Piece which controls the hot air/cold air mixture's door cracked and allowed the sqare metal peg to spin freely in the cracked plastic - eliminating the ability to make the air either hotter or colder. We had to drive 3000 miles (much of it through icy roads and blizzards) without heat of any kind as a result of this defect. Very dangerous conditions, but Ford couldn't fit us in at any of their shops due to the length it would take (a week) to fix the problem. This ended up costing us over $2000 for Ford to fix upon our arrival home. Clearly a defective part since to get to the part a person must remove all the airbags, front seats, dash, and etc. - it isn't something that could have been user caused or user error. This was a very dangerous defect, as it severly limited our visibility (no defrosters). Ambient temperature in the vehicle was less than 30 degrees F for 1500 miles.

- Laramie, WY, USA