I recently switch from a 2013 Limited to a 2017 Limited. The HVAC control in the 2017 seems to be more sensitive to sunlight than to temperature. If the sun is shining brightly on a cool day, the HVAC will control the temperature in the cabin much lower than the set point. The system appears to have much more accurate control in the dark or shade. I understand there is a temp probe on the dash and another down lower on the face of the dash. It seems the temp probe on the dash has most of the control input.
Has anyone noticed this HVAC control issue with their Gen 5 HVAC?
Not positive, but the sensor on the dash I believe is for lighting/control.
The climate sensor should be near your right knee, below the steering wheel. Look for louvers (molded cutouts) about the size of a nickel.
There is a sensor on the dash to help compensate for the effects of strong sunlight vs. simple ambient temperature. It's been a standard feature of Subaru automatic climate control systems for about 15 years that I know of, perhaps longer.
That is what I am talking about. I guess I may need to just learn to live with it. It just seemed like I did not have this problem with the 2013. Minor learning curve issue.
You might try covering the sensor temporarily to see what happens. If that helps, a bit of black tape might be a permanent fix. Not sure how that sensor works, maybe covering part of it would desensitize it.
No issues for our 2016... and we actually found the sunlight sensor particularly practical in the winter! When the sun, is out, but -25C outside, and the HVAC is blasting hot air; it can get too hot very quickly in the habitacle... making you wanting to remove this CanadaGoose jacket!
So it compensates sending cooler air at some point...
Yes, I wouldn"t disable that sensor permanently. I was thinking something like installing a small "condom" on it that could be removed seasonally. I haven't had my OB through the summer yet but I have read some folks have to set the temp selector way high to avoid freezing in the front seat. That could be the same root cause the OP complained about.
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