[BaconDouble]

All of a sudden, my level of effort to turn my passenger HVAC knob seems different. I can hear a new faint rubbing/grinding sound when turning it freely with the car off

The knob itself still works and sets the correct temperature, it just feels significantly harder than is used to (unlike the driver’s side).

I can’t see anything obvious stuck behind the knob but will keep looking.

Has anyone else had this issue (stick ??? crumb, dog hair, etc?). I usually keep my interior fairly clean so a little annoyed now.

Does the button (outer ring) pop off so I can see what’s behind there or to clean it?

[BaconDouble]

Update on this - I gently pressed and pulled the knob and wiggled it left and right and it seems to have fixed itself. The wheel no longer feels draggy or makes a grinding noise.

Crisis averted, this was certainly a strange issue.

[Fredo]

Excellent, thank you for posting the solution for future reference.