My air conditioner is not producing cold air - Why?

Asked by lrsacramento Jul 01, 2015 at 03:56 PM about the 2011 Ford Escape

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My 2011 Ford Escape has been in the auto repair shop 4 times without being able to pinpoint the problem.  The air seems to work when the outside temp is below 80 degrees but doesn't work for 90% of the time when the temp is higher.  Previously the air didn't work when set at level 2 and 3 of the four levels.  The condenser, expansion valve and receiver/drier have been replaced.  Previously, the air would work for a day or two after in the shop but would return back to blowing out warm air.  Thanks!

47 Answers

64,350

Try cleaning out your A.C condenser coil with a garden hose and nozzle or better yet a pressure washer could be the condenser coil is clogged or partially clogged with dirt and bugs allowing little to no air flow across the coils. Could be that is why it cools until temps get really high. Also have your orfice tube filter check this is a filter that is located in the high side line of the A.C system.

73 people found this helpful.
660

I'm being told by the Ford Dealer that my a/c is not working due to water getting in under the seal. Ford is aware of this problem (2011 Escape) but refuses to fix free of charge. The answer is to pay the $1,070. and hope the sealing they are going to do works. Last Ford for me. Owner of Fords since 2000.

66 people found this helpful.
430

Explorer 2008 Heater quit. IN South DAkota in January. Learned it is a systemic issue. then A C quit...again a systemic issue. Then bought a Ford Escape: AC quit. Dealer fixed it, failed immediately. 3 K underwater, of course! Sorry Ford you had your chance!!

43 people found this helpful.
1,300

I am experiencing the same intermittent issue of the A/C starting to blow hot air when 2013 Ford Explorer has been sitting out/ driving in temps over 90 degrees outside. Been to 3 different Ford dealers in NC, SC, and PA and they have not been able to find or repair problem. Have contacted Ford customer service and they have done nothing to elevate this issue. Vehicle back in shop while outside temps in 90s

91 people found this helpful.
1,300

A/C works fine otherwise and dealers say no error codes are recorded and all A/C test gauges read normal when tested. Wonder if this is a systemic design flaw in Ford SUVs???

39 people found this helpful.
64,350

My wife's 2014 Nissan Rouge was doing the same thing took it to dealer and of course they could not find anything wrong. Being a mechanic myself is suggested it had a bad expansion valve but they said was not covered under the warranty so replaced the valve myself and that took care of problem.

25 people found this helpful.
530

My Ford Escape 2009 has only 21000 miles as it is only driven locally for medical reasons, yet the AC stopped working, there is a whine from the electronic power steering, so has no fluid Reservoir to top up and the back gate refuses to open.

53 people found this helpful.
530

add another FORD "Fix Or Repair Daily" ...crap ac problems..I thought I did my homework before buying but didnt, bought this thing and now read all over about the crappy faulty ac that costs $$$$$$thousands to repair. Ford Escape 2011

51 people found this helpful.
220

I have found out that heater of a Ford Escape 2015 doesn't work when is parked for a while and start blowing cold air.

22 people found this helpful.
580

I have a 2011 Ford Escape and a 2010 Ford Focus. lrsacramento described my issues to the T on both of my cars. One thing is Ford also states the water tank and belt are faulty. I did have to pay but only around 300 but they don't work at high temperatures. I will never go back to Ford again. One other behavior on my escape if you have the ac set to level 1, 2, 3, no air blows. set it to 4 cold air blows for about 3 minutes, press max ac I immediately get warm air.

58 people found this helpful.
1,000

2011 Ford Escape. AC blowing hot air. The compressor kept cutting out. On and off but never cold air, anyhow. Bought the freon recharge. Tried to recharge high side (bigger tube) but the gauge read full (red area). I bled the AC high pressure line. Then rechecked with the recharge gauge. It stabilized in green fluctuating but stayed in the green. This fixed the problem immediately. Bled the line with an allen wrench. AC is now freezing cold. Thank you. Good luck.

100 people found this helpful.
420

Billyd41977 , THANKS , I had the exact same issue on my 2010 Escape . I bled the hi pressure side and checked it again . With just a squirt or 2 , my pressure stabilized and works like a champ now . In fact just drove it 1600 miles thru 110 degree temps and cold as ice .

42 people found this helpful.
700

I have the exact same problem. The AC will blow cold at startup, but when it is more than 80-90 degrees out the AC stops working. Two shops told me that the freon was overcharged and did a flush/recharge and each time it blew ice cold for 1-2 weeks, then went back to only working sometimes. Has anyone found a long- term fix for this? If one more mechanic tells me it's overcharged I'm gonna lose it.

70 people found this helpful.
1,040

Billyd41977 how do you bleed the high pressure side? Just poke it with an Allen wrench at the same point where you fill it up?

52 people found this helpful.
1,040

And should the car be running with the AC on when I'm trying to bleed the high pressure side? And is the high pressure side the same side I'm filling up with my can?

52 people found this helpful.
120

My 2005 Ford Escape hybrid ac compressor went out. Had it replaced and the line charged but still blows only outside air temperature?

12 people found this helpful.
220

Bleed the high pressure side with the engine off. Wear gloves & cover the valve with a thick rag as you push down on the needle valve as it will blow oil & Freon everywhere. Just a couple of very quick times is all it takes but fix will only last a couple weeks. I replaced the condenser & expansion valve & it only fixed the problem for a couple months. High side went back to 300 & causes the high pressure switch to keep the compressor from kicking on.

22 people found this helpful.
110

Is this then a high pressure switch problem? Perhaps its setpoint is set too low?

11 people found this helpful.
210

does anyone know why the dealer would tell me that my exhaust manifold is stopping my A/C from working properly?

19 people found this helpful.
80

Couldn’t be a high pressure switch. The system should equalize with the engine off & show around a 100# in each side. With the engine off mine shows 300# in the high side. Acts like the condenser is stopped up again after I just replaced it. No more fords for me. Have no idea why the exhaust manifold would have anything to do with the a/c.

8 people found this helpful.
140

i have a 2011 ford fiesta doing the same thing a/c works fine for about 45 min then goes hot check the a/c presures and high side about 275 low side 20 bleed high side back to 150 and added 134a to low side to get it back to 30psi and the high side is back at 185 psi working fine for now but i have to due this once a year

14 people found this helpful.
140

Same symptoms on my 2011 Ford Escape - Dryer "desiccant" material clogged the expansion valve. It may happen again but blowing cold for now. If it recurs I got an estimate of $630 to replace the dryer, expansion valve, and condenser.

14 people found this helpful.
140

Most likely your evaporator is plugged with debris and not allowing enough air to pass through. Sometimes mice and other critters make nests in there and plug them off. Unfortunately it's behind the dash and difficult to get to.

12 people found this helpful.
160

2014 escape, air run good on low for awhile then, act like nothing coming out, til I turn it on high,then its like it stop coming out of the vents and start coming out of the vents by the windshield

16 people found this helpful.
20

thanks let some pressure off high side works great

2 people found this helpful.
300

I've had the same problem in my 2014 Ford escape. After paying for diagnostics twice and being told nothing is wrong, I wanted to hit myself when I realized the problem was from running the AC at the lowest temperature setting with the fan on low (speed 1 or 2) setting. The cold air isn't being pushed out fast enough and the system freezes. If the problem occurs. Try shutting off the AC for 2-3 minutes, then when you put it back on, raise the temperature slightly and put the fan on a little higher. There is likely no mechanical or electrical issue, just that Ford wasn't smart enough to put a sensor to regulate the internal temperature of the AC and prevent it from freezing over. Always happened on hotter days when the AC had to work overtime to cool down the vehicle. Now I just avoid putting the temperature on low, and I keep the fan speed on at least 3 (especially really hot days). I've been problem free for the last 6 months.

30 people found this helpful.
80

2012 Ford Escape - same story, currently at repair shop. Mechanics see no problem, temp in Texas dropped to high 60s. Air works fine. Second time in shop in last month. I guess this is why Ford stopped making cars in US, they suck.

8 people found this helpful.
160

I have a 2013 Ford Escape and the air conditioner would quit cooling after running it for a while. I could turn it off and let it thaw then it would work for a bit and do the same thing. Now it is only blowing hot air.

16 people found this helpful.
140

I have the same problem - 2011 Ford Escape. A/C starts cold or cool and blows hot air after a few minutes. Doesn't work at all when temps go over 85 degrees. I was told by my Ford dealer they know about the problem - it's an engineering defect. There will not be a recall because it is not a safety issue. He also told me the fix is replacing the whole unit - with (get this!) the same system and no guarantee it won't go out after a couple years. My car was about 3 years old and had 80 thousand when the issue started. My mechanic has done all the suggested workarounds listed in this thread. Had it working good for about a month last time, but it's right back to where it was. Would love to know what the real permanent fix is. We're now getting to the point where it's no longer economically worth spending thousands of dollars, but arriving to a professional job sweaty and stinky is no good either.

14 people found this helpful.
40

My 2008 Ford Escape that I’ve had for 2 years now is just blowing room temp or warm air when on AC and this only started a couple months ago, I first noticed it early spring on a warmer day. Not too happy with it when I have to stop in 35 Celsius with no clouds or breeze for like 5 minutes and with the windows down (going through the car wash felt like a near death experience with the windows up)

4 people found this helpful.
210

check you ac clutch if its bad you can have full fluid and it blow hot air.

2 people found this helpful.
40

I would replace my coolant and make sure my cooling fan is operating properly before anything else is done.

4 people found this helpful.
50

replace condenser coil with Toyota coil 2 yrs. in my 2011 escape a/c works great

5 people found this helpful.
110

Been reading and fooling with the escape 2012 ac compressor on then off and blowing hot air.. read all the bitching the poor guys on here with ford and the mechanics.. tried adding ac recharge ..etc.. still turns on when first starting out in the morning or after the car sits then 20 * 40 seconds comp stops turning. ( car is in NH garaged day at work and night at home 50 k ) Really not looking to battle with expensive repair bullshit .Too old for this crap Then read on here take an Allen wrench and couple of blow offs on the large valve .. poof ! Been running close to 45 minutes icy cold! Now I can drive it to the car lot and trade this mazda made for ford p.o.s. in.!,

11 people found this helpful.
370

The problem I found with a 2008 model is the a/c works fine until it has ran for a while in hot weather. Found the thermistor temp sensor bad. It was allowing the evap core to freeze up and stop working until it thawed out. Easy fix, drop the glove box down and look up to the left top of the box. It pops straight out with a screw driver. Ford motor craft part # yh-1504. Ford # xw4z-19c734-ba. It's a 10 minute fix that will save you a lot of time and money. I worked at Ford dealerships for years, can't believe some of the bogus answers that I've read about this concern. Not all mechanics are crooks, but you need to watch out for the bad ones

30 people found this helpful.
50

Guru1T2PL - if you take off the connector - what direction do you pop it out to? I found the white temp sensor and removed the connector but don't know what direction I should pop it...can you describe? A YouTube video on this would be Awesome. Judging by the comments - and threads I have found you could hit pay dirt in advertising. No JOKE!

5 people found this helpful.
370

It pops out straight up toward the top of the dash, you have to tilt it slightly to get it all the way out once it is loose,

7 people found this helpful.
20

2010 ford focus-couple years ago ac quit. Took it to dealer, car out of warranty but they fixed it for free which should have told me something. Last year, warm air. Auto zone, bought refrigerant and blew nice and cold for a few months. Bought another can, blew cold for about a month or so. Now, added refrigerant, just warm air. Turned off ac. Live in Florida so ac important. Car has only 29:000 miles on it. Going to look for another car. No Ford ever!

2 people found this helpful.
30

Never add Freon you buy to do it yourself. That stuff has garbage in it and will definitely clog your orifice tube.

3 people found this helpful.
40

I know this is an older thread but has anyone tried this - modifying the evap temp sensor? https://youtu.be/k0EToZjmTO8

4 people found this helpful.
30

I have a 2005 escape that blows cool for about 5 minutes then nothing but warm. System is fully charged and I tried the "venting the high side" method but no change. I can't find any info on the location of the ac temp sensor. Anyone have any tips?

3 people found this helpful.
30

Ford Escape 2014. Eighth time in the shop in the last two months for air conditioning. Trying my third dealership now, because the problem is still not fixed. This is ridiculous. No one can figure out what is wrong so far. We've paid over $1100, and it still doesn't work.

3 people found this helpful.
30

I have a similar problem with my 2015 Escape SE. AC cools on cool mornings and when the car has been turned off for a while. After driving for a while or when it gets warmer, I need to have the fan on and drive for a few kilometers to have the compressor clutch kick back in. Has anyone found the solution to this problem by any chance? Would greatly appreciate the help

3 people found this helpful.
20

modify the evap temp sensor. It works for 2013 and 2014 Escapes, probably will work on the 20015 too. https://youtu.be/k0EToZjmTO8

2 people found this helpful.
10

Hello everyone. First, let me be clear. I am not a mechanic, however, I have spoken to multiple people in regards to the ac blowing hot air not only in Ford escapes, I have a 2010 XLT w/ 2.5 L Duretec 4 cylinder, but also in many other cars. Especially used cars. First, most car dealerships do not want to eat the cost of repairing a cars AC unit because depending on the year, make and model of your vehicle, it can cost in upwards of $3000.00. That being said, if you’re purchasing a used vehicle from any dealership, before finalizing your purchase, have them check that the ac is working correctly. If not, walk away. Secondly, many auto parts stores sell the recharge gas/Freon used to recharge the system, what they do not tell you is tha if you use anyone of the recharge brands that have a sealant in them, And, you add this to your vehicles ac system, it will hands down, void any warranty partauning to the ac unit in your vehicle. This is not limited to just Ford escapes, but all makes, models and manufacturers of vehicles sold in the United States. Why? When you use the Ez Chill or other recharge freons to recharge your vehicles ac system, the sealant causes all the seals to expand or swell. The system can’t just be purged, drained and then be refilled. Condensers get clogged as well. Any good mechanic that is worth his or hers weight in gold would know this, including the car dealerships service departments but the truth is, most, if not all won’t tell you this because they are in the money making business. Would you rather have a systems drained, checked for leaks with dye and only pay for the cost of replacing malfunctioning aspects of your ac or replace the entire system. My best advice and this has happened to me at least three times in three different vehicles is before you buy, take the vehicle to a reliable trust worthy mechanic, have them check the ac system and if possible, drain and purge and refill the system completely before finalizing any contract. Trust me when I tell you, it’s a hard lesson to learn that’s why I’m telling you all this in the hopes that it will save you from making the same mistakes that I have that have cost me over 10K so far.

1 people found this helpful.

Guys. Buy ac gas with gauge. Connect, Run your ac .Check pressure if low, put gas if high take out some gas from high pressure side. Better let mechanic do this. If you do it yourself Be careful put gloves and do not put face on top of the high pressure port. Drive for 2 3 days, Check pressure again if very low get leak checked, If high take out some gas from high pressure side. You are good to go for a year

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