[kstonesak]

Just got my Se ford focus on sat and last night while driving it seemed that the compressor in the ac kicked off, and was only blowing air from outside, when I turned it up to 3/4 it really kicked with the cooler air.
Any suggestions

 

[Targon]

Just got my Se ford focus on sat and last night while driving it seemed that the compressor in the ac kicked off, and was only blowing air from outside, when I turned it up to 3/4 it really kicked with the cooler air.
Any suggestions

This may be a stupid question, but did you give the engine a chance to warm up before you turned on the A/C? I have a SEL with the electronic climate control, and have noticed that it doesn't fully crank the A/C until the car is fully warmed up, even if it starts blowing cold air sooner than that. I am wondering if your SE may be doing something similar.

 

[kstonesak]

yes i had been driving for 15 min before this happened

 

[Targon]

yes i had been driving for 15 min before this happened

I'd bring it in to the dealership then and have them check it out since it's a new car.

 

[kstonesak]

also just had the ford dealer install a remote start wondering if this has anything to do with it?

 

[mysticbluebmw]

When my compressor stopped working, it was because the o-rings were leaking. It appears if even a tiny amount of refrigerant escapes, the A/C clutch won't engage. I don't know if this is your problem, though. When you say you turned it up to 3/4, what does that mean? Do you mean you turned your manual temp knob to 3/4 cool, or you increased your fan speed? I wouldn't imagine fan speed has anything to do with the compressor turning on/off, but I'm no mechanic. In any case, if this is persistent, you will need to take your car to the dealer, and you may want to mention the o-rings. It took my dealer 3 days just to figure that out, then they had to order parts.

 

[kstonesak]

When I turn the knob up to 3 or 4

 

[garysang]

My Focus is in the dealership right now for the exact same thing. When on 1 or 2 on the knob, it'll blow cold air for up to about 10 minutes, then will blow regular air, only when on 3+ setting will it blow cold all the time. Dealer found it was a problem with the O ring seals. Perhaps there was a bad batch of them? Definitely take it in and have them check it out.

 

[BLRich1]

Moved to "Ford Focus Technical Chat"

 

[FordService]

Just got my Se ford focus on sat and last night while driving it seemed that the compressor in the ac kicked off, and was only blowing air from outside, when I turned it up to 3/4 it really kicked with the cooler air.
Any suggestions

Hi kstonesak,

I agree with Targon and garysang on bringing it to the dealer. They will be in the best position to determine why your Focus was blowing outside air instead of cold air. Please PM me with your VIN, contact information, mileage, and servicing dealer information. I will work with you to resolve your concern.

~Natasha

 

[cstrong]

A/C problem still persists after taking to dealership 3 times

I'm having the same problem that kstonesak is having. The first time I took it to dealership, they refreshed the freon, which didn't help anything. The compressor kept kicking off on fan setting of 1 or 2 after 15 minutes of driving or so. Kicked back on after a few minutes or after I changed the fan setting to 3 or 4. Max A/C always turned on. Took it to another Ford dealership a week later and they replaced the temp sensor, which also didn't help. Took it to another Ford dealership and they replaced the expansion valve to the compressor, which initially seemed to have fixed the problem, but I've noticed on these especially hot days recently that the air isn't getting "cold", just slightly cool and never really cooling the car completely, even after an hour and 1/2 of driving with the fan on level 3. And I can always tell when the compressor cuts off because it gets slightly warmer and I can smell the fresh air coming through the vent. I'm completely at a loss and frankly all these fruitless trips to the dealerships, which also involved three weeks worth of loaner cars, have worn me down. Anyone have a successful fix after experiencing this problem?

 

[whynotthinkwhynot]

PM Natasha, our Ford Customer Service rep and she will do the best job of helping you.

If it works on all speeds on Max, then I'd do that if I were you. I'd still keep taking it back, but if it's a PITA- which I know it can be- then I'd wait for the problem to be solved. If we have more than one person on here who's having a problem, then surely there are more out there. From what I'm reading here, the problem appears to be electronic, and the dealer techs are grasping at straws- which is all they can really do until an engineer finds and provides a solution for the problem. I say that with confidence because the o-rings, and expansion valve would prevent the air from being cold at all fan speeds and settings.

 

[FordService]

I'm having the same problem that kstonesak is having. The first time I took it to dealership, they refreshed the freon, which didn't help anything. The compressor kept kicking off on fan setting of 1 or 2 after 15 minutes of driving or so. Kicked back on after a few minutes or after I changed the fan setting to 3 or 4. Max A/C always turned on. Took it to another Ford dealership a week later and they replaced the temp sensor, which also didn't help. Took it to another Ford dealership and they replaced the expansion valve to the compressor, which initially seemed to have fixed the problem, but I've noticed on these especially hot days recently that the air isn't getting "cold", just slightly cool and never really cooling the car completely, even after an hour and 1/2 of driving with the fan on level 3. And I can always tell when the compressor cuts off because it gets slightly warmer and I can smell the fresh air coming through the vent. I'm completely at a loss and frankly all these fruitless trips to the dealerships, which also involved three weeks worth of loaner cars, have worn me down. Anyone have a successful fix after experiencing this problem?

cstrong,

I am sure the repeated dealer trips must be aggravating, and I appreciate the patience you have shown. Please private message me with your VIN, contact information, mileage, and servicing dealer name/state and I will assist with your concerns.

whynotthinkwhynot,

Thanks for the mention!

~Natasha

 

[daninmass]

2012 Focus A/C Issue

I have had my focus for about two weeks. I have also had an aftermarket remote starter (CompuStar) installed like another poster. My issue seems to be similar or identical to what others have described. Just spoke to the dealer on it, but wanted to see what other owners were saying before bringing it into the dealer only to let them perform guesswork on my new car.

To be clear, my A/C goes tepid and pulls in outside air I believe whether on recirculate or not. Runs pretty cold up until that point. Guessing maybe three minutes or so after going "warm" it will start working properly again. This is after driving for some time, so well past "warmup". Has happened to me at least a half-doxzen times in probably 8 half-days of driving.

I have not noticed what the fan speed was, but i usually have on 2nd lowest speed most of the time. always have it at the coldest setting just before the full setting (that turns on recirculate).

Any TSBs out there on this issue yet?

 

[FordService]

I have had my focus for about two weeks. I have also had an aftermarket remote starter (CompuStar) installed like another poster. My issue seems to be similar or identical to what others have described. Just spoke to the dealer on it, but wanted to see what other owners were saying before bringing it into the dealer only to let them perform guesswork on my new car.

To be clear, my A/C goes tepid and pulls in outside air I believe whether on recirculate or not. Runs pretty cold up until that point. Guessing maybe three minutes or so after going "warm" it will start working properly again. This is after driving for some time, so well past "warmup". Has happened to me at least a half-doxzen times in probably 8 half-days of driving.

I have not noticed what the fan speed was, but i usually have on 2nd lowest speed most of the time. always have it at the coldest setting just before the full setting (that turns on recirculate).

Any TSBs out there on this issue yet?

Hi daninmass,

Since your Focus is so new, you definitely want to make sure everything is functioning correctly. Calling the dealer was a great first step, and I recommend setting up an appointment to diagnose your A/C. If the dealer is unable to resolve your issue, please let me know so I can assist.

~Natasha