Blower Motor Replacement Cost [Different Models & Localities]
The cost to replace a bad blower motor in a car can vary quite widely depending on the type of vehicle you drive. Once your blower motor starts to go out, your Air Conditioning and Heating will begin to perform poorly.
One of the bad things about a blower motor failure is that a lot of the time, the problem is intermittent.
The price to fix a blower motor at a shop ranges from about $150 to $300 and as high as $450 with certain vehicles. This is because the cost to fix anything at a shop has to take both parts and labor into account. Also, repair shops make a profit on the parts they sell to you. So, if you buy your blower motor yourself, however, the repair will cost you less than $100.
What is The Cost To Replace a Blower Motor In a Car?
Below is a table of the total cost to replace a blower motor in various popular vehicles.
| Model | Labor | Parts | Total | DIY Kit Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987-1996 Ford F-Series | $145 – $157 | $112 – $139 | $257 – $296 | $38.96 |
| 2003 - 2006 Chevrolet Silverado | $154 – $169 | $163 – $181 | $317 – $350 | $39.99 |
| 2010 - 2013 Ford Focus | $145 – $157 | $112 – $139 | $257 – $296 | $38.99 |
| 2007 - 2017 Toyota Camry | $154 – $169 | $155 – $181 | $309 – $350 | $58.89 |
| 1998 - 2002 Toyota Corolla | $154 – $169 | $155 – $181 | $309 – $350 | $34.99 |
| 2007 - 2014 Nissan Altima | $154 – $169 | $154 – $210 | $308 – $379 | $68.98 |
| 2002 - 2005 Honda Civic | $145 – $157 | $44 – $55 | $189 – $212 | $44.98 |
| 1994 - 1997 Honda Accord | $145 – $157 | $112 – $132 | $257 – $289 | $28.88 |
| 2010 - 2012 Ford Fusion | $145 – $157 | $112 – $139 | $257 – $296 | $69.98 |
How Much Does It Cost To Replace A Car’s Blow Motor In My Area?
Below is a table showing the average cost of a blower motor replacement in several areas that report high levels of blower motor repair.
| Repair Type | Zip | Car Year | Car Make | Car Model | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blower Motor | 81006 | 2012 | Volkswagen | Passat | $441 |
| Blower Motor | 40303 | 2014 | Ram | 2500 | $245 |
| Blower Motor | 58417 | 2007 | GMC | Sierra | $230 |
| Blower Motor | 67518 | 2003 | Acura | MDX | $289 |
| Blower Motor | 63719 | 2012 | Audi | A6 | $713 |
| Blower Motor | 90488 | 2006 | Ford | Mustang | $230 |
| Blower Motor | 45431 | 2011 | Nissan | Sentra | $300 |
| Blower Motor | 95818 | 2013 | Toyota | Highlander | $120 |
How to Save on Blower Motor Replacement
If you replace your blower motor on your own, then you will end up saving yourself a lot of money while learning a valuable, new skill in the process. Remember, it will cost $200 to $300 or even more in labor to have a shop change your blower motor.
Some people just don’t want to work on their own vehicles. There are many reasons for this, but even if you do not want to do the blower motor replacement on your own, you should still buy your blower motor yourself and take it to the shop with your vehicle.
This will save you money by avoiding the shop’s mark-up profit on its sale of parts.
| Place of Repair | Work | Warranty | Price | DIY Kit Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent Mechanic | Parts & Labour | None | $95-$211 | $40-60 |
| Midas | Parts & Labour | 12 months | $111-$286 | $40-60 |
| Mr.Tire | Parts & Labour | 12 months | $74-$301 | $40-60 |
| NAPA | Parts & Labour | 24 months | $99-315 | $40-60 |
How Long Does It Take To Replace A Blower Motor In A Car?
It generally takes about 4 hours for an experienced technician to do a blower motor replacement. If you are doing it on your own in your garage with common tools, you can expect the job to take 6 hours or more.
What Is A Heater Blower Motor Replacement
A blower motor is a fan that is responsible for pushing air through your vehicle’s HVAC system. It can either draw in air from the outside or recirculate air that is already in your cabin.
How Can I Tell If A Blower Motor Replacement Is Needed?
If you are starting to hear whirring or whining noises coming from your vents, then you more than likely have a blower motor problem.
In fact, if that sound gets louder when you increase the fan speed, then you definitely have a blower motor problem. In some rare cases, you might even smell smoke when you turn on the blower.
Signs That Your Car’s Blower Motor Is Going Bad
The blower motor is an absolutely critical component of your vehicle’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system.
If your blower motor is starting to fail, then you will begin to lose control over the temperature of your vehicle’s cabin.
While this may not directly affect the operation of the vehicle, it does directly affect the operations of the driver.
So, if you begin to see any signs or symptoms that you have a bad blower motor, it’s important to get it replaced as soon as you can.
Remember, fixing something before it completely fails is usually faster and cheaper than fixing it after it breaks.
Weak Airflow
Weak and intermittent airflow is the most common symptom of a bad blower motor. Over time, blow motors will wear out.
As wear occurs, the motor will be less and less capable of pushing air through your vehicle’s HVAC system. So, that manifests itself in your air conditioner or heater not being able to blow nearly as powerful as it was able to before.
A bad blower motor doesn’t just affect your cabin system’s HVAC airflow, but it also results in decreased efficiency of the defroster, which can make your vehicle dangerous to drive.
While these kinds of symptoms are usually indicative of a blower motor failure, there are actually many different components that, if they fail, could lead to these kinds of problems. So, it is very important to make sure you diagnose the issue correctly. In that case, it may be good to check for a professional mechanic that does free diagnostics.
Noises
It is more common than you may realize for relatively large debris to get pulled into the engine compartment and get caught in the blower motor fan.
Remember, blower motors typically use plastic blades that can easily get damaged or even broken off entirely if a large enough object gets pulled into the blower motor. If that happens, you will experience sudden air-flow problems along with loud, jarring noises.
Smoke or Smells
In some rare circumstances, you may even smell smoke or a burning odor while driving. If this is the case for you, then you need to pull over right away, A blower motor that is burned up could cause you to wreck your car by filling the cabin with smoke. They could also cause your vehicle to go up in flames.
What Is Done During Blower Motor Replacement
Depending on the type of vehicle you have, a blower motor replacement can go one of two ways: It will either be a fairly quick and painless process or a long, complicated affair.
The blower motor is located under the hood in most vehicles, but there are some vehicles in which the blower motor is really difficult to get to.
There are even some vehicles where the steering column needs to be removed in order to gain access to the blower motor. If this is the case for your vehicle, then it will cost more and take longer.
Remember: replacing the blower motor is a simple process. The issue is, however, that the blower motor is difficult to get to a lot of the time.
When to Get Blower Motor Replacement
If you are starting to notice that your heat is not working like it used to or that your air doesn’t blow as fast as it did before, then checking out your blower motor is a great place to start.
There is a chance that it could be a blockage or a damaged flapper valve, but it’s more than likely your blower motor.
If your Heating and Air Conditioning system begin making strange noises when you turn it on, then that is a clear sign that you have a problem with your blower motor.
Another sign of a bad blower is your AC or heater not working at all when you turn the air or heat on.
If your blower motor is completely seized, the heating and cooling system is most cars are completely unaware of this. So, you could damage other system components by running your AC or heater with a bad blower motor.
Can You Drive With A Bad Blower Motor?
It’s important to keep in mind that a bad blower motor will also affect the safety of your vehicle. You will not be able to clear the windshield of snow, ice, or condensation because the blower motor is one of the things that is required for the defrosters to work.
Can I Drive With A Heater Blower Motor Problem?
Yes, but you shouldn’t. If you do, it means that you will not have any climate control in your cabin. That means no air conditioning in the summer and no heat in the winter.
Driving a car without a blower motor makes driving an uncomfortable and distracting affair and you should only drive your car with such a failure in an emergency.
Also, depending on the type of failure that your blower motor has experienced, it could lead to a fire.
How Often Do Blower Motors Need To Be Replaced?
Blower motors generally last a really long time. They tend to usually only fail in either high mileage vehicles or freak circumstances. This is because the blower motor’s fan blades become brittle over time.
The amount a blower motor is used is directly proportional to how long it lasts. This does not mean that it’s ‘bad’ to use the blower motor, but because it’s a brushed DC motor, it does wear out a little bit every time it’s used.
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Conclusion
If you have a shop that both sources the part and do work, then repair costs to fix a bad blower motor can vary quite a bit depending on the type of vehicle you drive.
But as you have learned by reading this article, the cost for the part is generally about the same across a wide range of vehicles.
The cost to replace a blower motor in a car at a shop will cost several hundred dollars while doing it yourself can cost less than $100 after everything is said and done.
And remember, even if you do not want to do the repair yourself, you should still buy the part. This will save you money by avoiding the repair shop’s mark-up.
