I recently suffered from the same lack of being able to select where the air blew from (just fixed it this past weekend, actually). But I manually moved my selector to only blow out the vents.
For me the solution was the mode selector actuator. Despite trying the re-calibration, the mode actuator would only make a clicking sound and not move the gear. It is located above the accelerator pedal. It was fairly inexpensive (maybe $40 or so on Amazon), but you have to be a contortionist to remove/reinstall it. It is also important that the calibration marks line up on it before you install it. I found this out the hard way... On mine the calibration was off about 45 degrees, so it would not work properly. I had to remove it again, pop the cover off, remove a gear, and then line it back up.
It is important to follow the re-calibration portion afterwards.
I am happy to finally have the defroster option back.