...but it records my movements.
 
I'm finishing up mixes for an album project and I was writing some pan automation for a track, using the auto-record button [red] (next to the auto-play button [grey-ish]).
So i toggle record on and play the song and move the pan around, and the automation channel draws the levels...  everything works fine during record, but the pan doesn't respond on playback.  I have had it responding in the past, and then stop responding. 
So now i'm combing the internet for help fragments
Actually now all my automation in not responding...
Is there a global R enable or something?
 

UPDATE: OK, it still 'looks' like it is not playing the automation, but it does sound like it is playing it. 

This happened to me for the first time a few days ago. I opened a project that I hadn't worked on for a few weeks and the volume automation didn't work, on any of the tracks that had volume automation on them. I must have tried a dozen or more button pushes, and setting changes, but to no avail. Eventually I did what every computer tech does when nothing else works, I did a reboot of the computer. All automation worked perfectly after the reboot.
I have no idea what the culprit was and have not had the issue again. Seemed to be just a gremlin in the system that needed purging. Let us know what you find as I would like to know what it is that might cause this issue so I can track it down next time it occurs.

Thanks for the feedback, rebe1007.  I hope your gremlin doesn't come back.  My gremlin is still here. 
 
A new day, a re-boot, and i still do not see the pan move, i should specify, in the track view.  I almost never use the console view.  My automations are entered using mouse - would it make any difference if i entered pans using automation lanes directly as opposed to 'grabbing' the pan slider in track view?
 
I'm not sure if this is a feature, a bug, or maybe it's Sonar dropping screen functions now that my project is getting large, which would be a feature, actually, rather than a rude crash some time later. 
The project is big enough that i'm getting occasional drop outs and crashes now, although the eight bars are at ~20% and the disk meter is at 45%~50% and RAM at 20%.  Is Sonar gracefully dropping video tasks to keep the DAW running?
 
 

 I was writing some pan automation for a track, using the auto-record button [red] (next to the auto-play button [grey-ish])

 
I've never recorded automation this way.
Right click the control - pan in your case - and select "Automation Write Enable"
Now play your project and move the pan control where/when you want
When you've finished, disable write automation and make sure read automation is enabled.

Offset mode?