This is for Toyota Ed ....The temperature control on my 2004 Highlander is no longer working. When set on cool it will go from air to heat by itself. Turning the knob back and forth corrected the problem temporarily, but no longer. I saw on the FixYA website that repairs by the dealer for this problem can be quite costly, and that you had detailed instructions you could provide for self repair.
My husband is very handy with car repairs and has soldering equipment.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Laurie in CA
Hello. Thank you for requesting me. We have been seeing a large amount of Highlanders with temperature control issues. A replacement control is in the proximity of 900 dollars. After the fifth one sold, and some really unhappy customers, I decided to see what the issue was that was causing the failures. It turns out that the problem is nothing more than a broken wire of two. If you are handy with tools, and can use a soldering gun, you can fix it yourself. The problem with the controls needing replacement is a broken wire or two at the circuit board that controls the temperature (the center knob). This is unfortunately common, albeit an expensive repair. Here is how you can fix it yourself: What you will need: Pencil-type soldering iron, rosin core solder, a Phillips screwdriver, a 10 millimeter socket, extension and ratchet. First, remove the plastic fascia that surrounds the radio/heater-AC control. (Be careful to not crack it when removing it.) Next, remove all of the 10 millimeter bolts that holds the Radio/AC-heater control assembly to the dash panel, and unplug all of the wiring connectors. Next, remove the three control knobs on the Heater/AC control panel, and the silver nuts that holds the controls to the panel. They pull straight off. (Under the center knob, you will probably find a loose nut, this is what caused the wires to break, the control is loose in its holder.). Next, turn the assembly over, with the back facing upwards. You will see a rectangular black box. Remove the screws that hold the black box onto the back side of the front of the control panel. There will be a ribbon-wire connector that will need to be removed from the front panel; be careful when removing the black box?s connection, and take care to not damage the connection ribbon wires. Next, remove the entire circuit board from the panel cover, by removing several Phillips screws, this will allow easier access to the control board that needs the wire(s) soldered. At this point, you have two choices: You can solder the broken wire back onto the control?s board, or, if you desire, you can remove the ribbon wire, and replace it with different wires; personally, I choose this path, and I use telephone wire, three lengths, that I strip and solder to both locations, each of the three on the main board and the other end on the control board. Either way will work, as long as you solder the wires back properly, and avoid any possible shorts by allowing the solder to touch an adjacent lead. Once you have soldered the broken wires from the temperature control board back on to the main circuit board; reassemble the parts and refit it assembly to the dash. Thanks for choosing FixYa for assistance today; I hope that this helps you out, and saves you a bunch of money.
Testimonial: "Thanks so much for the detailed instructions! Sure enough, 2 wires were broken. My husband was able to make the repairs, and the control gauge is now working perfectly. Thanks so much!"
Toyota needs to advise the owner for the loose control of the temperature and it is serious for car owner's life issue. I had experienced the same problem that the air condition running ok in the hot summer then it turn hot quickly and make the car like the oven. I got waked up by the hot temperature. If you have kids fall asleep in the car, they are easy to get hot stroke. After follow the article's instruction to fix the issue. It does loose two wires in the back of the Temperature knob.
My car is 2004 Highlander. It is tricky to fix it due to it a little bit small. If it too tough to fix, it should be cheaper to find anyone to solder it. Thanks the Toyota Ed's instruction and it save me lot money and it only cost me 2 hour's work with caution and slow progress. Thanks a lot.
On my '05 Highlander, It's EXACTLY as you said. When I popped out the knob's board, from behind. Note in the image where I've circled the ribbon cable end and the 3 solder points they "should" be attached to.
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First try removing the Temp control knob and tightening the screws that are exposed . It worked for me!
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