Navigator Mouse Nightmare

[20Navigator]

This is a follow-up post to identify the locations mice, mouse, or other smaller rodents can enter the cabin air filter on a 2021 Navigator.

 

For more background on this mouse issue please refer to the following posting:

 

 

As a summary, within weeks of taking delivery this spring of our 2021 Reserve L Navigator inside it developed what I would describe as a “wet towel” smell. Within in a day this odor turned into a nauseating smell of death. The source seemed to be coming from the ventilation system so my inclination was to pull the cabin air filter.

 

Oh my, has anyone ever tried access/change their cabin air filter in a Navigator?  I can't imagine why, but it requires the removal of the glove box (6-screws) and two adjacent panels, one on each side of the glove box which don't seem to be designed for routine removal as they utilize these flimsy plastic posts/clips. Then, there is an additional black plastic panel directly behind the glove box which needs to be removed (really, why another panel?), again it utilizes hardware which seems flimsy for something that should be accessed every year or so, very disappointing for a $100,000+ vehicle.

 

Once I was able to pull the cabin air filter, sure enough, I found 5-dead baby mice. I thought, wow I'm sure glad I found them before they rotted anymore, and fortunately, the nest did not penetrate through the filter, it was on top (the inlet or up stream side). Directly below the filter is the blower fan.

 

I then began to wonder how could a mouse gain access to the cabin air filter. Clearly, this being a luxury vehicle, the “flagship” of the Lincoln brand, there must have been some consideration given to manage/control the intake air to the cabin which we are all breathing!

 

With the cabin filter removed, I then shined a flashlight above its location and I was able to prop it there. I then opened the hood of our Navigator only to be hit directly in the eye by the beam of the flashlight as I looked towards the firewall on the passenger side saying to myself that seems like a big hole/gap.

 

I'll admit the picture below is not the best but you get the idea of where the light coming through the firewall on passenger side, if you are a Navigator owner, open your hood and look in this location, you'll see the holes/gaps which lead right to the cabin air filter:

In doing some research I've found that a mouse can fit through a hole or a crack the size of a No. 2 pencil. The openings on our Navigator's firewall that the light is shining through are large enough for a mouse to fit through.

 

These same holes (the style of seams/flanges) are mirrored on the driver's so you will want to seal them as well. Additionally, there is a fabric type of insulation on the firewall, filaments of this black colored insulation were also present in the nest indicating the mouse had access to the engine bay area and back to the cabin air filter to build its nest.

 

Again, being a $100,000+ vehicle this was very disappointing. Why were some precautions not designed and implemented for preventing this type of intrusion? I've heard of mice chewing wires in a engine bay, and can only envision how difficult to defend against that damage would be. But come on, this is the air we are all breathing! This air is being strictly controlled to be either heated or cooled, be recirculated or allowed to come from the outside. Is it too much to ask that some consideration be given to prevent a mouse from getting into the cabin air filter?

 

My first thought was to use silicone caulking to seal these holes but there is just no easy way to get a caulking gun into these areas, again during assembly this would have taken seconds to seal. I then decided to use butyl tape as its easy to mold into areas and stay's pretty sticky figuring if mice want to chew it they are going to get pretty gummed up.

 

Picture of butyl tape over holes on passenger side, these same holes exist on the driver's side:

 

 

Unfortunately the death smell didn't go away even after I had removed the dead babies from the cabin air filter. The mother had apparently fell through the side of the filter as it is only ridged on two opposing sides. The adjacent sides of the filter are pretty flimsy and she must have slipped by on one of those. The Navigator's air filter is not ridged on all sides like your typical home forced air furnace filter. Once the mother fell into the blower area she could not get back above the filter to her babies and proceeded to chew through the venting below the fan gaining access to the inside of the Navigator.

 

Picture of chewed plastic interior intake for re-circulation of air to blower:

 

 

From the inside of the Navigator she was able to crawl back through a duct somehow getting herself on the downstream side of the heater core and became stuck in the driver's blend damper where she died.

 

Picture of mouse parts in blend damper:

 

 

In the end the dealership had to remove the entire dash assembly, both front seats, center console and the front carpeting to find the source of the smell.

 

Picture of gutted Navigator's interior:

 

 

This when they were finally able to find the remaining pieces of the mother mouse. The dealership replaced all the ventilation duct work, blower fan, blend dampers, heater core, evaporator core etc.

 

In summary, if I was a Navigator owner I would take some time/effort to seal the openings in the firewall that I have shown to prevent the nightmare we have experienced.

 

We lost the use of our vehicle for 3 months; got the senseless run around from the Lincoln Concierge as they only provided another layer of frustration with this incident and incurred a claim against our automobile insurance.

[TexasRedneck]

With all due respect...you said you were "over" this a while back - you've now posted exacting details on at least two forums.  Maybe you'd be better served selling it and buying something else....or putting on your Big Boy britches and moving on.

[TrentM]

What kind of comment is that redneck?  Why bother saying with all due respect? So I guess you would have no problem with the interior and dash of your brand new 100K+ vehicle having to be disassembled right down to  the metal?    We all ought to be thanking this man for pointing out an obvious flaw that needs to be corrected, not making demeaning remarks like that.

20 Navigator I appreciate this information and will see about making those corrections on my Gator.  Thank you for posting  this detailed information.  

[TexasRedneck]

3 hours ago, TrentM said:

What kind of comment is that redneck?  Why bother saying with all due respect? So I guess you would have no problem with the interior and dash of your brand new 100K+ vehicle having to be disassembled right down to  the metal?    We all ought to be thanking this man for pointing out an obvious flaw that needs to be corrected, not making demeaning remarks like that.

20 Navigator I appreciate this information and will see about making those corrections on my Gator.  Thank you for posting  this detailed information.  

 

He's brought this "issue" up multiple times.  I get it that he's upset about it - but at some point, it's time to move on and let the insurance company settle things out.  And I meant exactly what I said - I wasn't trying to be rude to the man, but he's putting this up as more of a "I'm gonna make you regret this" move, IMO.  For example - those remaining gaps SHOULD be corrected by the dealer or repair facility - not the owner.  They'll have a better idea how to correct it in such a way as to minimize the chance of a recurring issue.  Butyl is a poor choice for that IMO.  But I can assure you that I'd be having the repair facility fix it, because if it doesn't work, now they can say it's on him.  

[TrentM]

Except that Lincoln wouldn't fix it. Not their problem according to them.  And the insurance company has evidently stepped up and did their part very well too. All he was doing was giving us some good information on what caused the problem and showing us a way to correct it. And that is good info to know. Opinions will vary on what would be the best material to use for this correction.

[Black Label]

With all due respect. A message board way of saying you think someone's comments are stupid but in a nice way.