Need replacement knob for climate control system. 4 door sedan. ID 1G3NL55M2SM303069

If it's cable driven, the cable may have broke the plastic piece it's connected to behind the knob not allowing the turn knob to turn the blend doors through the cable. To find out you will need to take the center trim off and remove the climate control box" the one with all the knobs on it", and see if the cable is connected. Be careful pulling it out as the box will have to be twisted to get to where the cable is attached, very easy to break the plastic pieces as the have been introduced to heat over the last 17 years which degrades the plastic. Hope this helps. Also utube how to remove the climate control unit as this can be very helpful

Hi! Those knobs and stems are indexed. Most likely the knob is cracked and will go on in any position. Check knob/stem for a small metal D shaped sleeve that may have come off or stuck on the stem. Remove that and then buy a new knob.They can be purchased at most auto parts.They are in-expensive. Line up the D shape of the stem with the knob and push it on.

1-check the vent door actuator while you turning the knob from the (vent/defrost/floor) if its not changing the directions and you hear clanking or plastic gear rubbing ..then that's the actuator broken 2-turn the knob again same above and if you don't hear the sound of the actuator ..then you have the climate control unit is defected if its Digital control unit .

yes you can just replce the knob it will come with the white tube

I know exactly what happened. Look at the shifter linkage at the transmission. It's under the hood, close to the firewall, directly forward of the shifter knob. There's a black plastic bushing or connecting piece which broke and became separated from a 5-6mm diameter steel rod. You will see it clearly if you look under the hood while someone else moves the shifter knob around from inside the car. Buy a small metal hose clamp (~1 inch diameter or less, coolant hose clamp, same size as the clamp on the coolant reservoir). Slide it over the steel rod, push the rod back into the broken plastic piece firmly, and slide the clamp over the broken plastic part, and tighten it up. You should have all 5 gears back. It happened to my 1997 900SE, and this improvised repair has been holding up fine for two years now. Good Luck.
Masa

Hey there,
I broke my knob the last year too - was crawling from the passenger side to the driver side and kicked the knob. Was AMAZED at how poorly-designed that piece is.
Anyway, I ended up redesigning a new piece in Fusion 360 and 3D-printing and and reinstalling the knob. It works PERFECTLY and is way stronger than the original. The good news is also that the color doesn't matter. :)
IF YOU NEED THIS FIX, check it out:
3D printed Toyota Highlander Temperature Knob Mount Fix SuperheroDIY

If I understand correctly, the same thing happened to me. It might just be the knob, if you can use pliers to rotate the metal piece where the knob connects then either buy a new knob or you could hot glue the old one in place. Just make sure you have it pointing in the right direction if you do.

Ah, a piece of vac line (1/4" i think) will slide right over the bulb.

The front of the handle has a large "U" clip. Use a screw drive and pry the clip out. It's a lot easier to do when the shifter is pulled all the way back to "1" or "2" but is doable in park still. The handle will then pull up. There will be a plastic piece in it that pushes down to release the lock in the shifter assembly. If when you push the plastic piece down it doesn't release the lock you will have to remove the shifter cover and take a look inside, to see what broke. It may require replacing the whole shifter assembly. You should be able to find the complete assembly used for fairly cheap.

There is one bulb (for all three knobs) behind the center knob. Turn the knob to the straight up and down 12 o'clock position and pull the knob straight out. Wrap a soft cloth around the jaws of a pliers, that works the best. Pull the bulb out with a needle nose wrapped with a rubber band. The bulb is a sylvania 2721, available at most auto parts stores. You can also use a small piece of vacuum tubing to pull the bulb out. (pull straight out, don't twist it)