Ford Expedition Climate Control Problems [Plus Solutions]
In this post, you’ll learn the common climate control problems in a Ford Expedition and how to fix them.
Ford Expedition Climate Control Problems
The climate control system won’t switch from hot to cold
If you can’t change your interior temperature from hot to cold when you press the temperature dial, your climate control system is faulty. The most likely culprit for this issue is a bad blend door actuator.
The role of your blend door actuator is to set the air in your climate control system to the temperature you want. If you set your climate control system to blow hot air, the blend door actuator opens your heater core. In contrast, the blend door actuator closes your heater core and opens up your evaporator when you want cold air.
Over time, your blend door actuator may become rusty and get stuck while trying to do its job. The position of a stuck blend door actuator will determine the temperature of the air it releases.
If the actuator gets stuck while the heater core is closed, your vents will only blow cold air, no matter what you do. Likewise, your climate control system will only release hot air if the blend door actuator stops working while the heater core is open.
You can resolve this issue by replacing your blend door actuator. The blend door actuator in a Ford Expedition is located behind the glove box on the passenger side.
AC takes forever to blow cold air
You can tell that your climate control is problematic if the air from the AC takes a long time to get cold. You might also notice that only the defrost vents blow air.
Usually, this issue is caused by a broken vacuum hose.
The vacuum hose provides the pressure that the AC uses to cool air and blow cold air. If this hose is broken, it might only release a little pressure. Such pressure is insufficient for your AC to cool air quickly or blow air through all your vents.
Instead of going off completely, your AC cools air at a slower pace because of the low pressure from your torn vacuum hose. In addition, the AC sets the defrost vents as default and closes all other vents. The system will only blow air through the defrost vents until you replace the vacuum hose.
You’ll find the broken vacuum hose under your battery tray.
Clicking noise from the rear AC
If you keep hearing a clicking noise from your rear AC system, your climate control system may have developed an issue. The clicking noise is a warning that your rear blend door actuator is defective.
The blend door actuator is what makes it possible for you to change the temperature inside your car. This actuator works by moving around to open or close your heater core so that your vents can blow air at your preferred temperature.
If you’ve been using your car for a while, the blend door actuator will get rusty. A rusty blend door actuator requires more force to rotate. The extra force used by the actuator produces the clicking noise you hear.
If you ignore this noise, your blend door actuator will suddenly break, and you won’t be able to change your interior temperature anymore.
You’ll need to replace your rear blend door actuator to fix this issue. Locate this actuator inside the rear panel on the passenger side.
Front AC works intermittently
Another sign of a bad climate compressor in a Ford Expedition is that the front AC works intermittently.
Your front AC might be going off and on because your high-pressure switch is faulty. The high-pressure switch regulates the pressure in the compressor. When the pressure in the compressor gets too high, the high pressure detects it and turns off the compressor.
A damaged high-pressure switch may wrongly measure the pressure in your compressor. As a result, the switch will keep turning off the compressor to regulate the pressure in the device. This is what causes your front AC to work intermittently.
Consider changing your high-pressure switch if your AC keeps going off and on. You’ll find this switch on the large pipe beside your AC compressor.
Another reason your front AC may keep cycling is a leak in your vacuum hose. Your compressor relies on the vacuum hose for the pressure it uses to pump air.
If the vacuum hose is leaky, your compressor won’t get enough pressure to work consistently. So, it will keep cycling, thus forcing the AC to work intermittently.
Ask your dealer to replace your broken vacuum hose. The hose is located below the battery tray of your car.
The rear AC blows hot air while the front AC blows cold air
If your rear AC system is blowing hot air while your front AC vents release cold air, your climate control system has an issue.
This problem may indicate that your rear blend door actuator is faulty.
Your rear and front AC systems have separate blend door actuators that control the temperature in their respective areas. Nevertheless, these actuators are supposed to blow air at the same temperature.
But once one of the blend door actuators goes bad, your rear and front AC may blow air at different temperatures. This is because the faulty blend door actuator might be stuck in a position that only allows it to blow one type of air: hot or cold air.
Since your rear AC is blowing hot air instead of cold air, your rear blend door actuator might have broken after it opened the heater core.
You can resolve this issue by changing your rear blend door actuator. The rear blend door actuator is located inside the back panel on the right side of your vehicle.
AC whirrs during acceleration
A bad climate control system may produce a loud whirring sound when you accelerate the speed of your car. In addition, the air coming from your AC may be warm.
A loose serpentine belt, which drives the compressor, might be responsible for this sound. The serpentine belt whirs because it can no longer handle the tension from the compressor.
When the compressor is in motion, the loose belt slips from the system and collides with the pulley. This friction releases the screeching sound.
You’ll need to replace your serpentine belt to resolve this problem. Locate the belt on your crank pulley. You should find the crank pulley at the front of your engine.
If your AC keeps whirring after you’ve changed your serpentine belt, your compressor might be faulty. Bad compressors often make buzzing sounds.
Your broken compressor might also be the reason you aren’t getting any cold air from your vents. The compressor pumps refrigerant into the AC, which the system then uses to cool the air. However, a faulty compressor might not deliver refrigerant to the AC, thus forcing the system to blow warm air.
Change your compressor to eliminate this problem. You’ll find the compressor at the front of your engine.
Ford Expedition Models with the Most Climate Control Problems
Here are the Ford Expedition models with the highest number of climate control problems:
- 1999 Ford Expedition
- 2000 Ford Expedition
- 2003 Ford Expedition
According to carcomplaints.com, the 2003 Ford Expedition has the most climate control problems among all Ford Expedition models. 27 drivers of the 2003 models reported issues with their climate control systems.
Seventeen complaints make the 1999 Ford Expedition the second most notorious model for climate control issues. Another Ford Expedition model with several AC and heater issues is the 2010 model, which received ten negative reports about its climate control system.
Ford Expedition Models with the Least Climate Control Problems
These Ford Expedition models have the fewest climate control problems:
- 1997 Ford Expedition
- 2009 Ford Expedition
- 2010 Ford Expedition
- 2011 Ford Expedition
- 2018 Ford Expedition
- 2019 Ford Expedition
- 2020 Ford Expedition
Carcomplaints.com stated that none of the models in the list above received any complaints about climate control problems from their users.
How Much Does It Cost to Fix Ford Expedition Climate Control Problems?
It costs between $129 – $610 to fix a typical climate control problem in a Ford Expedition car.
Tips to Prevent Ford Expedition Climate Control Problems
Don’t ignore any strange noises from your climate control units.
- Clean your air filters monthly.
- Wash your car daily.
- Recharge your AC every three years.
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Wrapping Up
Now that you know how to resolve the problem, get the replacement parts you need and change the faulty components in your climate control system. If you encounter any issues while replacing a device, contact your auto technician for help.