One of the most important parts of your vehicle is the radiator fan as it contributes to keeping the engine coolant cool. A lot of radiator coolant fans will last for a long period of time, perhaps as long as the vehicle is still operational. If a fan does break down, though, it could lead to more than just a broken fan – you could also be looking at a damaged engine. Depending on how early you catch it and the type of vehicle you own, the radiator fan replacement cost can be cheap or quite expensive.
Below are some of the price estimates for various fan services:
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Purpose of the radiator fan
When driving, air naturally flows over the coolant and keeps your engine cool. However, when driving slowly or stopping at stop lights, for instance, the radiator coolant fan has to kick on to keep the coolant cool. Without the coolant fan, your car is in danger of overheating when in heavy traffic. For this reason, a radiator fan replacement is a must, especially if most of your driving is done in a city or in lots of traffic.
How to determine a faulty coolant fan
There are several tell-tale signs which indicate that the radiator fan has been damaged. These may include the following:- Warning lights are on
- Warm air blowing while the air-conditioning unit is working
- Overheating of the engine

Reasons for a failing fan
Radiator coolant fans can fail for a lot of reasons:- Damaged fuse
- The coolant is ineffective in its temperature sensor function
- Broken and malfunctioning electrical connections in your car
- A malfunctioning car controller mode
- A failed electrical motor in the radiator fan
- Broken radiator fan relay

Radiator fan replacement cost
As one of the more expensive car repairs needed (not including the replacement of a seized car engine, obviously), the replacement of the radiator coolant fan could incur about $128 to $162 in labor costs and around $465 in parts. So, total radiator fan replacement cost could be anywhere from $592 to $627. No matter how expensive this repair is, it’s an important one to get done immediately as it is really dangerous to drive around with a broken fan; the risks of driving with a damaged radiator coolant fan are greater than the cost. Additionally, it all depends on the type of vehicle you might have. The radiator fan replacement cost also depends on if you can catch the problems early on.
- Coolant related services – may range from $10 to $30
- Broken wiring and fuse replacement- approximately $10 to $20 (add in diagnostic costs)
- Damaged fan relay replacement – $60 to 70 including labor
- Engine coolant temperature sensor replacement – ranges from $120 and $160 (dependent on the type of vehicle and model)
- Fan controller replacement – average cost is between $250 and $400 (dependent on the type of vehicle and model)
- Replacement radiator fan -this may cost between $592 and $627.
