Why is there no air coming from the rear air vents of a Lexus?
3 Answers
The reasons for no air coming from the rear air vents of a Lexus are: 1. Valve malfunction; 2. Air leakage at the connection of the evaporator case duct; 3. Dirty or clogged air filter. Taking the 2020 Lexus UX as an example, its body dimensions are: length 4495mm, width 1840mm, height 1540mm, with a wheelbase of 2640mm. The 2020 Lexus UX features a MacPherson strut front suspension and a multi-link rear suspension. It is equipped with a 2.0L naturally aspirated engine, delivering a maximum horsepower of 173PS, a maximum torque of 207Nm, and a maximum power of 127kW.
It's really annoying when the rear air vents don't blow air. I encountered this issue last year while driving an ES. Don't panic yet, there are mainly a few possible scenarios: First, the adjustment wheel of the rear air vent might be stuck or accidentally turned off—try rotating the round knob in the center of the vent. Second, the AC might be set to single-zone mode; check if the front icons on the central control screen are lit while the rear ones are grayed out, which indicates the rear airflow is disabled. The most troublesome issue is when the duct comes loose or gets blocked by debris, often due to candy wrappers dropped by rear passengers getting stuck in the ventilation duct—this requires opening the center console to inspect. From my own experience, restarting the AC system can work wonders—hold down the AC and fan speed buttons for ten seconds to reset it. If that doesn’t help, you’ll need to visit the dealership to check the sensors.
I encountered this issue when driving my RX with family, which was quite disappointing. Most of the time, it's due to the air duct under the center console coming loose. The mechanic said this is a common problem with Lexus vehicles—the clips can get shaken loose on bumpy roads. Another possibility is poor contact with the rear air vent button, requiring the panel to be removed and circuit cleaner sprayed. It's recommended to first check if there's airflow vibration in the rear air duct. If there is, it means the air conditioning unit is working, and the issue lies in the last half-meter of the duct. If there's no vibration at all, consider a fault in the rear damper of the air conditioning assembly, which requires scanning the fault codes with a computer to diagnose.
