Highlander no heat A/C will not turn off

Hi, my 2006 Highlander suddenly stopped heating last night. The A/C light comes on without being touched. No amount of pushing it will turn it off. The recirculating air button light is also not responsive; it mostly stays on except when I move direction knob to windshield.

I found the long post regarding A/C not coming on and the loose knobs problem. I took all three knobs off and tightedtened down the nuts behind them. I moved all three with my fingers while knobs were off.

Still in the situation where A/C is blasting on a 20 degree night. I don't think the heat is even on while knob is turned to high heat, the air is too cold. Did a horrible job of clearing the fog off the inside of the windshield.

Any ideas besides the $1,000+ gouging by the dealership?

thanks,
Jab