As opposed to the good ol’ days, the HVAC is far more complicated to design, produce, integrate, troubleshoot, and fix. Because of these reasons, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning could go wrong when you least expect them.
Vauxhall is notorious for recalling the Zafira people carrier three times over a fire risk stemming from the HVAC, and curiously enough, left-hand Opel models weren’t affected by the problem. Ford is now calling back 17,965 examples of the 2019 model year Ranger sold in the U.S., federalized territories, and Canada, highlighting no fewer than “six reports of incidents that occurred in vehicles prior to delivery to the dealership.”
The pickups in question were manufactured at the Michigan Assembly Plant from August 1st through September 27th in 2019, and the Ford Motor Company isn’t aware of any accidents or injuries related to the condition yet a single customer reported smoke while driving.
In the affected trucks, “the HVAC blower motor may have been built with an improper clearance between an electrical terminal and the conductive base-plate slot that may result in a resistive electrical short.” In other words, overheating may lead to melting, smoking, and a vehicle fire in the worst-case scenario. Dealers were instructed to inspect the HVAC system’s blower motor, then replace it if it’s within the suspect part production dates.
Even though 2020 is right around the corner, the Blue Oval hasn’t updated the mid-sized workhorse for the incoming model year. The 2019 continues to be listed on the U.S. configurator for $24,300 before destination charge with only one engine and one transmission: the 2.3-liter EcoBoost and 10-speed automatic we know from the F-150 and Mustang, respectively.
Three trim levels and two cabs are available, namely the XL, XLT, and Lariat in SuperCab or SuperCrew flavors with the six- or five-foot bed. $4,160 is the price of four-wheel drive in the case of the XL, which comes standard with SYNC infotainment, 4G LTE Wi-Fi connectivity, and Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking among others.
The pickups in question were manufactured at the Michigan Assembly Plant from August 1st through September 27th in 2019, and the Ford Motor Company isn’t aware of any accidents or injuries related to the condition yet a single customer reported smoke while driving.
In the affected trucks, “the HVAC blower motor may have been built with an improper clearance between an electrical terminal and the conductive base-plate slot that may result in a resistive electrical short.” In other words, overheating may lead to melting, smoking, and a vehicle fire in the worst-case scenario. Dealers were instructed to inspect the HVAC system’s blower motor, then replace it if it’s within the suspect part production dates.
Even though 2020 is right around the corner, the Blue Oval hasn’t updated the mid-sized workhorse for the incoming model year. The 2019 continues to be listed on the U.S. configurator for $24,300 before destination charge with only one engine and one transmission: the 2.3-liter EcoBoost and 10-speed automatic we know from the F-150 and Mustang, respectively.
Three trim levels and two cabs are available, namely the XL, XLT, and Lariat in SuperCab or SuperCrew flavors with the six- or five-foot bed. $4,160 is the price of four-wheel drive in the case of the XL, which comes standard with SYNC infotainment, 4G LTE Wi-Fi connectivity, and Pre-Collision Assist with Automatic Emergency Braking among others.