Cold air but A/C isn't on

First, let me admit I have not read the manual. Picked up my 2023 1794 iForce Max in mid-December. Now that it is hot outside in Louisiana, I noticed very cold air coming out of the vents and the a/c button isn't on (no amber light), nor is "A/C" displayed on the screen. I've been driving in Eco mode. When I press the AC button and the amber light comes on and AC is displayed on the screen, there really isn't any difference in the temp. I'm no genius, but it appears that there is an issue. And let me clarify, for the last several days, it's been about 77 degrees with 90% humidity. There's no way cold air should be flowing through the vent if the AC isn't on. Thanks.

 

In the settings/climate control menu on the big screen, you can select to have the AC on with AUTO mode. I think it's set to AC on by default, but you can turn it off.

 

I did a quick look yesterday evening in settings on big screen and didn't see where I could make any adjustments for the HVAC. The "Auto" button is not on.

 

Did you pop the hood and see if the AC compressor is running/turning when this occurs?

 

Mine is a limited so the interface maybe different.

On the big screen with the engine running/gear in Park, you go to setting/vehicle customize/climate control. Then you can make the selection from there. AC is set to be on by default.

 

But even with that, wouldn't the AC light come on when the AC was running?
I don't have a Gen 3, I'm just curious...

 

Dont know. This is the first Tundra I’ve owned.

 

Next time it is blowing cold air when you feel the ac is off, open the hood and see if the compressor turning/running.
If the ac is off, it shouldn't be turning..
The ac clutch pulley on the belt of course spins all the time, but the actual compressor should only run/turn with ac or defrost on.
Also note that the system will blow cold air when the defrost is on.

Not a Tundra but this is what I'm referring to.

https://youtu.be/bhVV2f25kQg?t=57

Also, the ac tubing will be warm or cold under the hood if the ac actually is on.
As well as condensation dripping under the truck if the ac is on, especially with your high humidity.
If the compressor is turning all the time with the ac and defrost off, then you have a problem..

And welcome to the forum..
Good luck..

 

Thanks for the replies, but I think it's more beneficial to the OP. I don't have any issues on my Limited.

PS - tried looking under the hood for the AC compressor. No dice, as it appears to be buried.

 

Sorry, I thought you were the OP, I wasn't paying attention.
The AC compressor is way down on the driver's side on my Gen 2.5, you can just barely see the front of the clutch.
It may be buried on your Gen 3 I've never looked under the hood of one..

 

Do you have the air vents set to the defroster position? The vehicle cycles the AC in defroster to dry the air out no matter the temperature setting. It doesn’t illuminate the AC light on the dash when doing this.

But that’s interesting to see the on-screen settings for third gen’s to automatically set the AC to on. Other vehicles that I’ve owned don’t really communicate that the AC is on when using auto climate.

 

I have the same thing for 2023 Toyota Crown here. Settings: front vent only, no ac auto on..................and i get cold air with ac light is NOT on. Salesman couldn't explain it to me why. i have seen online videos that it's due to ac compressor belt is always running when you turn on your car with or without engine on. And when i push ac button on, i feel the air a little colder. I am still doing some more research for this. And i will ask tech service when i come in for oil change there.

 

Try this, when you feel the air is cold, hit the AC switch. It will most likely say on. Hit again and it will say off.

 

the ac switch can be on or off no problem there but cold air is still coming out even with ac switch is off on center dash and off in LED screen too.

 

Is the setting on auto? I notice if in auto it won’t display if it’s running AC or not, it just adjusts to make it the temp you set it at.

 

no auto

 

no auto, no ac light on.............only front vent for air. And cold air does come out. I thought Toyota was genius if they could make cold air without ac on.

 

Maybe they can pull that trick on my house and keep this power bill down!

 

The hybrids have an electric AC compressor, not a belt driven one. Not sure about the non hybrids. I've noticed the same thing about the AC light, but it never really bothered me as long as the air stayed cold.

 

Usually the complaint is AC on no cold air…. Wow, Fucken Toyota!!

 

Same thing always happened on my 2022 non hybrid.

AC Off it says
Front vents blowing only (no window vents)

And... Air that blows is cold no matter what, ac is definitely working, and lots of condensation water dripping from under the truck.

So basically, the AC Off sign that illuminates seems to be a joke. AC is always working regardless

Toyota

 

I don't have prob with summer time. But when temp dips below 20's, i am not sure if it's smart way to run your ac compressor like that in a morning. My ac man told me once that when temp outside of the house below 50, don't turn my house ac on. That will damage compressor since metal shrinks due to cold weather. I understand that car ac compressor material is better than house ac compressor material. But when it's too cold outside, all material will shrink a little bit.

 

if you put the system into defrost mode, it will run the compressor and not light the a/c button. its to ensure you dont fog up the front windshield in defrost mode.

this is normal mode for toyota for many years.

 

Auto - No A/C light or fan settings. You just choose the Temp. It does the rest. If you choose the A/C button on/off or fan speed you are immediately out of Auto mode and in manual control. All lights will come on. *Note, you can always select the output mode ( dash, dash&floor, floor, defrost, etc ) while in either mode. **Defrost has run the AC compressor in all cars for 40+ years. The cold evaporator coil pulls the moisture out of the air reducing the fog on the windshield glass

 

Thank you for the explanation.

By "defrost" do you mean when air is getting blown onto the windshield?

Simple question - how can I run fan with AC OFF? Any way I try, AC is always ON, even though AC OFF message is lit up

Thx

 

Glad this came up, was wondering myself since it's the first time I've seen this... Seems like no matter what, A/C is on from reading above. It's nice in AZ to cruise without in the winter and possibly save some gas mpg

 

With AC set to off and the vent setting set to anything BUT the defrost symbol (windshield) or defrost+floor you should not have the compressor running. (either defrost setting fires up the compressor to dry the air) You also need to manually select fresh outside air and set the temp to LO to close off the warm side of the system. Learned all this on a previous 2009 Venza and the new Tundra is the same.

 

this has been toyota's mantra on all models for quite a while.

in the long run it helps extends the life of the compressor without the owner knowing. i know it helps me since we can go 6-9 months without using the a/c system up there in ND due to we only maybe get above 90's for about 1 month a year.

 

Here is how to turn A/C off in your car:
Using LCD screen only: select car icon - then select Climate - you will see A/C icon is on - Click it to turn it off. After that if you need to have a/c on, use physical button on your center dash.

 

Wondered this also. The guy at the dealer told me the annoying thing about the gen 3 is that if you want AC you have to turn it on everytime you start the truck. Sometimes I forget and it’s still cold. It’s the same temp of the button is on or off. I don’t use AUTO either.