This is exactly what the independent mechanic who has my car was telling me. That part number, and that TSB. I tried getting somewhere with Ford's customer service line, and they were next to no help at all.

The latest plan is to take the car up to another Ford dealership an hour away from me because the hybrid certified mechanic who used to be at my dealership is up there. I have spoken to him by phone, this morning, and gave him the trouble codes and the TSB number, and he tells me Ford won't tell him whether or not the warranty covers this until he has a service order in the shop...but he feels very strongly that the warranty should cover this repair, since the part is IN the battery. I will know more Wednesday night. How they can weasel their way out of paying for this, I don't know. I am still under 100,000 miles and well short of 8 years.

 

Hi everyone - We have a 2005 FEH with 143000km [build date 10/04] and we just went through the exact same thing 3 weeks ago.I think some things are similar where ever you are. Noticed lack of EV and battery temps up to 40C in moderate weather,high voltage disconnect getting hot, and lots of water from rear evap, no warning lights, no codes [with generic scan] but could tell rt cooling fan was inop. So off to the dealer for some warranty and they came back to tell me "the 1 fan is not working" code P0A 81 and for that wanted $100.00, no warranty, parts back ordered and no stock in North America. I was of the same thinking that Hybrid Battery warranty is 8 year/160000Km why is this not covered? When they enter the fan part # in the computer to check coverage it comes up as non warranty [basic or extended plans only] If they entered # for hybrid battery assembly it is covered. The tech there said, which I am not convinced about is when the battery arrives they have to transfer serviceable internal parts like the fans and ducts. Is this correct? I called Ford customer care and had a disscusion about the warranty coverage of why not given what it states in the hybrid owners book are these not part of the Hybrid Battery "Pack". After he confirmed with the dealer and another dept the dealer called to say they will cover the 2 fans,labour, the $100.00, a rental for 2 weeks because no parts and the vehicle can't be driven. Needless to say I was thankful Ford stepped up to cover the repair but why all the trouble to get what they pitched during the sale of the car. These fans are failing so either honour the warranty or stock and drop the price of the parts and we will fix it ourselves. So in other words challenge the warranty. Sorry for the long post.

FYI -The rental was a loaded Jeep Grand Cherokee and now the wife wants one. More Trouble.

 

There you have it Stephanie, Rod said the dealer had to enter the battery assembly number for the internal parts to be covered. The battery is covered as an assembly so Ford would rather replace the fans than a $7,000 battery. Tell either dealership what Rod found out and that goes for all of us that have problems with any of the hybrid components in the future.

GaryG

 

wow great info in the thread guys! Thanks to everyone!

 

The photo(s) I have are almost three years old and date from the September 2007 battery harness repair which was a Ford Motor Company recall.
For the battery (higher capacity d cells) replacement issue you need to go to this link: http://www.myhybridcar.com/forums/ and ask for Bob Wilson. Bob is an engineer and has taken out and worked with hybrid battery cells. He also use to be a moderator on this site but grew tired of the "stuff" that goes on.

 

I was happy to see this, because now I understand exactly what my old hybrid mechanic from Ford was trying to tell me about there being two potential parts numbers that could be used....it will be worth the drive an hour to the other dealer where he now works, because he obviously understands what it's going to take to get this covered for me. I hope others can learn from this experience, and I'll let you all know how this comes out when I get the car where it needs to be. I should be safe now.

 

Happy to report that my battery cooling fan/fans will be replaced under the 8 year/100,000 mile warranty. Everyone should note that getting the vehicle to the right dealership made all the difference. My local dealer was going to stick me with the bill. What it took was an experienced mechanic who understood the fine points of the warranty and the part numbering.Why the local people couldn't figure it out, I don't know.

I will have to wait at least three days for the parts, but fortunately I have alternative transportation so it's no big deal. I might press for a rental, but that would probably work out to more hassle than its worth, given the distance from me to the dealer.

So, happy ending. Thanks for all the help on this forum, which made a huge difference. Without all your advice, I might have just accepted what initially seemed to be my fate.

 

VERY cool.
I think in this case you won't mind me saying "I told you so."

And that's what they WANT. It is not their duty, they are not legally bound to explain warranty details to you. If you don't protest, it is free $ for them.

Not too much different than all the hotels I stay in that automatically charge $1 for the daily paper and $1 for "safe use". It's automatically on everyone's bill. It's $2 per day of free money from all those people who don't protest. They gladly refund my $2 every time, since they know they can't force me to pay. But if I don't speak up, it is tacit agreement.

 

Thanks for a very interesting thread! I know I am a bit off-topic here, but I also have a problem with the HV battery overheating and no EV operation on my 2005 FEH. In my case, however, it's not the HV cooling fans (they work), but rather that the rear evaporator is not cooling at all. I figured this out by removing the black plastic ductwork at the left of the HV pack--with it out I can feel plenty of hot air leaving one vent and plenty of suction on the other. After removing the air filter and holding the vent door open I can see (and feel) the evaporator core, and it is WARM, not cold (all this while engine running, trans in park, cabin A/C turned on and compressor running). Plenty of cold A/C air into the cabin, non for the HV battery. What led me to try this was, as I say, no EV operation, pronounced "lurch" on takeoff and generally poor acceleration from 10 to 30 MPH. Oh, and the metal HV case was so hot that I couldn't hold my hand to it for long. Any idea as to what might be causing this rear A/C failure?

 

I'm not absolutely sure, but isn't this the blend door issue? Others here will know this. I thought that was a recall, but perhaps not. It is a common problem, was fixed on my truck very early on.

I sold my hybrid, by the way, but will always be happy to share any of my experiences.