Vent control problem - 2004 Echo

Hello: I am having a problem with the vent control knob on my 2004 Toyota Echo (4-dr sedan). The knob switches through the main settings but cannot seem to switch to the two outer-most settings (that is, the face-only setting and defrost-only setting; see photo). If I try switching to these settings, the knob simply springs back to the closest mid-point setting. I have also noticed that if I turn the knob to the left-most setting and then try turning back to the right-most setting, the knob will spring-back to the midpoint between between feet-only and mixed feet and defrost setting. Can someone please help me troubleshoot this and provide a possible solution. Thanks!

It sounds like there is something obstructing the doors. Does your car by chance have an cabin air filter? While extreme, I've seen a duct become totally clogged with debris because the filter was never changed (the owner didn't know it was there) and kept the recirc door from moving such that the gear broke. Or if it is missing, foreign objects (and critters) can make their way in there.

Sometimes you can see the cable that runs down from the back of the dash to the actuators for the doors. You can trace it to see if it has come loose or somethings gotten in the way. You can also usually see the ends of the doors poking through the main duct trunk and watch them rotate as they move. A shot or two of lube could help. Short of tearing apart the dash, this is your best shot.