I had a loud clicking noise from the grille area last week during a cold start. Upon closer inspection, I saw the grille shutter actuator was the cause. Sounds just like the dreaded HVAC actuator clicking noise on most fords. Unplugged the actuator and left the shutter in the fully open position. New actuator was $95 from Tasca, which is less than my $100 deductible on my ESP. Anyone here ever replaced the shutter motor?

FYI. I did not see any DTC from this issue, even after I unplugged the actuator. Also, Without the shutter closing on a cold start, it def takes a lot longer for the truck to warm up.

 

My 2021 does not throw a code if you unplug it either. It's not too difficult to replace but the whole grill has to come off. There are some good YouTube videos that help. Be gentle when you have to bend the two fan blades to fit the new actuator. It is worth buying a decent tool to remove all of the plastic push pin thingies as there are a lot of them to remove and that way you won't break or bend them up too much. All I can remember.