What causes one car AC vent to blow cold air while the other doesn't?
2 Answers
The common reasons for uneven cooling from car AC vents include: 1. Reason one: AC vent issue. A malfunctioning servo motor on one side may cause uneven cooling. Check both left and right vent directions and observe if the servo motor controlling airflow on the right side rotates accordingly. 2. Reason two: A stuck air valve flap may obstruct rotation, affecting airflow on one side. Inspect the damper for faults. If the valve flap is stuck, it will hinder rotation and directly impact airflow. 3. Reason three: Blockage in one side of the AC duct. 4. Reason four: For automatic AC systems, the dual-zone temperature control function might be activated. Simply disable the dual-zone AC function to resolve this.
Last week, I encountered a similar issue where the air conditioning vent on the passenger side wasn't blowing cold air, while the driver's side remained cool. I suspected it might be due to dust or debris blocking the air ducts, causing uneven airflow and temperature distribution. Another possibility was a malfunctioning blend door in the AC system, which controls the mix of hot and cold air—if one side fails, the other remains unaffected. More complex issues could include insufficient or unevenly distributed refrigerant, which also affects specific vents. I tried replacing the cabin air filter myself, but it didn't help. Eventually, I had to take it to a repair shop to avoid minor issues turning into major faults. It cost a bit to fix, but now all the vents blow uniformly cold air.
