2023 ER Lariat Heater Went Out Just as Winter Hit

[homeboy]

You are having a nearly identical experience to mine (also 23 Lariat ER). It was just starting to get cold in Idaho when I realized my heater wasn't working. I tried filling coolant several times and the level just kept going down, still no heat.

Eventually my service appointment was up and I took it in. Long story short... They tried everything and eventually replaced the heater itself. In the process they did find a coolant leak, so that was a good thing to find and fix.... Where did it go, though? Not on my driveway. The coolant level has been great since. The heat is great now, too. Unfortunately it took them longer to diagnose and fix than I would like, but overall had a good experience with this dealership.

My dealer also did all the CSPs which was great because with the sensor update Blue Cruise works nearly 99% of my freeway time now.

Take it in... ASAP. You'll thank yourself when you are warm again.

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[YellowstoneLightning]

You are having a nearly identical experience to mine (also 23 Lariat ER). It was just starting to get cold in Idaho when I realized my heater wasn't working. I tried filling coolant several times and the level just kept going down, still no heat.

Eventually my service appointment was up and I took it in. Long story short... They tried everything and eventually replaced the heater itself. In the process they did find a coolant leak, so that was a good thing to find and fix.... Where did it go, though? Not on my driveway. The coolant level has been great since. The heat is great now, too. Unfortunately it took them longer to diagnose and fix than I would like, but overall had a good experience with this dealership.

My dealer also did all the CSPs which was great because with the sensor update Blue Cruise works nearly 99% of my freeway time now.

Take it in... ASAP. You'll thank yourself when you are warm again.

Thanks for that info. I have an appointment in a week to pick up a loaner and drop off the truck. As I mentioned in the beginning, they wouldn't commit to when they'd even first take a look at it. How long did it take them to fix yours?

I've tried everything that the kind folks on this thread have suggested, and so far the heat still isn't working. Although, it seems like the coming out of the vents is warmer than the outside temperature, but nowhere near warm. Right now I have the truck on ramps with the heater going to try to work the air bubble out. So far, the coolant level hasn't changed since I filled it up.

One thing I've noticed is that my battery seems to be staying colder than normal as well, including when plugged into the charger. Is the cabin heating unit the same unit that keeps up the battery temp?

 

[Maquis]

Thanks for that info. I have an appointment in a week to pick up a loaner and drop off the truck. As I mentioned in the beginning, they wouldn't commit to when they'd even first take a look at it. How long did it take them to fix yours?

I've tried everything that the kind folks on this thread have suggested, and so far the heat still isn't working. Although, it seems like the coming out of the vents is warmer than the outside temperature, but nowhere near warm. Right now I have the truck on ramps with the heater going to try to work the air bubble out. So far, the coolant level hasn't changed since I filled it up.

One thing I've noticed is that my battery seems to be staying colder than normal as well, including when plugged into the charger. Is the cabin heating unit the same unit that keeps up the battery temp?

Yes, the same heater warms the battery and cabin.

 

[tearitupsports]

Update: I got the coolant and added about 1/4 gallon to get it about halfway between min/max. Ended up needing to drive about an hour and when I got home it had forced out the air. I was back down to where nothing could be seen. Added about another 1/4 gallon now to get back topped up, and will check after my next drive.

Last follow up on this issue. I have now added about 3.5 quarts of coolant over the course of 4 different fills. It seems I had a lot of air to work out of the system after the battery was replaced back in May 24. It finally is staying at a constant level in the reservoir so I am confident there is no leak. The heat now works really well also.

 

[YellowstoneLightning]

Hey everyone, final update here:

I brought the truck into my dealer last Monday. The intake tech was not very friendly, telling me that there were also all sorts of battery codes and that it would be a very long time until I saw my truck again. I then got a call from another tech saying that they confirmed that the problem was my heater assembly and that they had it ordered and it would be fixed soon. I asked about the battery codes the other guy had told me about, and he said that they weren't to be concerned about and were likely due to the battery being cold without the heater working. I got my truck back yesterday, a week after I brought it in and the heat is strong again. I also had the shop do my truck's first "EV service" while it was in. Everything checked out just fine.

Key takeaway:

Heaters might be an issue, especially on 23's. I believe a select run of 23's were recalled for the heater.

Check your coolant levels. Forum techs suggested checking coolant levels when my heat went out, and while that didn't fix the problem, my coolant level was well below the tolerance set on the overflow reservoir.

Thanks again to everyone who weighed in and advised on this issue.

 

[TaxmanHog]

The two things I've noticed from several threads about no heat are, a defective PTC heater that was afflicting a string of Lightings and then random 1 in a 100,000 type failures of the diverter control valve.

Glad your truck is fixed!!!

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