HVAC Blend/Mode door issues revisited

[shiftless]

There have been a rash of mode/blend doors breaking. The fix is NOT cheap at the dealer, nor is it a simple fix. The price at Heater Treater isn't too bad but that's beside the point.
I, and others on this site feel it is a safety issue that Dodge should address, not us. The mode door problem(it's the Mode door 1 that usually breaks first, but the other three WILL break too) will cause the door to direct air to the floor and away from the windshield and in bad weather you can't see or keep the windshield un-fogged until the truck is nice and warm! I don't have thirty minutes to idle the truck to warm the cab. Do you?

Call this number, 1-800-424-9393, and have your name, address, phone number(in case you get cut off while filling the complaint) and your truck make and VIN number. It only takes five minutes.

The guy I talked to at NHTSA said there had been "some" other complaints on this issue but the "engineers" who decide whats a safety issue or not have not looked into it. He also said "it would most likely be a safety issue". The more folks who complain the better the chances of having them look into it and issue a recall.

If they do recall this whoever has paid money will/should be reimbursed as long as they still have a copy of a receipt for parts and or work done. Even if you threw the receipt away call anyway to help others out.

[stb616]

Good idea. It can't hurt.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think you can use this online method and accomplish the same thing. See the link below-

https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/Vehicl...nt/index.xhtml


I just completed the online form and submitted it.


Too bad someone can't come up with the right angle so all the people with injector issues can file a safety related complaint.

[mrploww]

I also filled out the form online to file a complaint. Let's hope something is done about this!

[shiftless]

Did you all get a confirmation E-mail when you filed online. I guess either will work. I just liked talking to a real person. It was a fairly quick process.

If anyone reading this is a member of another Diesel forum, please pass this info along. The more folks filling a complaint to quicker the NHTSA will get off their hind quarters and do something. Here is the E-mail I got. I removed my confirmation number...

Thank you for filing your safety-related complaint via our Web site or our Vehicle Safety Hotline. The ODI Number listed below will be a direct link to your complaint as soon as it is ready to view. Please allow at least two business days for approval and processing before trying to view your complaint online. You will then be able to view it and search any associated documents.

Your Confirmation number (ODI Number) is: XXXXXXXX

Your complaint information will be entered into the NHTSA vehicle owner complaint database. NHTSA technical staff review this information to identify potential safety problems. While you may or may not be contacted by a NHTSA investigator to clarify the information submitted, all reports are reviewed and analyzed for potential defects trends. Also, the NHTSA complaint database provides valuable information to other consumers and to manufacturers.

If you have any questions regarding this complaint, please contact ODI:

By phone: 1-888-327-4236 8:00AM to 10:00PM Monday-Friday
TTY: 1-888-424-9153
Have your ODI Number available.
(Spanish-speaking operators available)

By e-mail: Index
Indicate your ODI Number in the contact form.

Thank you,

Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)

[stb616]

Yep. Got the same email back.

[bazuelo]

I plan on calling on Monday. I am bringing my truck (2006 5.9L 2500 Mega Cab) into the dealership for the first time; I recently bought the truck used and it has 98,000 miles on it. This last weekend the air started trickling out of the vents and not too cold. I live in Arizona.

I have read so many of the past threads and responses to the a/c problems and am just AMAZED how Dodge will not stand behind their product! Such an expensive truck and pathetic a/c design.

I pray that NHTSA will help us.

As I said, I am going to the dealership on Monday to have it diagnosed; I want to see what they have to say about it.

I hope I can get them to take off the "air diverting screens" and fix the BLEND door if it is broke. Based on my reading, it sounds like it is.

I just want the truck to have a decent amount of a/c that makes it comfortable to drive.