Defogger problems of the 2004 Dodge Ram 1500

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that while driving during inclement weather, the defroster system malfunctioned. The windshield became very foggy and it was difficult for the contact to see out of the window while driving. The contact took the vehicle to a dealer for a diagnostic test. The dealer stated that the actuator system, heater door and the heater box were defective and needed to be replaced. The contact had all three components replaced. The heater system failure recurred 11,000 miles later. Contact took the vehicle back to the dealer to again have the actuator system, heater box and the heater door replaced for the second time. The failure mileage was 129,556.

Upon starting the vehicle, I turned the climate control to the defrost setting. After 5 minutes, no air was blowing to the windshield, only from the dash vents. No floor air, no defroster air, only dash vent air. Temperature adjusted from warm to cold just fine, however. I called the dealership that I purchased the vehicle from, was told to bring the truck in for a diagnosis at a fee to provide an estimate. I called a second dealership, was told by the service manager that by my description, the "recirc" door and "mode 1" door needed replacement. The "mode 2" door might also need replacement, but that my "blend" door is working. The estimated cost to repair would be around $1300. 00 to get my defroster functioning again. I asked if this was a common issue, he said it was very common. I asked if there was a recall on this issue, he replied that there were no recalls for comfort features, that he was aware of. I would think that the defroster was a safety issue for visibility while driving.

The contact owns a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500. The contact stated that the vehicle was left parked with the engine on and the defroster and heater activated. The vehicle exhibited a loud whistle and as the contact entered the vehicle, there was only cold air emitting from the ventilation. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the blend air door failed and was not allowing the proper amount of air to flow from the vents. The vehicle was in the process of being repaired. The failure and current mileage was 56,000. The VIN was unavailable.