Blower Problems of Ford Explorer

I own a 1996 Ford Explorer sport 4x4, 4. 0 liter v6 with 5 speed manual transmission. This is a motor made in germany and the truck, in the louisville, ky. Ford plant. Rodents took up residence in the heating system, and filled the heater blower assembly and ducting with scavenged materials, which took up approx. 1 cubic foot of space, once extracted. Much to my benefit, the material just so happened to be fire resistant stuffing from my archery target, stored in the same building. I started my vehicle and immediately upon turning on the heater, I heard a terrible noise which ended abruptly. My heater stopped when the noise stopped. In an effort to diagnose the problem I inspected the engine compartment. I then noticed a burnt smell, but saw no smoke. Upon replacing my blower motor I inspected the old one, which has charred remnants of the foreign material inside and wrapped around the electrical components. The only opening to the inner components of the blower motor is about 1" in diameter and has a rubber tube plugged into it. It appeared undisturbed and was connected when I first serviced it. I also discovered an opening on the lower side of the blower fan housing, near the firewall. This unobstructed opening facilitated the rodents' entry to the heating system. It is of my opinion this is unsafe, and had the foreign material not been flame resistant, I'm convinced my vehicle would have burned. I entered my VIN number into Ford's official web site, and was returned zero results for recalls of any sort. I did not find any recalls related to heater blowers for similar models either. I have repaired the heating system but am at a loss for how to prevent this in the future, as this opening still exists and I'm unaware of any sanctioned remedies.

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The heaters blending door is broken so the air flow will not be redirected. It is currently in the dashboard setting and I am unable to redirect air flow to the defroster. The dealership wanted $1500 to replace the heater because the broken part is molded onto the heating element and they need to remove the entire dashboard. I searched for similar complaints, and Fords vehicles have a long history of blending door problems. Not being able to redirect the air flow is extremely dangerous, especially during the winter months.

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The contact owns a 2004 Ford Explorer. The contact stated that the blower that recirculates air has failed. As a result, fumes and anti-freeze consume the passenger compartment of the vehicle. The contact suffers from numerous headaches and sleepiness. She consulted with a medical physician and was informed that the amount of fumes being congested poses a significant safety risk. The dealer stated that the flapper for the blower needed to be replaced at the cost of $300. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 56,000 and current mileage was 86,000. Updated 3/24/09 updated 03/27/09.

-the contact owns a 2003 Ford Explorer with an odometer reading 58000 miles and the front defroster did not work. The contact stated that while was driving at 45 mph he heard sound coming from dashboard, then the defroster failed to blow hot air. Presently, only cold air blew out from the defrost. The contact took the car to the dealer, and they told him that the vehicle was out of warranty, and he would have to pay for the repair. Also, he called the manufacturer, and they told him to take it to the dealer to have it fixed because there is no recall at this time. Updated.

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I am the original owner of this 1997 Ford Explorer. After a few years, I started to have problems with the heat/defrost. I have had this repaired twice costing around $2000 total. Once again, I no longer have heat/defrost and am scheduled for an evaluation next Monday. During snow and rain, not only are you miserable because of the cold but it is dangerous when you are trying to clear the condensation off the window to have complete visibility.

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My Ford Explorer '96 SUV cabin climate control stopped working 2 yrs ago at 70k miles. It only blows burning hot air or freezing cold air. Dealer wants $900 to replace the blend door. Ford will not fix this. The vehicle was expensive & this is a manufacturing defect that ruins the utility of the vehicle. In winter, windows frost impairing visibility. This is the top-of-the-line eddie bauer edition. . . Ford needs to take responsibility for its manufacturing defects.