Hi. When I have my climate controls set with the thermostat in the middle and set on PANEL, the air coming out of the vents is colder than the outside air. Shouldn't the PANEL mode act like a vent? Is my AC running? Should it be?

-Sal

 

Set on panel, your A/C should NOT be running. It should only run run when set to any of the positions to the right of center, e.g. panel/floor, floor, defrost, etc.

The easiest way to see if your A/C is running is to look under the hood with the engine running and check to see if the center portion of the A/C clutch is spinning. When the compressor is off, it will not rotate.

//JQ

 

You're talking about the Panel setting to the left of the OFF position? If so, the compressor should be off. If you're talking about he Panel & Floor setting to the right of OFF, then the compressor runs to dehumidify the air which helps prevent fogging of the windows.