Need to know where I stand about Inspector responsibilities. Should a home inspector open a split system air handler to see it’s condition? We bought a home eight months ago. Had it inspected and then had seller pay for warranty (American Home Shield).

Air Handler motor seized up last week. Contractor dispatched by AHS reported system was ‘filthy’ and had not been maintained. Our claim is now denied and we face significant expense to clean and replace parts or purchase new handler (it's fifteen years old and there's a old motor lying next to the unit in the crawl space that tells us it's been done before).

We installed top quality filters when we moved in, and changed them out a month ago.
It’s obvious to me the equipment did not go from clean to filthy in eight months. So if it had been inspected, it would have been discovered.

Should the inspector have inspected the motor, or is that beyond the scope of our contract with him?

Thanks, in advance, for your thoughts...

Bob