Heater Problem

[peter.millard]

I have an 06 1.25 Fiesta, the heater is blowing to the floor ALL the time, regardless of where the direction control knob is set.

In the mornings when trying to demist the screen I get COLD air on my feet! And when the engine is warm I reduce the temprature control and get coldish air onto the screen and overly warm air on my feet, and the car gets cold, so I turn up the heat and boil my feet!

The dealer says this is normal, but as I only picked the vehicle up last friday I am unsure, I have never had a similar problem with any other vehicle.

The dealer says it should blow 20% on the feet all the time, but this seems strange. Also the huge difirence in temprature coming from the screen/vents and floor is weird.

Has anyone got any advice?

I am putting off driveing the car as it is so uncomfortable and a call to ford customer relationship centre got knowhere as they just said call technical information centre, which I did (at £1.00 per min!) and was told to put gaffer tape over the foot vents! This is not a real solution to the problem and just showed that Ford dont seem to care about their customers.

[mintalkin]

if your car has climate controlle switch it to manuel as the auto overides any settings, if it has not got climate controlle the air flow should go to where you set it to go and if it dont there must be a fault someware.

[peter.millard]

if your car has climate controlle switch it to manuel as the auto overides any settings, if it has not got climate controlle the air flow should go to where you set it to go and if it dont there must be a fault someware.

It has manual aircon.

I am realy not happy with Fords response as I shouldnt be expected to have to put Gaffer Tape over the floor vents to stop the problem, but they wont do anything, I have taken it back to them twice now and the only other solution they offered was to buy it back from me for £2,000. less than I paid for it last friday!

[citymariner]

that is a ridiculous response from ford.

i'd have a letter to head office quicker than it takes to lick the stamp to send it.

the heater controls should redirect the air flow to where YOU want it.

try taking it to an independent mechanic (if you know a good one) ask them to check it over. aslong as the mechanic is VAT registered and with the relevant mechanics qualifs you will still be under warranty.

i have not got my fiesta yet (pick it up tomorrow) so this may be a silly question:

does the direction control knob feel/ is mechanically or electrically connected?

it is mechanically connected its clearly a case of making sure that the the knob is changing the direction - i think you can normally hear this)

if it is electronically see if you can get behind the switch and with a multimeter check there is an output from each pole on the switch there will be a common earth and then a pole for each position - check if there is an output from each pole.

correct me if i am wrong but there is normally one fan blowing over the heater matrix and then the ducting system directs it - it can't be that hard to sort.

[peter.millard]

that is a ridiculous response from ford.

i'd have a letter to head office quicker than it takes to lick the stamp to send it.

the heater controls should redirect the air flow to where YOU want it.

try taking it to an independent mechanic (if you know a good one) ask them to check it over. aslong as the mechanic is VAT registered and with the relevant mechanics qualifs you will still be under warranty.

i have not got my fiesta yet (pick it up tomorrow) so this may be a silly question:

does the direction control knob feel/ is mechanically or electrically connected?

it is mechanically connected its clearly a case of making sure that the the knob is changing the direction - i think you can normally hear this)

if it is electronically see if you can get behind the switch and with a multimeter check there is an output from each pole on the switch there will be a common earth and then a pole for each position - check if there is an output from each pole.

correct me if i am wrong but there is normally one fan blowing over the heater matrix and then the ducting system directs it - it can't be that hard to sort.

I think it is mechanical, but am not realy technacaly minded.

I have usualy bought Vauxhalls and thought I'd try a Ford for a change, I do like the Fiesta but the heater is ruining it and I am realy not happy with the response from both the dealer, and Ford customer relations or tecnical line, is their usual response to problems?

I am realy at a loss what to do as I cannot live with boiling feet and the rest of the car cold, and it is not realistic to put gaffer tape over the floor vents as aswell as being far from a real solution to the problem, it wil also obviously keep coming off with the heat. :-(

[mintalkin]

go back to the dealer and tell them you will reject the car due to the heater being 'not fit for purpose' if no joy try trading standards, do not let ford get away with fobbing you off. also see if they have the same model on the forecourt that you could compare the heater to.

[Russ]

Sounds like the cables that control the direction of the air has either broken or worked loose, and if you've just bought the car your entitled to reject it unless they're prepaired to fix it. If you don't get any joy go to consumer direct

[peter.millard]

Sounds like the cables that control the direction of the air has either broken or worked loose, and if you've just bought the car your entitled to reject it unless they're prepaired to fix it. If you don't get any joy go to consumer direct

After 4 visits to Ford it is now booked back in for thursday 13th Nov and hopefully this will be the last time it has to go in!!

After fiddling with the heater controls for hours I have now noticed that when turning the air flow direction anti clockwise from 3 o'clock to 12 o'clock the airflow direction does not change, it should go from screen/floor to just screen, If I turn it two dots on the dial to the left of 12 o'clock it goes to just screen.

So the airflow direction control is off.

Hopefully this will be fiaxble as Ford said on the last visit that another Fiesta hade been brought in previously with the same problem and they could not fix it.

I will post an update after Thursday.

[peter.millard]

It turns out it was ok!

The heater airflow direction control knob HAS to be turned clockwise, if it is turned anticlockwise the flap dosent close off properly, if it is turned clockwise it closes off the previous setting when turned to the next one.

It was staying in the setting for the screen and floor when I turned it anticlockwise so I was getting hot feet!

It should realy say in the drivers handbook to only turn the dial clockwise, it would have saved me having to got back to the dealer four times!!!

[mintalkin]

its the first time i have heard of the controlle knob only being turned one way?

[peter.millard]

After six visits to the dealer I am no further forward! (They did fix a number of other faults but not the heater.)

The turning the airflow control knob clockwise did slightly reduce the ammount of air to the footwell when the knob is set to the screen setting, but it is still hot when the air on the screen is barely warm, so to clear the screen I have to cook my feet!

The dealer says there is not a fault and it is a feature of the Fiesta, but I know it is not right.

So its £6000.00 down the drain!!!

I have contacted consumer direct, and they have said they will try and help, so hopefully it will be sorted.

It is so annoying and has left me pretty much unable to use the car.

I did try the Gaffer Tape over the floor vents as Ford Customer Care and also the dealer had sugested...

It came off after about 15 mins due to the heat, and left me with Gaffer Tape stuck to my left shoe, and by this time I was on a fast moveing dual carriagway, so had to try and pull it off my shoe whilst driveing, not the safest of advice, many thanks FORD

[peter.millard]

Problem finaly solved, I sold the Fiesta and brought a Focus!!

I will never go to the same dealer again (Hartwell Ford Kidlington Oxford) and they should be ashamed of themselves...

When a new car has so many problems the dealer should either simply fix it or offer a replacement, to say they will buy it back a week later and offer £2000.00 less than was paid is both an insult and a real indication of just how much they care about their customers...