear joint on the driver side (which is now scheduled for this Friday) when my wife started to adjust the air flow to our feet. It continued to throw air to the defrost. I have an 08 Ram that has this issue and I know it is the flaps on the HVAC unit itself is broken, which is a recurring issue with Dodges. In order to fix that correctly the whole dash will be needing removed.

Ok, back on track here...

Has anyone had this issue before with their Stinger? I mentioned this to the dealer as well so they will be looking at this issue on Friday.

Mine is the same. I convinced myself the floor heat simply isn’t very good since I saw no complaints from other owners.

It makes a sound like the air is being released in the depths of the dash and only a small amount makes it out to the footwell.

 

[samantha trejo]

I have the exact same problem. I bought it used with 4K miles on it - 2021 GT2... For such an expensive car I would think the dang floor heater would go to my feet only. I hate that it deflects to other vents, especially the windshield. No other car I have owned has done this.

 

[MerlintheMad]

I have the exact same problem. I bought it used with 4K miles on it - 2021 GT2... For such an expensive car I would think the dang floor heater would go to my feet only. I hate that it deflects to other vents, especially the windshield. No other car I have owned has done this.

Welcome. On another thread this topic of the AC function is going over the same thing: is it broke or is it working? 99.9%, it's not broken. Early in my Stinger experience, I treated the AC/climate controls like I did in my older vehicles. This car is controlled by computer (no kidding), and putting the AC/Climate on Auto or turning it OFF is the only way to go for me. I was just fighting it, fiddling with forcing the air up or down and twiddling with the temperature dial. Just set the temperature where you want it and put it on "Auto" and forget it. If the outside air is what you like, then turn the system OFF and use outside circulation; turn up the fan, open the sunroof, a window, etc.

Full on summer or winter is when the Stinger's climate control system works best. Spring and fall can "confuse" it, make it behave somewhat schizophrenic .