Honda Fit/Jazz A/C Button Backlight Bulb Replacement

Two independent lamps sit inside the A/C switch: a white one that lights the 'A/C' legend and a blue one behind the indicator that shows when cooling is active. Determine which has died before ordering, because each is a distinct part and they are not interchangeable. On JDM cars the complete switch, bulbs included, is Honda part 80410-SAA-942ZA. For a 2007 US-market base car the reported Honda numbers are 35854-SLN-A01 (used twice, beneath the A/C and defogger switches) and 35855-SLN-A01 (used twice, on the defogger and A/C button sides). The bulbs themselves are too small to be carried by chain parts stores; specialist suppliers such as autolumination.com or online marketplaces stock them, and an auto electrician can rewire an equivalent bulb into the original bayonet housing if no exact match is available.

Look on the underside of the climate control fascia for the single securing screw and remove it. The lower panel is then held only by clips. Ease its front edge downward first to release the forward clip, then push the whole panel toward the front of the car to disengage the three clips along its rear edge. Work slowly and gently; those three rear clips snap off easily if you hurry.

Before the climate panel will come free it must be released by two 8mm bolts, a step the original writeup omitted because a prior stereo installation had apparently left them out of that car. Sight up behind the fan controls: one bolt sits at the far left and one at the far right, just above the controls. They take a Phillips bit and are fairly tight, so a socket or nut driver works better than a screwdriver and stops the bolts from dropping down into the dash as they come loose.

With the bolts out, the climate and audio panel is retained only by clips: two down each side and three across the top. Grip it and draw it straight toward you. It resists at first, but steady, even pressure works it free without cracking the surrounding trim.

You do not have to strip the whole assembly. Drawing the panel forward a few inches usually exposes the back of the A/C switch well enough to work in the gap, and several owners report finishing the job without disconnecting the climate control cables, the airbag, or the battery. If access is still too tight, pulling the head unit out opens up the awkward left-side clip and the switch considerably. Use plastic pry bars to lever so you do not scar the trim.

Reach into the gap and locate the connector feeding the A/C switch. Depress its release tab and unplug it. If you decide to remove the panel completely instead, the air-mix, recirculation, and mode control cables end in simple loops that hook over levers and lift straight off, though most people leave them connected.

Free the switch through the front of the panel by pressing the small black tab on each side inward while sliding the switch out through the face. Reaching the second tab is awkward, so angle your hand around to it rather than forcing the switch; broken tabs will ruin the button and force you to replace the whole unit.

Turn the switch over to see its two bulbs; the one you are replacing sits directly behind its own light opening. Seat a flathead screwdriver in the bayonet base and rotate it a quarter turn counterclockwise, then withdraw the bulb. When fitting a blue indicator lamp, transfer the small blue cap from the old bulb onto the replacement so the indicator keeps its colour. Install the new bulb with the reverse quarter turn to lock it.

Reconnect the switch connector, clip the switch back into the panel, and reverse the disassembly: seat the panel clips, refit the two 8mm bolts, then reinstall the lower trim panel and its screw. Power up and confirm the new bulb lights correctly before final tightening, so you are not repeating the teardown.