NHTSA Complaint #10270092 — 2002 DODGE RAM 1500

THE HEATER / AC FAN BECAME INOPERATIVE AT ANYTHING OTHER THAN THE HIGH SPEED SETTING. WHEN I REMOVED THE FAN SPEED RESISTOR BLOCK I FOUND THE AREA TO BE PACKED WITH DRY AND BURNT LEAVES AND ACORN CAPS, CONSISTENT WITH THOSE FROM THE COAST LIVE OAK TREES ON MY PROPERTY AND IN MY COMMUNITY. THE RESISTOR BLOCK POWER SUPPLY IS EQUIPPED WITH A SPRING-LOADED SOLDER CONNECTION APPARENTLY DESIGNED TO INTERRUPT POWER IF THE CIRCUIT BECOMES HOT ENOUGH TO APPROACH THE MELTING POINT OF THE SOLDER. THE SYSTEM PARTIALLY WORKED BY CUTTING POWER UNDER EXTREME HEAT CONDITIONS. I FEEL THOUGH, THAT ALLOWING A LARGE QUANTITY OF COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS TO ENTER AND COLLECT IN AN AREA WHERE HEAT APPROACHING THE MELTING POINT OF SOLDER IS PRESENT IS UNACCEPTABLE. I PHOTOGRAPHED AND RETAINED ALL OF THE DRY TREE MATERIAL POSSIBLE THAT WAS REMOVED FROM THE RESISTOR / FAN AREA. MUCH OF IT WAS REDUCED TO A BLACK CARBON POWDER. THE VOLUME WOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 50 CUBIC INCHES OF LOOSE MATERIAL. I RESOLDERED THE SPRING-LOADED CONNECTION AND RE-INSTALLED THE RESISTOR BLOCK. INITIAL TESTS SHOWED THAT IT WAS OPERATING CORRECTLY AND COOL TO THE TOUCH. SEVERAL HOURS OF DRIVING THIS PAST WEEKEND PRODUCED THE SAME RESULTS BUT I WOULD LIKE TO REPLACE THE RESISTOR. *TR