Broken Blend Doors BigClassaction.com

[Deak]

Yeah the fix was strange, the actuator works and it puts out full heat. When I put the nail it one time it was too low and would not seat properly, 2nd and third times didn't seem to move it at all or when put in would blow cold in the heat range then do nothing and then finally clunk back to heat then when actuated again did nothing. I have not given up on it, i have heat and its winter so when it warms up again I fiddle with it one more time. The door appears to be broken in the place in the diagram. On the ford truck board, someone suggested modelling clay stuffed in opening to get a better idea of where it has broken.


Deak

 

[dogfriend]

Interesting thread. It brings up questions of product expectations vs. implied warranty; class action suits vs. tort reform; effectiveness of alternative blend door repairs.

1. Implied warranty: Is is fair to expect that a product that you buy never have any problems? It would be nice, but they are designed by humans, humans have flaws, products designed by humans can have flaws too. We have a refridgerator which has a shelf support made of plastic which becomes brittle and breaks off every few years. I wouldn't consider suing Fridgedaire over it, I just buy the replacement and I'm happy it wasn't the compressor that failed instead.

2. Class action suits: The only people that come out ahead are the f***ing lawyers. The companies that get sued make a sacraficial offering as a settlement, the customers that were wronged usually get $20 and/or a coupon to buy more bad product from the manufacturer, and the lawyers walk away with a good chunk of change for their "services". Ive been the receipient of two class action settlements, and the best you can hope for is the $20. I would forgo the $20, and try to deal with better companies in the future instead.

3. Effectiveness of blend door repairs: It seems like the "nail through the lever" method of repair is the simplest and easiest, but if that doesn't work, there is another method to replace the blend door which doesn't require removing the dash. It does require evacuating the A/C system, but you should be able to get an A/C shop to recover your R134A and then recharge later for a reasonable fee. The article explaining the other method is in this link:Blend Door Fix

P.S. Also check out the Blend Door Vote

 

[enyego]

I had the pleasure of changing the blend door in my wife's Grand Marquis. I still have the $600, but I must have left a screw out somewhere 'cause something rattles now. Can I sue Ford?

 

[dogfriend]

Originally posted by enyego
I had the pleasure of changing the blend door in my wife's Grand Marquis. I still have the $600, but I must have left a screw out somewhere 'cause something rattles now. Can I sue Ford?

No, its a Ford, its supposed to rattle.

 

[Deak]

Originally posted by dogfriend

1. Implied warranty: Is is fair to expect that a product that you buy never have any problems? It would be nice, but they are designed by humans, humans have flaws, products designed by humans can have flaws too. We have a refridgerator which has a shelf support made of plastic which becomes brittle and breaks off every few years. I wouldn't consider suing Fridgedaire over it, I just buy the replacement and I'm happy it wasn't the compressor that failed instead.

True, but will the shelf support cost 700.00 to replace?
as far as the other repair goes I believe you have to cut into the heater box. I have no desire bodge up a heater box and if they do decide to recall or fix it under a class action suit, they might deny it on the bodged heater box or whatever you have to cut in to.


Deak

 

[dogfriend]

Originally posted by Deak
True, but will the shelf support cost 700.00 to replace?
as far as the other repair goes I believe you have to cut into the heater box.

Deak

My understanding is that you have to trim part of the new door to get it back in, but I don't believe that you have to alter anything else. Even with the door trimmed, it supposedly will still seal as it was meant to.

Its just an option. I personally would rather concentrate on solving the problem rather than expending energy on a class action lawsuit, but that's just my opinion.

 

[GT]

I also worked several hours on the blend door using the quick fix method and could not get it to work. The first time I tried it dropped in and still would not work .Did some re-drilling and moving it around on the actuator but could not get it to work or even drop in the slot.

 

[GT]

blend door problem

worked several hours on this thing and could not get it to work. any suggestions other than taking it somewhere to get it fixed ?

 

[mjbach]

Some folks were having luck cutting in an access door to get to the blend door itself. I don't think Ford spares just the blend door as I hauled home a huge box when my husband sent me over to get the part from the dealership. It was all of the heater ductwork under the dash. I was told about $1100 total for the repair/parts from a different dealership.

If you cut in the hole you'd have to glue together the blend door and patch the hole.

I think the reason these plastic blend doors are breaking is because they are being overdriven by the actuator. We lucked out and were able to use the nail fix. This was on daughter's 97 broke about 3-4 years ago at 75K. Husband's 95 blend door going strong at 330K.

 

[stadx2]

I had that damn blend door break on my 95 Limited and my current 98 Limited!
On both of them, I took my dremel tool with the cut-off wheel attachment, and cut in an access panel (leaving one side attached) with a big enough opening in the new panel door to pull out the blend door.
Once I had the two halves of the door to play with, I glued, screwed, and re-enforced the blend door with thin aluminum straps that wrapped around the hinge portion of the door. Now the door is bulletproof, and better then OEM.
After getting the door back in, I swung the access door back to flush with the rest of the housing, and used a glue called "Shoe Goo" to seal up the seam in the plastic. The Shoe Goo is great for that because it adhears so well and dries to a hard durable rubbery finish.
I did this on both my Explorers for less then $10 each.