coop

2017 Cmax Energi. After coming home from a hospital stay and starting the Cmax there was an immediate loud banging. Figured it was a fan as the sound went up or down with the corresponding adjustment. Into the dealer to find it was the heater blower motor damage. Evidently a critter (chipmunk ?) decided to empty a bird feeder and relocate the peanuts inside the blower. The fan handles the peanuts nicely but ground up the fan. Replacement by the dealer was $500+, no complaints with the dealer. However I then asked if there could be anything done to prevent that from happening again. Answer was nope, nothing can be done. I guess I can't understand in the first place how the design of the blower or air intake could allow that to happen or there could be nothing done. (I don't think the service mgr. thought that hard about a solution). Any suggestions outside of killing all chipmunks in the neighborhood?