A/C does not blow cold air on the passenger side?

2005 LEXUS RX 350
291,000 MILES
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20JOHNKYLE
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  • 1 POST
A/C blows warm air on the driver side and blows cold air on the passenger side.
Jun 23, 2025 at 2:30 PM
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STEVE W.
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  • 15,113 POSTS
That sounds like the driver's side blend door actuator is stuck or bad. It is on the HVAC case above the throttle pedal. To get to it you remove the trim panel under the steering column, then remove the knee airbag module behind it. With it out of the way you can access the actuator mounted up on the side of the actuator. Then you install the replacement and reverse the process to finish it up. The trick is dealing with the airbag. For that you disconnect the negative battery cable, then wait 10 minutes before you unplug the airbag.
Now once you have the actuator installed leave the airbag out and connect the battery. Test the actuator and see if you get it to change temperature. If you do shut off the engine and disconnect the cable again, wait the 10 minutes and put the airbag and trim back in. Then reconnect the battery and it should clear the code you set in the air bag system when you were testing.
Jun 23, 2025 at 8:34 PM