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if you have the shift on the middle counsel I hope you are under warranty. they have to take the dash off and part of the counsel according to the dealer. part and 6-8 hours labor. my dealer quoted between 8-1000 on my truck and my dads truck. I talked them into warranty on mine my dad was not so lucky. his happened with just under 37k miles.
Had mine replaced last year....Thank goodness for extended warranty! Dash was all torn apart and I was without my truck for 3 days. I was quoted the same price as you were!
Pretty sure this problem just showed up in my 2009 platinum (49k miles). I am going to see if I can figure out the rest trick but it doesn't seem to be the long term answer. Thank you Ford for putting a cheap part, prone to failure, deep in my very electronic, very expensive, very overwhelming dash.
Showed up on my truck just after 36k miles. Another example of a long standing issue with Ford trucks that Ford won't permanently fix. Between this and brand new trucks rolling off the line with 3rd brake light leaks you have to wonder if Ford cares. They care not about customer but only sales numbers.
Have you had your dealership perform an inspection, kulak? If you've already had a diagnosis, then I'll be happy to check out ways to assist. PM me your information, including full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, mileage, and servicing dealership.
Have you had your dealership perform an inspection, kulak? If you've already had a diagnosis, then I'll be happy to check out ways to assist. PM me your information, including full name, best daytime phone number, VIN, mileage, and servicing dealership. Crystal
Unfortunately I can't make a case to do it. Diagnostic fee is much more than the part. It is obvious the actuator is the problem. Changing the temp gives the click of death in the dash.
I'm sure the engineers at Ford know about it. There are so many articles and videos on how to replace it dating back to the mid 2000s including the Expedition and Lincoln badged equivalents. There are also a variety of non OEM replacements. The 3rd party suppliers wouldn't even make this part if it didn't fail commonly. It is so common dealers readily stock the part.
I'll have to continue referring people here and other sites if they are considering an F150 or Expedition. This is unfortunately not the only very common problem year after model year.
I really just want the engineers at Ford to make a permanent design fix. I feel sorry for the owners with the console shifter. They have a lot more dash to tear apart and the labor cost that go with it.
For now I'll replace it myself. It is just annoying.
2011 FX4 Eco bought with 29000mi. (Dual Climate control & Nav system)
Now has 37000 and I was stupid enough to pay for an extended warranty that "according to the dealer" covered everything. Started to hear that click, click, click when the the air came on. I figured it was the actuator/blend door so I called the dealer.
Warranty manual is so convoluted even they couldn't decide if it was covered so I call the warranty number and ......of course it ISN'T covered. Dealer wanted $100 just to tell me what I already know. They said they might get with Ford IF I bring it in. No guarantee about who gets to pay though. I told 'em I'd think about it.
After doing a little looking I see that this is a recurring problem on a lot of F150's. IMHO it's a sad state of affairs when Engineers put a cheap $30 dollar part that is so prone to fail in a place that takes 2 or 3 (or 5 -6) hours worth of labor to get to. We're not changing spark plugs here or replacing a belt.
What's really sad is I had just recently contacted their Pre-owned Department about buying another Ford from them even though I have 4 or 5 dealers that are closer. They are about 30 miles one way so I told him that if I have to pay for Ford's cheap design I would just consider going for the repairs at a closer dealer or an independent and I'd be buying from someone else. I've owned 2 Chevy's, 1 Jeep, and 7 Ford Products. Now someone tell me why this 65 year old should stay loyal to Ford.
Rant Over
UPDATE
2011 F150 FX4 Eco with bucket seats & console...
Thanks to Todd & John at Mike Brown Ford Service Dept. in Granbury, Texas. They confirmed it was the blend door actuator behind the Nav Screen and even though I had 37K miles they acknowledged the problem and had me in and out in about a 1/2 day with out of pocket expense of only $126 (This also included a state inspection). These two worked diligently with Ford on my behalf to get Ford to cover part of the cost.
FWIW I didn't buy this truck at this dealer and I have never bought a vehicle from this dealer, but you can bet with this level of service I will be seeing them again.
...Thanks to Todd & John at Mike Brown Ford Service Dept. in Granbury, Texas. They confirmed it was the blend door actuator behind the Nav Screen and even though I had 37K miles they acknowledged the problem and had me in and out in about a 1/2 day with out of pocket expense of only $126 (This also included a state inspection). These two worked diligently with Ford on my behalf to get Ford to cover part of the cost...
Fantastic news, Greg S; it sounds like they took great care of you! If you'd like, I'd be happy to document this feedback in our system so the right folks can check it out. To proceed, PM me your full name, best daytime phone number, dealer info, and any specifics you'd like me to include. I'll do the rest!
I bought the part, AL3Z-19E616-A for $20.83 for my 2011 XLT with 37k mi. It took an hour of fooling around to get it installed and tested. I don't know about everyone else but I don't make $150/hr so it was worth my time to do it. It'll be even quicker to replace when it fails again in 35k. Recommend for anyone who is out of warranty and has just minimal amount of mechanical ability.
I figured with Ford diagnostic fee + inflated dealer part price + 2 or 3 hrs of labor puts me way ahead even with any good-will assistance from Ford.
As widely known the worst part is the back bolt. I messed with a smallish 1/4 socket driver through the radio hole as the tips say to do. Finally got a 8mm box wrench, wedged my hand up through the glove box on top of the evaporator box. Got to a perfect angle to make it easy.
Put it all back together, pull the climate control fuse for a 1min, set ignition to on but not start, let it self calibrate. Problem solved...no more click of death.
Thanks Ford Engineering + Bean Counters for the worst design and/or cheapest supplier unchanged since at least 2007 MY.
I have a 2010 Lariat with 185k miles. Today, the passenger's side vents went to full hot. All other vents were nice and cold. I did NOT hear a clicking noise. Am I likely suffering the dreaded actuator motor problem? How do I know if it's the actuator or the blend door itself?
In the meantime, I installed a couple of hose pinchers on the heater hose, but I need to get this fixed before long.
07-12-2014, 10:08 AM
