NHTSA Complaint #10555245 — 2009 DODGE RAM 1500

I NOTICED ABOUT A MONTH AGO THAT MY VEHICLE WOULD MAKE A POPPING NOISE JUST AFTER STARTING IT, REGARDLESS OF DEFROST/HEAT BEING ON OR OFF. IT WOULD MAKE THIS NOISE ABOUT 20-30 TIMES AND THEN STOP. APPROXIMATELY TWO WEEKS AFTER, I NOTICED THAT IT WOULD ALSO DO THE SAME THING 10-15 MINUTES AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE. I OBSERVED THAT WHILE THE POPPING NOISE IS OCCURRING, THE HVAC FAN GOES TO A MINIMUM SETTING AND SOMETIMES STAYS THERE AFTER THE POPPING HAS SUBSIDED. THIS INCLUDES THE DEFROST. NOW THAT COLD WEATHER HAS ARRIVED, I HAVE HAD INSTANCES OF THE WINDSHIELD FREEZING UP WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND REDUCING VISIBILITY TO NOTHING. IT WAS DIFFICULT TO EVEN GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. AFTER SOME RESEARCH, I DETERMINED IT TO BE ONE THE HVAC DOOR ACTUATORS. ACCORDING TO POSTS ON THE INTERNET, THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. 3 OF THE 5 OF THESE ACTUATORS THAT EXIST ON THE VEHICLE ARE RELATIVELY EASY TO ACCESS, SO I OBTAINED ONE OF THESE PARTS AND REPLACED ONE OF THE THREE ACCESSIBLE PARTS (FOUND TO HAVE STRIPPED GEARS). AFTER REASSEMBLING, THE NOISE WAS STILL PRESENT. AFTER, INVESTIGATION, IT APPEARS THAT THE ONE OF THE ACTUATORS ON THE BACK SIDE OF THE HVAC HOUSING HAS GONE BAD, ALSO. THE DEALERSHIP HAS INFORMED ME THAT THE ONLY WAY TO REPLACE THESE IS TO REMOVE THE DASHBOARD. THEY TOLD ME THIS WOULD COST NEARLY $600. THE DEALER ALSO INFORMED ME THAT ALL OF THE ACTUATORS HAVE BEEN SUPERSEDED BY "HIGH TORQUE" ACTUATORS, WHICH MEANS THE MANUFACTURER IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM. THANK YOU. *TR