Climate Control Flap Motor Clicking: Why It Happens

You start the car and hear a clicking noise behind the dashboard. Something sounds like it's turning, slipping and trying again. Sometimes it stops after a minute. Other times it just keeps going. The climate control blows air wherever it fancies, or you've got warm air on one side and cold air on the other. Sound familiar? That's usually a climate control flap motor clicking away behind the dashboard. Those little motors control where the air goes, and when one starts playing up, you'll certainly hear about it.

What do the climate control flap motors actually do?

Behind your dashboard is a box full of flaps that direct the air towards the windscreen, your feet or your face. They also control whether that air is warm or cold. Each flap has a little motor with plastic gears inside. Your car might have seven or eight of these motors, and with four-zone climate control, there can be even more. Quite a few little motors hidden away where you can't see them.

Why does a climate control flap motor start clicking?

• The plastic gear teeth wear down or break, so the motor starts slipping instead of turning the flap properly.
• A flap gets stuck, and the motor can't turn it all the way.
• After the battery has gone flat, the climate control module has lost track of the flap positions.

How do we find the motor that's making the noise?

1. First, we read the fault codes stored in the climate control module.
2. Then we run the basic settings for the flaps using diagnostics. This takes each motor through its full range of movement.
3. We listen for the clicking and check the diagnostic readings to see which motor isn't reaching its end position.

Now, here's something worth knowing. Sometimes running those basic settings is enough to fix the problem, and we don't need to replace a single part. That's especially true if the clicking started after you had the battery replaced. So there's no point spending money on a new motor before we've tried that, is there?

How do we replace a climate control flap motor?

That depends on where it's hiding. We can reach some motors in minutes from underneath the dashboard. Others mean removing trim panels or even parts of the dashboard itself. That's why we find the exact motor causing the trouble first. Only then can we tell you how much work is involved in replacing it. I'd rather you knew what needed doing before we started taking things apart.

Tip from Kris Mladenov: If the clicking started after a battery replacement, try running the climate control basic settings first. Quite often, that's all it takes, and you save yourself the cost of replacing a motor.

If something's clicking behind your dashboard or the climate control isn't sending air where it should, bring your car to Das Auto Service for diagnostics. We'll find the motor causing the trouble, check whether basic settings can sort it out and work out how much needs dismantling if the motor really does need replacing. Why take the dashboard apart before we even know where the problem is?

Read more

• Air Conditioning Servicing at Das Auto Service
• Electrical Problems and Control Modules
• Why Does My VAG Air Conditioning Need Servicing, Not Just Regassing?
• Bad Smell Inside the Car: Air Conditioning, Cabin Filter or Air Freshener?
• Why a Genuine Cabin Filter Is Worth It

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my dashboard click when I start the car?

It's usually one of the climate control flap motors. The plastic gear teeth slip, and that's the clicking noise you can hear.

Can it be fixed without replacing any parts?

Yes, sometimes all it needs is a basic setting procedure for the flaps using diagnostics. That's why we don't rush into replacing the motor.

Is it difficult to replace a climate control flap motor?

It depends on which motor it is. Some are quick to replace, while others need part of the dashboard dismantling. We find the faulty one first, so we know exactly what we're dealing with.