NHTSA Complaint #10231042 — 2004 FORD EXPLORER

I HEARD A CLICKING SOUND UNDER MY DASH AND DID NOT HAVE HEAT. I ASKED FORD DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSIS PROBLEM AND WAS QUOTED $1400 TO REPAIR HEATER PLENIUM AND POSSIBLE BLEND DOOR REPAIR( DIAGNOSIS ALSO COST $90). DID NOT HAVE PROBLEM FIXED FOR THAT AMOUNT BUT WAS CONCERNED AS I LIVE IN WISCONSIN AND HEAT IS NECESSARY TO DEFROST WINDSHIELD. LATER, I GOOGLED THE PROBLEM ( FORD EXPLORER CLICKING SOUND AND NO HEAT) AND WAS SURPRISED TO SEE MANY ARTICLES ABOUT THIS ISSUE AND THAT FORD HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS ENGINEERING PROBLEM SINCE 1995. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS COSTLY AND PROBABLY COULD HAVE BEEN DONE BY A FIRST YEAR TECHNICIAN FOR LESS THAN WHAT I PAID AS I LATER FOUND OUT, THE BLEND DOOR ISSUE IS A WELL KNOWN PROBLEM. I THEN CONTACTED FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT FORD COULD OR WOULD DO FOR ME AND THIS ISSUE. IN MY OPINION AND MANY OTHERS I HAVE DISCUSSED THIS ISSUE WITH, HAVING A BLEND DOOR FAILURE IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I WILL NEED TO DEAL WITH IT BEFORE FALL AS I CAN NOT DEFROST WINDSHIELD WITH COLD AIR. *TR