SSM 49264 - Climate Control Temperature Will Not Adjust With Clicking/Snapping Noise From The Dash

[EJH]

A TSB is different than a Recall and may not be covered if the vehicle is out of warranty. Exclusions would be if the Manufacturer decides otherwise.

I understand that. I've had 3-4 TSBs on a couple of Subarus all covered after warranty. Is that due to my dealer, or Subaru, not sure, but it is a nice perk compared to Ford.

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[Muffin1]

This just happened to my 2019 Lariat where the driver side only blows hot air, passenger side is cold, but no audible noise. I called Ford and the rep told me multiple times without a formal recall, there is nothing they can / will do so you're stuck with the bill.

Can you trying calling them on a different day hoping to get a rep more flexible and you suggest that you are willing to absorb some cost/ Good luck.

 

[RangerJ]

Does anyone know if this is an issue on Rangers after 2020? Would upgrading to a 2021 Ranger be safe?

My options are:

1. Pay 3k and wait 2 weeks to get it fixed (and hope they don’t scratch up anything)
2. Trade it in for a newer year, 2021+
3. Trade it in for a different car altogether

If anyone has gotten the dash removed in the Dallas area, I’d love recommendations on which dealership you went to and who did it.

 

[EJH]

Does anyone know if this is an issue on Rangers after 2020? Would upgrading to a 2021 Ranger be safe?

My options are:

1. Pay 3k and wait 2 weeks to get it fixed (and hope they don’t scratch up anything)
2. Trade it in for a newer year, 2021+
3. Trade it in for a different car altogether

If anyone has gotten the dash removed in the Dallas area, I’d love recommendations on which dealership you went to and who did it.

Build dates from the end of July 2020 do not have this issue. Ford changed the heater box part to a better design.

 

[Motorpsychology]

Does anyone know if this is an issue on Rangers after 2020? Would upgrading to a 2021 Ranger be safe?

My options are:

1. Pay 3k and wait 2 weeks to get it fixed (and hope they don’t scratch up anything)
2. Trade it in for a newer year, 2021+
3. Trade it in for a different car altogether

If anyone has gotten the dash removed in the Dallas area, I’d love recommendations on which dealership you went to and who did it.

Build dates from the end of July 2020 do not have this issue. Ford changed the heater box part to a better design.

Oh yes they do. My 2021 has a build date of 4/21 and i had the problem fixed under warranty on 4/25/22. It's worked normally since.

 

[RangerJ]

Oh yes they do. My 2021 has a build date of 4/21 and i had the problem fixed under warranty on 4/25/22. It's worked normally since.

Thank you, that's exactly what I was worried about and needed to know.

 

[Motorpsychology]

Thank you, that's exactly what I was worried about and needed to know.

At the time, I had the problem diagnosed on 4/2/22. The dealer ordered the parts which came in after about two weeks; this was right at the start of covid related shortages, no idea what wait times would be now. Due to scheduling conflicts between the dealer and myself, they couldn't get to it until 4/25/22. Once I brought it back, the job was done the same day.

 

[rmr76]

If anyone has gotten the dash removed in the Dallas area, I’d love recommendations on which dealership you went to and who did it.

My 2019 is getting done at Bob Tomes up in McKinney right now. I'll let you know how it turns out. I do have an extended warranty though and I have a 2023 F150 SuperCrew as a loaner.

 

[RangerJ]

My 2019 is getting done at Bob Tomes up in McKinney right now. I'll let you know how it turns out. I do have an extended warranty though and I have a 2023 F150 SuperCrew as a loaner.

Did they say how long it would take? I made an appointment with an independent shop who specializes in Ford trucks and have done this fix numerous times. It seems all the Ford dealerships in this area have terrible reviews. That shop said it'd take 2 days if parts are available or 1 week if they need to get parts in + fix. Five Star Ford said it'd take 2 weeks to even run diagnostics + another 2 weeks to actually fix it.

 

[rmr76]

Did they say how long it would take? I made an appointment with an independent shop who specializes in Ford trucks and have done this fix numerous times. It seems all the Ford dealerships in this area have terrible reviews. That shop said it'd take 2 days if parts are available or 1 week if they need to get parts in + fix. Five Star Ford said it'd take 2 weeks to even run diagnostics + another 2 weeks to actually fix it.

They told me it would probably be 3 days before they could look at it. I dropped it off Wednesday at lunchtime. I'm hoping it doesn't take too long, but like I said I have loaner that I'm ok with so it's not urgent to me at this point. And obviously parts availability will affect the repair time. All I know is everything is backed up a bit still. I got on the wait list last week so that they would have a loaner available for me. I'll pop back in with an update once they confirm the fix and give me an ETA.

 

[quangdog]

For those of you getting this repair completed (or those who already have) I'd love to know if your invoice/paperwork shows part numbers that were replaced/installed. I'm planning to do this one myself, and want to make sure I order all the correct stuff before I even start the job.

 

[Frenchy]

For those of you getting this repair completed (or those who already have) I'd love to know if your invoice/paperwork shows part numbers that were replaced/installed. I'm planning to do this one myself, and want to make sure I order all the correct stuff before I even start the job.

If you are planning to do it yourself I recommend you don't. Reason being is the lovely 1 2 3 4YF refrigerant in the Ranger. That s*** is expensive.

 

[quangdog]

If you are planning to do it yourself I recommend you don't. Reason being is the lovely 1 2 3 4YF refrigerant in the Ranger. That s*** is expensive.

It's hella more expensive to have a dealer or independent shop do the whole job. I've chatted with a pro mechanic who has done this job, and he says you don't absolutely have to discharge the AC, or drain the coolant. If you replace only the part number that Ford calls out in the shop procedure, I'm pretty sure you stay away from the actual heat exchangers. Most shops simply replace the entirety of the heating/ac system, but only the blend box actually needs to be replaced - as I understand it, this is a separate component.

Still - even if I do have to evacuate the refrigerant, it's a pretty simple matter to take it to a certified shop to recover the freon before I start the job, then take it back and have them re-charge it for me after the job is done. This will cost a few hundred bucks, but that's much, MUCH cheaper than a few thousand in labor to do the whole job.

I have a little more than 40k miles on the truck, and am out of warranty, so I'm paying for the entire repair. May as well save the labor cost by DIY.

 

[Motorpsychology]

For those of you getting this repair completed (or those who already have) I'd love to know if your invoice/paperwork shows part numbers that were replaced/installed. I'm planning to do this one myself, and want to make sure I order all the correct stuff before I even start the job.

My invoice shows the part#'s but not the cost as mine was done under warranty:

 

[airline tech]

It's hella more expensive to have a dealer or independent shop do the whole job. I've chatted with a pro mechanic who has done this job, and he says you don't absolutely have to discharge the AC, or drain the coolant. If you replace only the part number that Ford calls out in the shop procedure, I'm pretty sure you stay away from the actual heat exchangers. Most shops simply replace the entirety of the heating/ac system, but only the blend box actually needs to be replaced - as I understand it, this is a separate component.

Still - even if I do have to evacuate the refrigerant, it's a pretty simple matter to take it to a certified shop to recover the freon before I start the job, then take it back and have them re-charge it for me after the job is done. This will cost a few hundred bucks, but that's much, MUCH cheaper than a few thousand in labor to do the whole job.

I have a little more than 40k miles on the truck, and am out of warranty, so I'm paying for the entire repair. May as well save the labor cost by DIY.

While it is possible to do this without removing the whole assembly, you may have to disconnect the whole assembly to get access to the rear attaching screws (Limited Access)
To allow the assembly to move back far enough off of the firewall to get your hands / tool in that tight area.

It appears you can possibly clear the EVAP Core without disrupting the lines but the Heater Core mounts in the space at the bottom of this part of the assembly, I think this is going to be a road block for a short cut.
It appears the Heater Core will have to slide out of the assembly and out of the way to allow this to raise up and out as it is encased.

Example Pic of Part that is replaced on the most current SSM.

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