this one is easy your switch the controls the vents is not working there is a flap the closes the defrost vents so that it goes through the other vents or there is a vacumn line that is controlled by the switch, and its leaking. The vacumn line is usually on the engine side of the firewall. It is a very small plastic tube comming out of the middle of the firewall at the top and it connects to a junction with other vacumn lines. See if any of them are disconnected.
You have a vacuum leak causing your vents to switch from dash to defrost.
When there is a problem in the vent system it defaults to defrost setting. Check the doors & vac supply
If central air conditioner turns on but is not blowing through the vents, check the filter. If it is dirty, change it. Change the thermostat into cool, this will defrost the air conditioner.
2003 crown vic air conditioning vent dont blow
Check for a vacuum leak -sounds like it is starving for vacuum and reverts to the default position
This should answer your question. I too had this same problem on my 96 mustang and found this site useful. http://forums.stangnet.com/740776-posessed-air-conditioning.html
when it happened to mine, it was because the arm behind the dash that controls the internal vent doors slipped off
This is very common on many vehicles and its either a broken, cracked or removed vacuum line.......
I am sorry, I am not technical on this stuff, but we had the same problem on our 95 Mustang GT. We had to take it into the dealer and the problem was that one of the hoses had come loose, so it was not blowing enough air pressure to force the vents open.
The year, make and model would help but many vehicles use vacuum to operate the direction of air flow through the floor vents, dash vents and defrost vents. If the vacuum supply is cut off for whatever reason the system defaults to defrost only. So if you only have the defrost mode working chances are the vacuum supply is cut off. Check the HVAC vacuum supply line under the hood for damage. If that system seems to be working but you have insufficient air flow through all of the vents, check/replace the cabin filter if applicable.
Check your blend door for proper operatin. Check your ac gas level. make sure your condenser and orice tubes are not stopped up.
Check under the hood for a disconnected or damaged vacuum line. The controls are vacuum operated and if the vacuum supply is cut off the system defaults to defroster only.