I just purchased this truck end of last year (2009) and since the weather started getting warmer, I flicked on the AC for the first time.....well, let me re-phrase that.....see, since this particular truck uses automatic temperature control the user has to adjust the temp setting to the desired level and the computer determines whether AC or heat must be engaged. So, I have no AC despite having the temp set to 60 degrees.....all i get is hot air being blown out at me. I take it to a well-known local repair shop and they determine that there are no AC leaks present, and therefore believe that my "ambient temperature" sensor is bad. They stated that they were unable to take care of this problem so I took it to the #1 Ford Dealership in Indianapolis and 2-3 hrs later they tell me that my WHOLE AC AIR COMPRESSOR needs to be replaced because my AC compressor clutch is not engaging. I started to get that sick feeling in my stomach as I humbly asked how much to replace this.........$900.00 installed!!!!! Unbelievable. I clearly cannot currently afford this expensive repair so I tell them to hold off on the repairs for now. I then had to pay them a whopping $100.00 fee for diagnosing the problem. Now, I understand that YES, I don't get something for nothing, and that a REASONABLE fee is warranted for this troubleshooting.....but $100.00????? REALLY???? So, I take some time to cool down and think things over. I decide to further investigate the possibility of doing the repairs myself with some competent mechanic friend's help. I soon discover that (no surprise here) the compressor is nicely situated below everything else in the engine compartment making repairs myself virtually impossible. Yet another shining example of the fact that ALL AUTO MAKERS ARE PURPOSELY MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE OWNERS TO WORK ON THEIR OWN VEHICLES!!!!!!!!!!!! This practice infuriates me because they do this so that we as owners have no choice but to take it to the dealerships so that they can take advantage of us and charge outrageous (inflated) parts and labor fees. This is the last straw.

This vehicle is not even old enough to warrant the necessity for such high-dollar repair work already. I've tried and tried to stay loyal to domestic and support American jobs.....but, there is a limit when the quality is so poor. I've seen it with my previous GM vehicles as well as Ford. American workmanship is GONE in the auto field. When we as consumers are expected to pay as much as we do today for vehicles they need to actually work and not have such catastrophic failures early on in the life of the vehicle.