Pickup Trucks Should Have Rear AC Vents
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Pickup trucks have become some of the most luxurious vehicles on the road today. Features once reserved for high end luxury cars have made their way into crew and extend/ double cab pickups. It is common to see trucks equipped with heated and cooled seats and steering wheels, high end leather, wifi hotspots, and touchscreens larger than many computers. Yet with all of these luxury available features, certain manufactures have forgotten one of the most basic and essential features of a four door truck. Rear AC vents. The front seats of most new trucks offer dual zone climate control but what about the rear seat passengers. Do manufactures really think that back seat passengers do not need AC on hot summer days? People buy four door trucks so that they can comfortably haul family, friends, and employees so rear AC vents are essential in ensuring all passengers are comfortable.
Based on my observations the following 2019 model year pickup trucks lack rear AC vents:
- Chevrolet Colorado – All versions
- Chevrolet Silverado HD* – All double cab and crew cab models
- Ford Ranger – All versions
- Ford F150 – All Supercab and Supercrew trucks equipped with front bench seat
- Ford Super Duty – All Supercab and Supercrew trucks equipped with front bench seat
- GMC Canyon – All versions
- GMC Sierra HD* – All double cab and crew cab models
- Nissan Frontier – All versions
- Nissan Titan – All king cab and crew cab versions equipped with front bench seats
- Nissan Titan XD – All king cab and crew cab versions equipped with front bench seats
- Toyota Tacoma – All versions
- Toyota Tundra – All double cab models * The 2020 version of this truck has rear AC vents
There are currently manufactures selling four door pickup trucks without rear AC vents for over $85,000. That is a lot of money to spend on a vehicle that lacks such a simple feature. What might be most bothersome about the lack of rear AC vents is that manufactures are misleading consumers by not informing them of this missing feature. Many consumers might not even know that they are buying a truck without rear AC vents until their passages are unhappy in the summer. When consumers are spending tens of thousands of dollars on a new truck, they expect that it will at least have the most basic features found on passenger cars and SUVs.
The time has come for truck manufactures to step up their game. It is no secret that the pickup truck market is one of the most competitive segments of the automotive industry. To remain competitive, four door trucks need rear AC vents. The consumer deserves better than they are currently getting from truck manufactures. I challenge Chevrolet, Ford, GMC, Nissan, and Toyota to make rear AC vents a standard feature on every 2020 model four door pickup truck that leaves their factory.
What do you think? Time for rear seat AC vents? Sound off below.
Guest post written by Brandon Rettig, a passionate advocate of rear AC vents
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Opinion
My Tundra DC has rear AC vents. It’s located under the driver and passenger front seats as opposed to being on the center console like on the CM. So it does have rear AC vents.
Mine is a 2011
Thanks for the heads up Ric. I will look into this.
We should boycott all the manufactures until they put AC vents in the rear. my employees do not like it
Who make s after market solutiom
Nobody I’m aware of.
-Tim
I’m not buying truck That grandma and pa can be comfortable in Texas no rear AC no truck
Been a Chevy gal for over 30 years. I only buy trucks and the last one cost over $70k. Next truck will be a dodge which will only be because they have AC vents in the back seat.
Just a couple days ago I turned down buying a F450 Super Duty due to the lack of rear AC with the bench design (we need to seat 6). Now to be fair the Fords due have a thin AC vent under each front seat that faces to the rear but it’s hardly anything and needs the bigger vents as well (that only come with the center console. Worse yet I’m looking at Ford because although Dodge does have rear AC with their 6 seat version, the front center doesn’t have a shoulder restraint seat belt, c’mon! it’s 2020. The Fords do. So I guess the choice is comfort or safety.
It really shouldn’t have to be a choice between safety and comfort. With the price of trucks in 2020, safety and comfort should be standard! Best of luck to you in your new truck search
I have a NEW 2020 F250 4 door Lariat. I equipped it with everything available – except I wanted a bench seat in the front so I could comfortably seat 6 people. Went to Alpine Arizona this last weekend (8,500 feet) and my rear seat passengers sweat so much that I had to roll down the windows. After spending over $75,000.00 on my new (and should have been my last truck) I am very unhappy that Ford did not at least have rear seat vents (other than the tiny floor vents that are almost useless)
Rick,
Thanks for sharing. Crazy you don’t have adequate cooling for your rear passengers at that price. You, and many others, are the reason we created this post and update it regularly. We want automakers to pay attention to this issue. Thanks again for sharing!
-Tim
The issue, as I see it, isn’t rear vents, but actual rear heat/ac controls and a separate rear zone. (called trizone in auto speak) Most SUV’s have them, why not pickups??
My wife’s Highlander is tiny compared to my Ram crew cab, but it has a separate rear zone!
My truck has no rear a/c vents. I have a Chev Colorado. It wasn’t until I sat in back seat that I realized its necessary to have. It was so stuffy and you don’t feel any air circulation especially on those warmer days.