2019 Heater Box failed. Getting rid of this truck.

[MagneticRanger]

Kinda curious of how your heater worked prior to failure?
I know venting to floor heat is pretty non-existent in my truck and my overall opinion of the ventilation system sucks compared to my 97.

Yes the floor heat in my '19 and even now in my '21 is...well I'll say functional....it does what it needs to do but is nothing to write home about.

Prior to HVAC case failure I can definitely say the defroster and Heat from the front vents are excellent....like when it's set to hot ..it's roasting.

In fact in my '19 I did not have the sync touch screen just the 4 in non touch for the rear camera/radio and I swear I had the heat on at times in the winter that was so hot I figured was causing some form of thermal limit break as my radio screen would just remain off and of no use until my truck sat off for awhile and I restarted it.

My dealership couldn't tie the issue to the heat but used a TSB to re-program the APIM claiming that's the solution...but it still reoccurred from time to time.

Anyways I got off topic here....during this late fall when I finally made the switch from windows down to heat it was very apparent it was not like it was temperature wise.....a full swing of the temp control dial from ice cold to Max heat produced NO variation in temp.....it remained barely luke warm if that even ..probably because the blend door was stuck just ajar enough to trickle out some heat

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[MagneticRanger]

Although I have a Lariat if I had a choice I'd opt for manual climate controls, I've experienced issues with ACC in both of my 9-5 Saabs and other auto maskers have had issues with ACC .Like a good many other components in todays auto the size and the weight reductions have sometimes resulted in integrity issues.

A SSM bulletin is a long ways off from causing a NHTSA safety recall , I would advise out of warranty owners with issues to make sure they work with Ford in the hope of getting some financial assistance. Myself I do not believe in the value o x warranties.

This is true!...regarding climate control issues in general..I wouldn't go as far to say this a "Ford" part or design problem...but clearly is/was a problem of the part whomever manufactured it that Ford sourced for this truck.

If anyone wants to take a quick sweep on Google looking up blend door and warped HVAC issues across all forums GM, Toyota, Nissan, Chrysler(Ram/Jeep) for example...you will see it's an issue across the board in varying scenarios.

I know that brings little comfort to someone experiencing this issue right now...I'm just saying before someone buries this truck on this issue ..there are others out there as well.

 

[dtech]

My experience with Saabs - the ACC box was made by Valeo and many owners had issues, the majority were blend door issues caused by cracked shafts, weakly made stop arms and servo motors failing. Ways were found to enact these repairs without removing the ACC box, but sometimes the entire ACC box needed to be replaced owing to warping of the plastic.
The other reasons I'd prefer manual is that the ACCs autos I've owned - except for my 1991 Taurus SHO - many times I would have to adjust the settings manually to maintain a comfortable setting or defrost the windshield. With the Ranger I have to manually adjust the fan speed to maintain the desired temp in hot weather.
But most if not all upper trim levels seem to use ACC.

 

[Langwilliams]

There are videos of individuals replacing the actuator which may or may not be a temporary fix.....but the reality is IF the HVAC casing has warped replacing the actuator would just be a temporary solution.

I can see a few things happening but none help the OP. Since Ford was aware of the problem an issued a TSB if enough owners have this problem out of warranty I see a potential class action lawsuit coming. Like with the focus an fiesta transmissions. My focus didn't have the problem but I got extra trade in allowance an a bonus rebate because mine fell in the production period.

I can also see more DIY fixes coming from people like the ones on this forum. Necessity is the mother of invention an when you don't have $3,700 to fix a truck you may still owe money on people get inventive looking for solutions.

Even if replacing the actuator is only a temp repair it keeps you on the road or gets it good enough to trade in without taking a hit for it. If Ford resells it as certified the new owner would get a warranted repair most likely.

 

[Jrel209]

Well shit, just verified build date july20th….. hope more people report this so it becomes a recall or something, because id be pretty pissed if this happens past my warranty.

 

[Progeny2021]

Ford said I ran over an IED - glad I ran across this thread. This happened over 2 years ago and still no satisfaction. Going to phone Ford monday and tell them the heater box exploded. Only 25 miles on the odo. I told the bank to come and get it and they refused.

 

[Progeny2021]

regarding extended warranties, i wont waste my money. Its a huge money maker for them.

Similar experience here.

 

[Langwilliams]

regarding extended warranties, i wont waste my money

I mostly agree. I bought it on my 2016 fusion after the 2013+ focus transmission mess. Never used it. at 62K traded it for the ranger an didn't guy the warranty.

With all the electronics, the large screen an this hvac I understand the buying it. Maybe it's worth $1,200 for peace of mind. Seems like major things like the engine an trans aren't usually the problem it's all the covenience stuff that fails.

 

[Progeny2021]

I mostly agree. I bought it on my 2016 fusion after the 2013+ focus transmission mess. Never used it. at 62K traded it for the ranger an didn't guy the warranty.

With all the electronics, the large screen an this hvac I understand the buying it. Maybe it's worth $1,200 for peace of mind. Seems like major things like the engine an trans aren't usually the problem it's all the covenience stuff that fails.

My Ranger has been flawless to date as all 3 previous Rangers I've owned going back to 1988.

Regarding my 2020 Chrysler 300S, I was seriously considering buying the extended warranty when I found out there had been issues with the 5.7L motor over the years. Otherwise, the power windows seem to be the other 'issue'?

The 5.7 had problems with the valve seats initially, then with the timing chain/gear when MDS was introduced. Then, it was cam/lifter failures. Updates/recalls have corrected these issues for several years now. Valve seat detachment was a manufacturing problem at the mexican engine plant. The timing chain/gear was an unsuitable design for the MDS setup, while the cam/lifter failures were attributed to owners using the incorrect viscosity oil, poor quality oil and/or not changing the oil at the prescribed intervals.

Properly maintained high mileage motors have been disassembled to find immaculate or near immaculate valve train components. Enough potential buyers were concerned about the 5.7 reliability that my selling dealer gives a free lifetime limited powertrain warranty to the original purchaser. Go to the 300 forums and you'll find people who bought their cars new years ago, bought the extended warranty and never used it.

I feel good about the 300 going forward, as I do the Ranger.

 

[MagneticRanger]

My Ranger has been flawless to date as all 3 previous Rangers I've owned going back to 1988.

Regarding my 2020 Chrysler 300S, I was seriously considering buying the extended warranty when I found out there had been issues with the 5.7L motor over the years. Otherwise, the power windows seem to be the other 'issue'?

The 5.7 had problems with the valve seats initially, then with the timing chain/gear when MDS was introduced. Then, it was cam/lifter failures. Updates/recalls have corrected these issues for several years now. Valve seat detachment was a manufacturing problem at the mexican engine plant. The timing chain/gear was an unsuitable design for the MDS setup, while the cam/lifter failures were attributed to owners using the incorrect viscosity oil, poor quality oil and/or not changing the oil at the prescribed intervals.

Properly maintained high mileage motors have been disassembled to find immaculate or near immaculate valve train components. Enough potential buyers were concerned about the 5.7 reliability that my selling dealer gives a free lifetime limited powertrain warranty to the original purchaser. Go to the 300 forums and you'll find people who bought their cars new years ago, bought the extended warranty and never used it.

I feel good about the 300 going forward, as I do the Ranger.

Stellantis has corrected all the issues with the Hemi's by discontinuing production of them.

The orphaned products now look like a turbo 6 in their future....and phev/Bev

Like most other manufacturers downsizing and trying to increase efficiency on their ICE....the next decade will be a steady decline....what I have now actually may be my last true full ICE vehicle

 

[Progeny2021]

Stellantis has corrected all the issues with the Hemi's by discontinuing production of them.

The orphaned products now look like a turbo 6 in their future....and phev/Bev

Like most other manufacturers downsizing and trying to increase efficiency on their ICE....the next decade will be a steady decline....what I have now actually may be my last true full ICE vehicle

Sad but true. It breaks my heart knowing the 300 has been on 'life support' in recent years, while the Charger/Challenger still sell well. My 2020 was the last year the 300 was offered in a full range of models/options. Decontenting started with the 2021 model year. Wild rumors of a rebadged Peugeot 508 being the next 300/Charger. I seem to think that won't happen. I do find the 508 wagon appealing.

 

[VegasRanger]

So just to recap, if you have a 2021 you shouldn’t have this issue with the heater box?

 

[MagneticRanger]

So just to recap, if you have a 2021 you shouldn’t have this issue with the heater box?

I wouldn't say that having a 2021 would be a guarantee of it not happening....but the evidence to date out there has no TSB's or SSM's that show it being as common of an occurrence as it was for some 2019/2020 models

Unless anyone here with a '21 has the issue and wants to chime in on it.

 

[SaberRanger]

Do 2019 Lariat’s with auto dual zone have this issue?

I was sitting at a light today and I turned down my heat a few degrees and I heard some popping from behind the dash.

I hope my truck doesn’t have this problem, anything I can do to test to see if it does have this issue?

 

[MagneticRanger]

Do 2019 Lariat’s with auto dual zone have this issue?

I was sitting at a light today and I turned down my heat a few degrees and I heard some popping from behind the dash.

I hope my truck doesn’t have this problem, anything I can do to test to see if it does have this issue?

Your 2019 Lariat would definitely be included on the list of affected vehicles regardless of auto climate or manual controls.

There really is no test you can perform...that said I would be keeping a strict eye and ear on it.

In my case yes the popping and snapping from behind the dash was a precursor to the failure...but just so we are clear because noises can come from anything really for me I tried multiple times turning off the HVAC system which then produced the noise over and over again.

If your issue is in fact the HVAC problem what is happening is that your blend door is struggling to open/close because the casing has become warped and the door is making the popping/snapping noise.

In theory if your blend door failed to open or had difficulties opening it *may* have produced an error code inside your FCIM...this won't throw a dash light or warning to you so you wouldn't even know it existed but can be retrieved by your dealer technician with a scan.

If your issue is the HVAC problem its anyone's guess as to how long you have until you experience heating/cooling control issues...looking back for me it was probably within a few weeks after realizing the noise behind the dash

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