I am a bit disappointed in my 2006 King Ranch. My truck was making a grinding noise under the center of the dash whenever the heat was turned on. Kind of sounded like a blend door grinding against something. Well took it to the dealer today and was told that they have to remove the whole dash to check it out. Was also told that it may take them 3 or 4 days to get the truck back to me depending on what parts it may take. The mechanic is allowed 6 hours to remove the dash so that is basically one day right there.

I have a 65 Mustang and in the first 40 years I replaced the heater control cable for $8.00. I am pretty sure it is good for another 40 years!

After thinking about this for a few hours I keep thinking is this the best the engineers can do. Design a vehicle that the whole dash must be removed in order to repair the heater parts.

I am not concerned about the cost as it is under warranty. But the bill would be atrocious if I had to pay for it. !2 hours labor to remove and install the dash would be about a thousand dollars alone.

I hate to be a complainer but we should demand that these trucks are designed for service a bit better than they are.

Okay I am done ranting!

 

At least your dealer is fixing it. Mine does the same thing and all I ever got was a "Can not duplicate" answer.

 

One of the problems might be the engineers designing these. Don't get me wrong they do a good job, but it is obvious many of them are clueless when it comes to maintenance (not only Ford).

I want to know what fools designed a cross member that covers pan bolts of the automatic trannies. I have had this on both Ford & Jeep now. Anything that is normal maintenance should be easily accessible. Another peeve, starter held on by two bolts, thats OK. My problem is two hex bolts, two different sizes. How about a vertical oil filter...with the opening on the bottom when mounted in the engine bay! What moron approved that decision? New engineers should be given a vehicle and told they have to do all the work on it for 1 year. I bet then they would understand and design the vehicles with the owner in mind.

 

Well I'll be interested in hearing of your results. I have the same noise in my '05 but it only lasts for a few seconds and doesn't sound like anything to worrry about, so I never have. But I've always wondered...

 

My truck makes a noise too when I turn the heater or A/C on or off. It's a little annoying but I have never tried to find a solution to the problem. Mine sounds more like a squeak though.

 

Mine too!!! Mine is more of a clicking sound that is very noticeable when it gets really cold out.

 

Mine does it too, mainly when i start the truck cold and turn the heat on..

more like a squeak than a grind for me

 

Mine does the same. I'm sure it's the door opening or closing. The noise doesn't sound like anything's being hurt though.

- Jack

 

I was thinking the same thing. Some kind of mechanical process and it sounds like plastic on plastic to me...

 

At first, I thought "quit your whining." Then I started thinking of how much ya spend on a KR...Kinda sickening when they are so new. At least it can be fixed under warranty...but they don't pay for it being a pain in the butt, and the time you waste taking it in to the dealership. Only thing I can really say is...whatdoya expect from the people who did the work on your truck...that cannot be fired due to incompetence?

 

Yep - How much did you spend?

I used to be a Ford man through and through - until about 17 years ago when I got my Honda. Suddenly, I discovered a whole new world of engineering - one that cared about the product they were makiing!

So, since then, I've had a Mazda pickup, a Toyota pickup, a 4WD Nissan Frontier that was an absolute gem (but it didn't have enough towing power) and now I have this f150 KR.

Out of all of these vehicles, I can say honestly that the engineering on the Japanese products beats our "home grown" trucks all to hell. And, I include my Wife's Toyota Camry in this mix too - a great car!

But, I liked the towing capacity of the 150 and I got it at a good price (used). I''m not unhappy with it, but I DO see the same old problems that I used to see in my old Fords (poor engineering for routine maintenance, "fit and finish" problems, too much plastic, a bit of tackyness in places. etc).

And, overall, I'm OK with this truck. It's fun to drive and it hauls my trailer like a dream. It has a lot of cargo room and carrying capacity. It looks cool. The ladies love it!

So, I'll keep it and I enjoy this forum. The little noise I hear in my air conditioning ducts is just a reminder of our superior American automotive engineering.

- Jack

 

My last F150 was 8 years old, 175,000 miles, no major issues, never even changed the spark plugs...

I will say this...I will always ride "Rice" before I ever buy a Harley!

 

The way the service manager explained it me is that it could be anything from a piece of foam that moved to a bad plastic gear in one of the motors. The only way to check it out is remove the dash and look. He said it could be tied up for 3 or 4 days but I will get an F-150 for a loaner. No complaints about the dealer. It is the design of these things that ticks me off! Anyway she goes in tomorrow morning. Glad it is under warranty as this would be very expensive if out of warranty.

 

Hope I see those results with my truck! (I'll even change the plugs)!

- Jack

 

Very typical of American car engineers, they just don't get it
As a former technician and current do it yourselfer, I discovered long ago what the appeal to German cars was all about. The Japanese have a good clue but look like amatures in comparison. You would think that our engineers would have taken some lessons by now, but I guess they don't have to.

All that being said, I wouldn't trade my King Ranch for any of my prior cars and I absolutely love driving it every day! I still don't think anyone makes a better truck in the world! Best of luck getting your isue taken care of, I'm sure it will all work out!