Rear AC vents not hardly working

[Pharomommy]

I finally worked up the courage to call the Nissan dealership and have our rear AC vents looked at. (I don't trust dealer service centers)

I see here from the forum that other people have had similar issues to us... just looking to see if anyone had any success in getting it fixed?

We live in Florida so the rear air has to work for us! Right now in the winter if we turn the rear vents on full blast Max everything it hardly blows anything out at all almost feels like a whisper or Nothing at All

[Nvdad81]

I am concerned about how well the rear air will work on my van too. We just got it a week ago so it hasn't seen any warm weather yet. I'm interested what model you have? Ours is an sl. I think dark window tints are a must for this van. The sl has dark tints for the rear windows but I'm still putting dark tints on the front windows as well.

 

Do you find that it starts to cool down after awhile? Or does it only blow hot air?

 

I'm guessing that like my old minivan the cold air duct work is in the ceiling and if it has been sitting in the sun it take a while to blow cool air. It also needs a good amount of cold air rushing through those vents to keep them blowing cool air too. If the fan speed is to slow the cool air spends to much time in the duct system and gets hot by the time it comes out.

 

The other problem might be that the rear system doesn't have its own ac unit. And in the situation it's better not to run the ceiling vents at all.

[jaredg]

There is a rear AC unit and fan - at least on the passenger vans. We have a 2016 SL and the air is weak out of the rear ceiling vents. I'm not sure how the ducting is routed, but it seems that the air is strongest out of the ceiling vents that are nearest the front of the vehicle and progressively weaker as you go back. It's probably a case of the air taking the path of least resistance. 

 

The second row gets plenty of air from the dash vents. We usually close off (or partially close) some of the ceiling vents toward the front to get stronger air flow to the rear. 

 

The other thing to consider is these vans have a lot of interior volume. There is a lot more air that needs to be cooled down compared to a minivan or a SUV. We used to have a full-size Ford and it was similar.

 

That said, I think Nissan could have done a better job of balancing the flow on those rear vents. 

 

Good luck.

Edited March 12, 2017 by jaredg

[Mark Rogers]

We have the same problem with our 2016 NVP SV.  I usually have to turn the rear air all the way up.  I can't quite keep the back cool enough in the summer, and I can't always keep the side windows from fogging up in the winter.

[A G Anthony]

Is there a separate fuse and blower fan for the rear air in the 2013 NVP? If so wheer is the fuse located and what is the capacity of this fuse?

[CaptainLarry]

So it's taken me a few months to believe my son (the rear seat rider) when he says it's hot back there.  I checked myself during a hot afternoon.  Very little air coming out of the back vent.  Not cold at all.  Probably moving so slow it heats up in the duct before exiting.

 

From the posts it seems I just have to live with it.

 

You can say you love the van.  I say it hauls lots of people and lots of stuff, but it's no Toyota.  No love here.  I'll just bear it for 10+ years.

[Kenny 29]

 

I have had the same problem with the rear a/c . I went through several blowers . I told the dealership that the ductwork or something must have come disconnected or it is plugged up .they would just replace the blower and tell me that it was working like it was supposed too. Ok so when the warranty was up and they would no longer warranty it , another blower went out . I had the hardest time finding the right part number. None of the part houses I went to could pull up the part or cross reference it from the old one . Come to find out Nissan uses that blower in several vehicles. The reason why the air is coming out of the return air vent . (This is the vent on the driver side panel in the rear) the coil was plugged up . I found carpet lent, hair and dirt at least a 1/2 inch thick . Once I got it cleaned and replaced the blower moter , the rear a/c started working like it was supposed to, just like it was when I bought it . This will continue to happen . Call the Nissan headquters and complain . Let them know the issue even if your vehicle is out of warrenty. This is a poor design . And it need to be recalled .The rear a/c needs a filter to keep it from plugging up.

[Kenny 29]

Did not mean to post 3 times

[CaptainLarry]

Kenny,

 

Any tips for getting that panel off?  I have little experience popping auto interior panels.

 

Larry

[JBnew]

Any advice on how to access the panel, etc. would be greatly appreciated.  Struggling with same issue.  Thanks much!

[Mark Rogers]

I have bad news about accessing the blower for the rear vents.  I checked the service manual and it says to get to the blower, you have to remove the whole rear heating and cooling assembly.  The first steps are to discharge the refrigerant and drain the coolant from the vehicle.  That's where I stopped reading and decided it's not my type of DIY project.

 

If there's an easier way, I'd love to hear about it.

[CaptainLarry]

Maybe this is how the whole van market works, but my feeling is this NV passenger is just a bad retrofit of a cargo van.

[NVPeoria]

Bummer... In Arizona my kids get so hot that their faces turn red.... It is dangerous to my families health continue driving this van due to the lack of air that comes out of the vents. I will probably trade in for the Ford Transit. Perhaps they care more about children's health then Nissan.  

[mk1_62]

It's strange that others are having problems, we are in ga, never an issue.

 

Are you making sure to adjust the air as cold as it goes with the controls on the ceiling? My wife thought it auto adjusted with the main controls.

[mk1_62]

Perhaps they care more about children's health then Nissan.

Yeah, you know those evil Japanese, they just hate healthy children. ;) The funny thing is the transit I test drove had no rear air at all.

[ASD Dad]

Funny how the only post by NVPeoria is to come on here and bash Nissan.  Good luck with Transit, I had one as a rental when my NV was in the body shop.  Kept it a day and returned it, that was how bad it was to drive.  

 

I live in SC and travel to FL all the time where it gets plenty hot and have never had an issue or complaint.  The only complaint I get is how hot it gets back there in the winter and have to turn the heat way down.

[Mark Rogers]

To be fair, it seems that the rear climate control's ability to function varies a lot between vans. I've read a lot of comments about how wonderful it is, and a lot of comments about how terrible it is.

 

I have no problem keeping the rear warm enough in the winter, but I can't keep the rear windows from fogging up on really cold days. And I can't always keep the rear cool enough in the summer. The temperature of the fourth row is especially hard to control because there's nearly zero air from the vents back there.

 

I had a dealership look at it, and they say it's functioning normally.

[TinyStudio]

We had Beastie in Florida for spring break a few weeks ago 85° Sunny with a black van I was concerned but we were able to keep it cool and I've got five kids and they have a lot of hot breath so no fogging issues make sure you're not on recirculate and everything's fine for mine so far

[NVPeoria]

Like I said before... so hot for kids. Summer is now upon us and my poor kids are unable to ride in the NV. Yesterday we had temps over 100 degrees and no matter how cold I attempted to make the van, kids had red faces and sweat marks on back.... The air from all rear vents can only be felt about 2 to 3 inches from the vents.... Nissan said this works as it is supposed to...I have a 2013 model. Doe anyone know if the AC blower for the rear was upgraded in the newer models? I cannot possibly transport my family any longer in this unless this is addressed by Nissan. 

 

Does any one know if an aftermarket product can be purchased to increase the air flow in the rear cabin? 

[Mark Rogers]

The air from all rear vents can only be felt about 2 to 3 inches from the vents.... 

 

That's just like my 2016 van.  If you find a solution, please share!

[NVPeoria]

Like I posted earlier... I might be looking into the transit... I do not like the look of the ford att!!!!  however; My family needs air, especially when the weather turns 115 to 120 degrees here

[mk1_62]

It's the same parts for the newer vans, nothing has changed. There is no filter for the rear air so everigets sucked into the vent. The rear return vent is located behind the driver's seat. I would do some inspecting in there and see if it's clogged with junk.

[ASD Dad]

No issues with mine and it gets plenty hot here as well (2015, South Carolina).  I transport adults and kids in the back rows a ton of they're always cool enough if I crank the AC when it's super hot.  It gets loud from the fan noise but it is blowing plenty of air.

 

I agree with above, check the return vent for blockage.  At full speed the fan should be blowing decent air out.  At quieter middle settings it does barely blow much out but not at 3/4 fan speed or more.

 

The only other solution if you really had your heart set on keeping the NV is getting a small roof top AC unit like you see on Sprinters or small camper vans.  That would absolutely cool the back down but would not be cheap.  

[radin2son]

In this situation where the rear ac works well for some and not for others plus the dealer indicates the “not so well or at all” is normal, Nissan Commercial needs to be called. If there are enough complaints, some action may be taken. Also, try another dealer if you have the luxury of one close by.

 

Worse would be bad assembly line installation. If there are enough complaints and it is covered under warranty, Nissan may have to tear out the innards.

 

If cleaning out the return vent works, then the benefits of this site are evident...

[NVPeoria]

I would like to attempt to clean out the return vent,However; all attempts to access it has failed. I do not see how to get into the vent without damaging the vehicle. AHHHHHHH

 

We are talking about a roof AC Unit... Looks stupid and pricey but might keep kids from getting heat exhaustion.