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Blend Door Actuator Issue Thread

Who has had blend door actuator problems?

  • '14 Fiesta ST

    Votes: 143 28.9%
  • '15 Fiesta ST

    Votes: 144 29.1%
  • '16 Fiesta ST

    Votes: 143 28.9%
  • '17 Fiesta ST

    Votes: 65 13.1%

  • Total voters
    495

maestromaestro

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Thanks. After a cursory search, indeed - I am a part of a growing number of Ford owners who have this problem (not confined to FiSTs, or Fiestas). We'll see what the dealer says - I am at this point disinclined to writhe on the floor contorting my hands after having removed a bunch of stuff.

On the other side, the brake pedal sensor is also malfunctioning, as the brakes lights only engage if I stomp on the pedal - trim braking doesn't trigger the lights. So, maybe I will get them both fixed at the same time.
 


Intuit

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Have manual blend doors on my old vehicle. It has rods connecting the doors to the lever on the center console.

Operating these blend doors when the windows are cracked or down and at highway speeds requires *A LOT* of extra force.

This isn't a defect, it is result of the negative pressures created inside the cabin.

Two suggestions that may help avoid or at least delay the onset of this problem.
1) Turn off your system when you're not using it. Those doors move with each and every ignition off and on otherwise. That's a lot of extra wear/tear for something you're not really using.
2) Avoid changing settings that manipulate the blend doors while at highway speeds, more especially if the windows are down.
 


maestromaestro

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Have manual blend doors on my old vehicle. It has rods connecting the doors to the lever on the center console.

Operating these blend doors when the windows are cracked or down and at highway speeds requires *A LOT* of extra force.

This isn't a defect, it is result of the negative pressures created inside the cabin.

Two suggestions that may help avoid or at least delay the onset of this problem.
1) Turn off your system when you're not using it. Those doors move with each and every ignition off and on otherwise. That's a lot of extra wear/tear for something you're not really using.
2) Avoid changing settings that manipulate the blend doors while at highway speeds, more especially if the windows are down.
Living in Houston, the AC is pretty much on 9 months out of the year. The windows are never down.
However, I am wondering what is the downside of this actuator not working (I am assuming that the clicking means the door is not moving) - the AC blows cold, and pretty much the same as before, as far as I can tell.

??
 


M-Sport fan

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The blend door still works/actuates, but possibly a tooth missing from that cog, like in the pic above, is the cause of your loud clicking issue. [dunno]
 


maestromaestro

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The blend door still works/actuates, but possibly a tooth missing from that cog, like in the pic above, is the cause of your loud clicking issue. [dunno]
Got it. Just talked to a "service advisor" at one of the dealerships here, and they want the car for 3 days. The first thing out of his mouth was "the whole dash needs to come off". I noted that, based on the interweb research, it may be accessible from the footwell. He replied that there are 3 of these in the Fiestas, and at least one of them can't be accessed without removing the dash. I have a bad feeling about this - not because that this is the case, but because this kind of conversation makes me think that they may not exactly know what they're doing... [nono]
 


Intuit

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The Service Managers do not perform the work. The mechanics do. As a result, they may not have precise details on every repair. The mechanics generally don't dive into a repair blind, and will consult All Data and/or some other electronic reference material before beginning the work.
 


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Tulsa
Ugh this just started making the noise this morning. I guess I'll be taking it to the dealership for "warranty" hopefully.
 


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Roseville
Even though it is a known issue to Ford, should be a TSB, mine started at 42k miles, I'm out of warranty and they will not honor it. So I ordered it off Rock Auto and its sitting on the bench until I get sick of looking at it and put it in.
 


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Location
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Even though it is a known issue to Ford, should be a TSB, mine started at 42k miles, I'm out of warranty and they will not honor it. So I ordered it off Rock Auto and its sitting on the bench until I get sick of looking at it and put it in.
Damn that's bs my buddy works for Ford he's checking on this for me.
 


maestromaestro

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Went to the dealership, and got it fixed under warranty. The service adviser said that this is indeed a common problem for a number of Ford models. In some vehicles, the access is easier, but for the FiSTs, it is a pain in the butt to get to the part.
 


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Location
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Went to the dealership, and got it fixed under warranty. The service adviser said that this is indeed a common problem for a number of Ford models. In some vehicles, the access is easier, but for the FiSTs, it is a pain in the butt to get to the part.
How long did they have the car? I'm making an appointment with Ford kinda hoping they will give a loaner car.
 


maestromaestro

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How long did they have the car? I'm making an appointment with Ford kinda hoping they will give a loaner car.
In my case, it took them several days - some scheduling issues, and I had another thing to fix (the brake sensor wouldn't come on until the brake pedal was fully depressed).
The expectations are that they should only keep it for a day - I believe that it is a 4 hour job.

"Loaner car" - unlikely, for a FiST, even if you bought it from them. It ain't a luxury car.
 


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Location
Roseville
So in the threads on this forum there are two part numbers referenced, Motorcraft YH1896 and YH1935. The YH1896 is the $6 part at Rockauto right now, the YH1935 is $33. I ordered the $33 on accident, but it appears they both work.

Here they are side by side:

http://www.fiestastforum.com/forum/...center-console?p=162403&viewfull=1#post162403

YH1896 on the left, MOTORCRAFT YH1935 {#AV1Z19E616A} is on the right

 


Intuit

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Have manual blend doors on my old vehicle. It has rods connecting the doors to the lever on the center console.

Operating these blend doors when the windows are cracked or down and at highway speeds requires *A LOT* of extra force.

This isn't a defect, it is result of the negative pressures created inside the cabin.

Two suggestions that may help avoid or at least delay the onset of this problem.
1) Turn off your system when you're not using it. Those doors move with each and every ignition off and on otherwise. That's a lot of extra wear/tear for something you're not really using.
2) Avoid changing settings that manipulate the blend doors while at highway speeds, more especially if the windows are down.
Regarding #1, it seems the system still operates the blend doors, even when the system is "OFF" and not displaying anything. I'm basing this guess on the whirring and door-closing sound that is made from behind the dash ~5~15 minutes after the ignition is powered off. Still, that's likely less movement than would occur with the system on, display lit.
 


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