Just bought a used 2002 Civic. There are three buttons in a row under the stereo for air recirculation, air conditioning, and rear window defogging. All three light up when pushed, but do nothing. Too strange to be a coincidence. Fuses appear to be good. What's a guy to do?

You're in the wrong forum. You need to be in the 7th gen forum.

Pull that panel and look for any loose connections or broken/burnt wires.

Also, download the service manual, do the self-diagnostic and see if you can get a DTC: https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...e-updated.html

the only one you can tell is the a/c if you listen for the fans to turn on outside the car. maybe the recirc too if you have the fan on max and push it, the air should start blowing harder after a few seconds. defrost is for the rear windshield and is silent.