1997 Ford Explorer Visibility

DEFROSTER DOES NOT DEFROST/DEFOG WINDSHIELD DUE TO THE HEAT/AC BLEND DOOR BEING BROKEN. COMMON PROBLEM FOR FORD EXPLORERS. FORD IS REMISS IN NOT RECALLING THE VEHICLE TO FIX THIS HAZARDOUS CONDITION. *JB

MY EXPLORER ONLY PRODUCES WARM AIR FOR HEAT AND DEFOGGING WHEN THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE IS TOO HOT TO WANT OR NEED WARM AIR. THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE CENTER SAYS IT IS THE BLEND DOOR & ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY THAT HAS FAILED. I SAY IT DEFECTIVE BY DESIGN AND SHOULD BE REPAIRED AT THEIR EXPENSE, THEY DISAGREE. NOT BEING ABLE TO PROPERLY DEFOGG A WINDSHIELD IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *NLM

CONSUMER NOTICED WHEN TURNING DIALS ON HEATER UNIT FROM HOT OR COLD THE UNIT ONLY BLEW HOT AIR. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE HEATER BLEND DOOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*JB *TT

INVALID DESIGN OF PLENUM DOOR LEADS TO PART FAILURE RESULTING IN INABILITY TO CONTROL TEMPERATURE SETTING. CONDITION CAUSES INABILITY TO CONTROL INSIDE AIR TEMPERATURE AND POSSIBLY FAILURE OF DEFROST/DEFOGGING SYSTEM (SAFETY ISSUE). COST TO REPAIR IS PROHIBITIVE ($500 TO $1000) DUE TO THE NEED TO REMOVE THE DASHBOARD AND THE REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE AIR CHANNEL (BECAUSE PLENUM DOOR ITSELF CANNOT BE PURCHASED/INSTALLED ALONE). *NLM

FORD EXPLORER HEATER PLENUM/ACTUATOR STOPPED WORKING THIS PAST WINTER. CLIMATE CONTROL IS STUCK ON COLD AND DEFROST DOES NOT WORK IN COLD WEATHER. DURING A ROAD TRIP TO A NEARBY CITY EARLY THIS SPRING I WAS BARLEY ABLE TO SEE OUT THE WINDSHIELD BECAUSE OF THE ICE AND FOG ON MY WINDSHIELD. I BELIEVE THIS IS A KNOWN MECHANICAL DEFECT BY FORD AND DEALERS. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. IN CONTACTING SEVERAL SEATTLE-AREA DEALERS, ALL REFUSED TO FIX AS A SAFETY PROBLEM, SAID NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED, SAID I WAS OUT OF WARRANTY, THIS IS ABSURD FOR A PROBLEM THEY CAUSED WITH FAULTY DESIGN AND PARTS THAT CAUSES SERIOUS VISIBILITY PROBLEMS IN MANY OLDER EXPLORERS. *JB

1997 FORD EXPLORER EQUIPPED WITH AN ELECTRONIC AUTOMATIC TEMPERATURE CONTROL SYSTEM. THE PLASTIC AIR BLEND DOOR IN THE HEATER PLENUM HAS BROKEN, PREVENTING THE SYSTEM FROM REGULATING THE TEMPERATURE.

THE LEND DOOR IS BROKEN...FORD KNOWS THAT THEY PUT FAULTY BLEND DOORS IN AND WILL NOT REPLACE THEM! HOW DO I DEFROST MY WINSHIELD WITH A/C???? IS A FROSTED WINSHIELD NOT A HAZARD???? THIS HAPPENS EVERY DAY!

DRIVER'S SIDE ELECTRIC WINDOW MOTOR IS GOING OUT. THE MOTOR SEEMS TO HAVE TROUBLE ROLLING THE WINDOW UP AND DOWN, AND SPEEDS UP AND SLOWS DOWN WHEN OPERATING. DT

THE FAILURE OF THE HEATER BLEND DOOR CAUSES UNCONTROLLED WINDSHIELD FOGGING AND ICING. VISIBILITY IS OFTEN REDUCED TO ZERO. MR

THE TEMPERATURE CONTROL FAILED TO REGULATE TEMPERATURE I RESEARCHED AND FOUND THE BLEND DOOR TO BE BROKEN LEAVING ME WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO DEFROST THE WINSHIELD OR REGULATE HEAT /COOL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE I LIVE IN A CLIMATE THAT HAS SNOW /ICE AND COLD AS WELL AS HOT TEMPERATURES. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND IS DANGEROUS AND REQUIRES A NEARLY $1000.00 FIX TO REPLACE THE BLEND DOOR IT WAS EXPLAINED TO ME THEY HAD TO REMOVE THE DASH ETC. THIS APPEARS TO BE A FORD DESIGN ISSUE AND A KNOWN SAFETY ISSUE. NLM

TEMPERATURE CONTROL SWITCH BROKE, COLD AIR WAS BEING DISTRIBUTED. CONSUMER UNABLE TO DEFROST WINDSHIELD.*AK *YH

DEFOGGER/DEFROSTER WILL NOT OPERATE AS BLEND DOOR IS STUCK ON AIR CONDITIONER. *AK

IN MIDDLE OF A SNOW STORM, DEFROSTER WOULD NOT WORK, CAUSING VEHICLE NOT TO HAVE ANY HEAT AND POOR VISIBILITY TO DRIVE. CONSUMER FOUND A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN, NHTSA SB618546 RELATING TO THE PROBLEM. DEALER WAS CONTACTED TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE.*AKJG

HEATER DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER IS BLOWING OUT COLD AIR,.DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED . FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

I FEEL THAT FORD SHOULD ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF THE AIR BLEND DOOR / HVAC SYSTEM AT A SAFETY LEVEL DUE TO THE FACT THIS THESE PROBLEMS COULD RESULT IN HAZARDOUS DRIVING CONDITIONS.

WITH HEATER FAILURE FROST BUILDS UP ON THE WINDSHIELD CAUSING SERIOUS DRIVING HAZARD. DT

SEALANT USED AROUND FRONT WINDSHIELD IS DISSOLVING AND CAUSINGT WATER TO LEAK INTO PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED . FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

FORD HAS BEEN WELL AWARE OF THE BLEND DOOR BREAKING PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW AND STILL IS DOING NOTHING TO APPEASE THEIR CUSTOMERS. MINE IS STUCK BLOWING COLD AIR, SO SHOULD I NEED IT TO DEFOG OR DEFROST MY WINDOWS DURING A RAIN OR SNOWSTORM (OF WHICH WE HAVE MANY IN MINNESOTA) I CANNOT. I'VE FOUND NUMEROUS REPORTS OF THIS PART FAILING AND COMPLAINTS WRITTEN TO FORD ALL OVER THE INTERNET. THE PROBLEM IS PREVALENT IN SEVERAL FORD MODELS, YET THEY REFUSE TO COMPENSATE THEIR CUSTOMERS FOR A PART THAT IS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE.*AK

1995 THRU 1999 EXPLORERS AND 1997-99 MOUNTAINEERS, BUILT THROUGH 4/98 WERE MANUFACTURED WITH A PLASTIC AIR BLEND DOOR WHICH BREAKS DUE TO POOR DESIGN AND PREVENTS TEMPERATURE REGULATION . FORD REVISED THIS PLENUM USING NYLON AS A REINFORCEMENT , WHICH IS STRONGER AND LESS SUSCEPTIBLE TO BREAKAGE. IF THE AIR BLEND DOOR BREAKS AND THE SYSTEM IS LOCKED IN THE A/C MODE, DEFOGGING/DEFROSTING THE WINDSHIELD IS A CHALLENGE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED. THANK YOU.*AK

THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF VERY POOR DESIGN; THIS PART SHOULD NEVER FAIL - IT IS A SIMPLE PART, SUBJECTED TO VERY MINOR LOADS. WORSE, THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD MUST BE DISASSEMBLED TO REPLACE IT, AND RATHER THAN REPLACING JUST THE BLEND DOOR (A LITTLE FLAPPER THAT CONTROLS THE MIX OF HOT AND COLD AIR), YOU HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE HEATER PLENUM ASSEMBLY.*AK

HEATER PLENUM HOT/COLD AIR BLEND; DOOR BREAKS, CAUSING NO TEMPERATURE CONTROL FOR HEATER & DEFROSTER. *AK

HEATER RUNS AT FULL HEAT NO MATER WHAT TEMPERATURE SELECTED. *AK

THE A/C AND HEAT WAS UNABLE TO COME OUT OF THE BLEND AIR DOOR. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. FORD FOUND THAT THEY INSTALLED THE WRONG BLEND AIR DOOR ACUATOR DURING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS. TS SCC

THIS HEATER HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THE DEFROSTER WILL NOT WORK PROPERLY BECAUSE ONLY HOT AIR WILL EXIT THE VENTS, WHICH LEADS TO A FOGGY WINDSHIELD. THIS PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE VERY WELL DOCUMENTED AND FORD HAS A TSB FOR IT, 99-8-8 AND 97-24-25.*AK

THE HEATER AND DEFROSTER STOPPED WORKING BECAUSE OF A PLASTIC PART ON THE HEATER DOOR THAT FAILS AFTER TO MUCH USE. THE PART HAS TO BE REPLACE BY A PART CALLED THE ACTUATOR VALUE.FORD MUST HAVE KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM, BECAUSE IT HAS A REPLACEMENT PART ALREADY TO GO WHEN THE PART FAILS. (NYLON BLEND DOOR AND PLENUM #F87Z-18471-DA.) THE PROBLEM BEENING THAT IT COST $784.40 IN LABOR TO PUT THE PART IN. IF FORD NEW IT HAD THIS PROBLEM , WHY WASN`T IT ON A RECALL LIST TO REPLACE???*AK