Shredded cabin air filter

Good Evening,
Anyone else ever had this happen?
Traveling down some pretty good corrugations (re: washboard), and my blower motor chewed up my cabin filter. The noise was a dead giveaway when I turned on the fan.
I picked out all the little bits of the filter, and to my surprise, there were also pieces of black plastic in the blower motor too. Is there a tray might have come loose and let the filter meet the blower?

I removed the blower motor once I returned home. I got the last few filter bits and re-installed. No more noise!

Any insight anyone can provide, I'd be grateful to hear it.

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)! Usually when we hear about shredded cabin air filters, it was turned into a mouse nest. Did you see any sign of mice?

 

That’s my bet…
Mice did the chewing/shredding, and the washboard road just knocked it all loose.

 

Not a single mouse turd/poop.
I will put in the new filter and try and stay off the corrugated roads.

 

How do corrugated roads make the fan and filter come in contact with each other? Its Mice, guaranteed.

 

Here in Michigan the roads bounce up and down a lot more than they curve left or right and I've never had the filter deform and fall into the squirrel cage.

 

Get a K&N cabin air filter, it has metal a screen and easily cleaned anytime you want to.Makes it a little harder for any critters to chew it up if they get in it.

 

Had a trusted tech take a look.
Rodent was his assessment too.

Thanks to all for your comments.

 

Just know they still have access to the entire cab through the flap for recirculating air.

https://www.tundras.com/threads/how-to-rodent-proof-your-cab.119653/