Cracked A/C Fan < 20k miles

I started my truck the other day and I had my fan setting at max prior to starting (stupid, I know). As soon as the truck started I heard an awful screeching / rubbing sound from underneath the glove compartment. I took the fan / motor assembly out and found that the plastic fan had developed a crack in the center. From what I can tell, the crack causes the fan to spin out of balance at high speeds, which leads to the rubbing. Thankfully I can still run the fan at the two lower settings without much trouble. I will be having this replaced at my 20k service.

Has anyone had this problem?

I live in Phoenix, so my air conditioning gets run pretty often, and it can get up to around 150°F in a vehicle parked in the sun, but this seems like some poor QC by Toyota.

 

There was one of these posted within the last two weeks and there are several others.

 

Seems like this is becoming a more frequent issue

 

Thanks guys, I see the other thread now, apparently I didn't do a great job of searching.

 

This was one page back on the forum.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/ac-blower-broke.502075/

 

Yea, pretty sure I read there is a national back-order on the blower blade and maybe the motor too..

 

My friend has a 2009 Tacoma and has had 3 motors replaced in his.

 

I wonder if the auto climate helps prevent this due to the delayed and slow ramp up of the blower? Sorry to hear.

 

That is an interesting thought. I think part of the issue with mine was that it was around 120°F that day, and the fan went from static to full speed right as I started the truck. Regardless, it sounds like Toyota either has a marginal design or shitty QC on their injection molding.

 

From the chirping?

 

This design is a carryover, correct? The fact that Toyota hasn't fixed this pretty lame. It is an easy part to replace, but from talking to guys at work, most other manufacturers seem to have much more reliable designs.

 

I should inspect mine for the hell of it. LOL. Too many of these popping up lately, but I never run the fan on highest setting to know if it's out of balance from the crack.

 

Do it, it is a super easy job to pull it out and take a look, and it's great practice for when it fails a year or two from now and you're out of warranty!

 

I have read through your build thread a bit (I also have a silver SR, go figure), and I feel bad about the number of issues you have had with yours. My 2017 has been solid except for this and the dash rattle.

 

After having 2 rear differentials, broken mirror cover molding, exploded windshield where it met the mirror (took a piece of glass with it) on my 16, 17 had alignment and tires out of balance off the dealer lot, I'm really glad I bought my 6yr/125k platinum warranty for the 17. Thinking Toyota needs to reconsider some of its suppliers.

 

Boy that sucks! It's 105 here and if mine broke I'd be pissed. New ones are $30 on eBay so it might be worth it to buy a spare.

 

Here is a photo of my fan, this was taken about a month ago, the fan has continued to function well when kept no higher than setting 2. I think I lucked out, my buddy's failed instantly and apparently the fan fractured into multiple pieces.

 

I am wondering if some of the bugs got worked out during the 2017 model year. Do you have a Mexico VIN or a Texas VIN? Mine is Texas.

 

diferent part # for the 2nd and 3rd gen, but same price on them. Wonder how different they actually are. The fan cage is not listed separately, but probably the same.