Problems with 2006 Chevrolet Equinox VISIBILITY

Yesterday the heater stopped blowing hot air. after having the vehicle looked at it was determined that the blend door and the blend door actuator needed replaced. from researching the issue this is a major problem and needs to be taken care of by gm. *tr

Blend door issue just like everyone else when is something going to be done about this. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that the blend air door was fractured and as a result, the defrost system was inoperable. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure, nor was the vehicle diagnosed or repaired. the current mileage was 43,714 and the failure mileage was 43,000.

My heater quit working in my 2006 equinox. apparently it is a common problem with the air temperature blend door. since the potential danger is there during the winter gm should put out a recall on this part! *kb

2006 equinox; air temp blend door not operating, no heat no defrost on suv. this poses a issue during winter months. causing issues visibility for driver. have seen several forums that discuss many many equinox suv with same problem with vin starting with 2cndl. really needs a recall on this asap... over $1000 to repair $35 to $100 part. (note. i am entering complaint for a friend who works 2/3 jobs and does not have time to do this herself. i am the contact person). *tr

Heating problem in the vehicle. it has been diagnosed to the blend air damper (valve) being broken from the blend air actuator torquing it too far. i have found that this is an on going problem for gm and this needs to be addressed. *tr

No heat coming in the suv to defrost windows or to warm up the inside. total repair will be $800.00 for a $30.00 part. plastic plate that controls the air and heat is defective. apparently the part after sometime get weak from hot and cold conditions. only way to fix is to tear complete dash board out to reach blower assembly, replace vent door and reassemble the entire dash board. *kb

The defroster has gone out. the heater does not work. the engine block heater needs to be replaced. *tr

2010 november 7 heater keeps going on and off, weird times, while turning, sometimes while braking hard, also lost the light for the window switches and heater control 8 heater not working today 9 heater keeps going on and off, weird times, while turning, sometimes while breaking hard, also lost the light for the window switches and heater control 10 heater not working today 22 - mechanic fixed my blower motor; cause was a loose/burnt connection in the black connector (red/white wire), under the toe kick on the drivers side, 2011 july 18 twice ac fan shutoff while driving 19 ac fan shutoff again while driving 20 ac fan shutoff completely 24 - mechanic fixed ac fan, jumped wires (red/white wire, fan controller) november 5 looks like the reason my heater is not working, it's the fan door' not operating, mechanic is investigating more.. *tr

Heat suddenly stopped working in truck. many complaints have been filed by other owners , pertaining to the temp blend door being defective. *tr

The heater blows cold air no matter what temperature setting it is on. there is also no defrost on the front window. *kb

The air temperature blend door failed. this caused the loss of heat and the ability to defog the front windshield and is a definite safety concern due to the lack of visibility. also this is a know issue by chevy with thousands of failures reported on various websites across the internet. *tr

It just got cold in my region and i noticed my heater was not working. it just blows cold air out. i did some research and saw that there were lots of complaints about a heat blend door breaking in this model. the part costs approximately 30 dollars to buy but the associated labor is over $1200 dollars. chevrolet hasn't recalled this even though it's kind of dangerous to not have a defroster in icy weather. *tr

I am not sure how many complaints you've had regarding this 2006 equinox lt blowing cold air. gmc is not doing to resolve this problem and i think this is safety hazard issue due to it will not defrost without heat and defog. *tr

Without warning the temperature blend door fails and there is no heat. this also effects the visability as the defroster does not produce and hot air and in a cold cliamte i am not able to see out of the windows. this is a safety hazard and gmc redesigned the blend door on the 2007 chevy equinox so that only the 2006 was effected. gmc certainly knows of the problem as they redesigned this part the next year. this is a widespred problem as the blend door is poorly designed as is the actuator. *tt

The heater on my 2006 chevrolet equinox is not working it blows cold air. we noticed it me and my family that it stopped working when the temperature dropped in the evening and we turned on the heat and only cold air was blowing out, luckily we were close to home. the next day i took it to my local mechanic and told me that it's a costly repair at the dealership. i looked on-line to see if there are any recalls but none yet and found out by numerous on-line comments that there is a significant amount of people that have the same problem that i have encountered. the cost to get it repaired at the dealership is anywhere from $700 to $1500 and that is way out my pockets. the comments that people said the common problem is the "actuator" or the "heater core", but a lot of them were steering more towards the "actuator" part that controls the door flap to get either hot or cold air. it's a manufacturer error please help me and my family along with others that are having the same problem to resolve this issue. it's our family vehicle and winter is approaching i won't be able to defrost my windshield or be able to drive it safely with the concern of it fogging up impairing my vision on the road which can endanger our lives! thank you in advance for hearing out my concern!! *tr

The heater door has broken and the heater/defroster no longer work. the issue causes the windshield to frost over while driving. many complaints on this issue have been posted on the internet. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. while parked the contact activated the defroster and noticed that the hvac system only emitted cold air and would not clear up the windows. the contact inspected the vehicle and noticed that the blendoor for the heater was not functioning. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 87,000.

Vehicle no longer blows hot air when heat is on therefore the defroster will not blow hot air as well. this is a safety hazard! if windows are fogged or iced during inclement weather you can not see and could cause an accident resulting in fatalities. i found over 500 complaints about the same problem on the internet. problem seems to be with a plastic temperature door valve (temperature blend door) that is defective on the 2006 chevy equinox. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that the heater and the defroster failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised that the temperature door actuator needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified who informed the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer and offered no further assistance. the failure mileage was 82,585. updated 11/16/11 *bf the consumer stated the actuator over rotated and cracked the blend door. updated 11/18/11

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that the heater was defective. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the air temperature control blend door was broken and needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileage was 52,000.

The heating system in my 2006 chevy equinox failed. i see that this is quite a common issue. we brought our vehicle in and after beating around the bush, the dealer is quoting approx $1000 to replace the blend door mechanism. mostly labor, i understand the part itself is rather in expensive. since the defrost on the front window no longer functions shouldn't this part be recalled as a safety hazard??? *tr

Same as reported below, abs issues, ignition switch, over heating, water sound in dash, blend door issues. only have 80k on car but problems surpass value. why are there no recalls for equinox? *tr

My air blend door broke. this is the second time. which makes it hard to drive because the windows fog up. *tr

The heater stopped producing warm air. diagnosed it as a heater blend door problem. gm sent us a letter asking to fix and then denied the claim. *tr

Tl* the contact owns on a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that she turned on the defrost system while driving 70 mph, but only cold air would blow through the vents. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the blend door motor failed. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with nhtsa campaign id number 09v489000 (visibility:defroster/defogger system). the approximate failure mileage was 64,000. updated 02/09/12*lj updated 02/13/12

While leaving a parking lot during a rain storm on the night of june 18th, 2011, i turned on the heater and heard a clicking sound from the dash area, and the heater wouldn't blow hot air. there was/is still cool air blowing from the vent(s). because of this, the defroster on the vehicle would not/doesn't work either, it too only blows cold air. i had to crack the windows open in order for the windows not to fog up during my drive home. believing this was just a simple matter of replacing a heater core or thermostat, and because i wouldn't need the heater during the summer months i didn't start looking into the matter until a few weeks ago. in having the problem checked, it seems that it is a faulty heater blend door/actuator. the cost to fix it is very expensive, due to the labor involved. chevrolet seems to be aware of the problem, but are doing nothing about the potential safety issue. i feel that not being able to defrost the windshield is a serious safety problem, that has the potential to cause a serious accident. i have read that chevy recalled a 2010 equinox because of a defect that caused an inoperable defrost system, but there is no recall for the 2006 model. (failure mileage is approximate). *kb

I had a problem with the heat not working in my car. took the car to a mechanic and after they charged me $50.00 to look at it, discovered it was the blend air door that was broken. mechanic also said it was odd that the part was in stock. this is not a common problem to have. $40.00 part for a $900.00-$1200.00 fix. had to get it repaired as we need the heat in wi. also need to be able to see when i drive. something has to be done about this. i am nervous to even use my heat as i don't want to have this happen again. from what i have read online, this is happening often. i don't have that kind of money to keep fixing this.

The heater started blowing cold air. i know for certain that my car is one of many. there was less than 60k miles on the car at the time. unacceptable. *tr

The heater and defrost only blow cold air making driving a hazard. the air temperature blend door no longer works. this malfunction defect has already costs me more money than i can afford and now i learn that this is a common problem with this year and make. it should be recalled and fixed by chevy. *kb

Broken blend door on 2006 chevy equinox. *tr

Just bought the car a month ago and two days after i bought it the air temperature blend door broke and it cost me $1200.00 to fix and now again the door has broken and i can't afford to fix it a second time. there is no heat and this happened all of a sudden. the windows immediately fogged up and i couldn't see. there was air blowing but it was cold air. there is no heat at all. *tr

Chevy equinox 2006-broken blend door due to malfunction of the actuator. cost for diagnoses $44, cost to repair $1,000. have noticed that numerous owners of this year and make are having this problem around the 50,000 mile mark, mine is at 51,000. problem is not covered under extended warranty and poses a safety hazard in that the heat ceases without warning. defrost is not usable. this should be a safety recall from the manufacturer due to the large number of equinox owners with the same problem. the part has been redesigned and should be updated without cost to these chevrolet owners. *tr

The blend door in my 2006 chevy equinox lt is broken. the knob that turns it from cold to hot is cracked and i was told by a mechanic that this piece should not have been broken and it is a manufacture defect. it is only blowing cold air. i have read many complaints online from people with the exact same issue. this is a safety issue because i can't defrost my windshield on a cold day with cold air. i have driven with fogged windows and windshield almost hitting objects on the road because i couldn't see anything. the repairs are expensive and gm needs to place a recall on this. *tr

Complainant owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox where the heat and defroster suddenly stopped working on march 1, 2011. took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the air temp actuator over actuated and broke the air temp door. the air temp door and actuator are now faulty and need to be replaced. estimate of $1200 of which most of the cost is labor due to need to disassemble all of the dashboard to replace part. this is a known defect of the vehicle make, model and year and manufacturer has yet to issue a recall. vehicle was not repaired. *tr

Heat stopped working in 06 equinox. told it was the air blend door. $40 dollar part but $1000 to replace. this is a very common problem and is a design flaw by gm. they will not back it. this leaves the car with no way to defrost/defog the windshield. this is a major safty concern. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that there was no heat function in the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated that the heater blend door was defective and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the vin was unavailable. the current and failure mileage was approximately 59,000. updated 03/24/11*lj

Heat in 2006 equinox chevy quit due to heater blend door failure. cost to fix was $944 + tax. this is obviously a design flaw, and should be corrected at gmc expense, not the consumer. also caregard warranty services inc. didn't cover the repair even though the air and heating system is covered in their policy. due to small print and a play on words they can claim that any part that is not specifically called out by name is not covered, even though the heating system is covered. stay away from both chevrolet and caregard warranty services inc. *tr

Yesterday i got in my vehicle, turned on the heat and defrosters. i only got very cold air, the car never warmed up, the windows never defrosted, they only became foggy inside. g.m. says they have no records of this problem. the internet records over 500 incidents of the same thing happening to 2006 chevrolet equinox's. this car should be recalled and repaired, g.m. knows the part (plastic) fails because on later models they began using a metal part.

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that the heat blower malfunctioned; neither the heat nor defroster would work. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who stated that the air blend door needed to be replaced. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the failure mileage was 110,000.

This incident happened in early spring 2011, temperatures in oklahoma are still cold in march, the heater stopped putting out hot air. the defroster would not defrost. my wife drives this car and had told me that the heater is not working. i guess i procrastinated about it, as temperatures became warmer, the heater was not needed. during this spring-summer, i happened to go to a auto repair shop that my cousin owns, there sits a chevy equinox, like the one we own. i asked the tech, what was wrong with it, he stated that the heater stopped putting out hot air through the heater ducts. i was shocked to see the entire instrument panel was disassembled. there was a bad feeling coming upon me. he shared his frustrations about this job, and the design/part that was used for this system, that caused this problem. this was his 2nd repair of this problem. well, needless to say i have the same problem. the heater blend door was broke. i am lodging this complaint due to such an important function of not only heating the car interior compartment, but also most importantly the defrosting system. i strongly feel this is a design flaw from the manufacturer. this defect will cost over $1200.00 to fix at the dealer. there need to be a recall for this defect immediately. thank you. *tr

2006 chevy equinox (49351 miles) just quit blowing hot air through vents or defroster. dealer says a broken blend door cost $1500 to repair. seems this make/model has the same problem at about 50000 miles. what is chevrolet doing to help the purchasers of this vehicle. not a [xxx] thing. great customer service, i will never purchase another chevy/gm product. very dangerous situation in cool temps where windshield fogs up driving down the road. i guess it will take a fatality for chevy to admit fault and correct this. highly disappointed!!! *tr information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that the heat suddenly stopped functioning and there was no air being blown out at all. the vin was unavailable. the current and failure mileages were approximately 68,000.

Temperature heater door broken. defroster does not work in winter. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that only cold air would blow from the circulation vents when the heater was engaged. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic for inspection where the contact was advised that the blender door had failed and would not allow heated air to blow through the vents properly. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was not contacted to report the failure. the failure mileage was 50,000. updated 3/21/11 *cn the consumer stated during the winter, the defroster/defogger stopped working. the next day, the heat stopped working and only cold air was blowing out of the vents. updated 04/27/11

Tl*the contact 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that heater actuator cracked and caused the heat to malfunction. the contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic who stated that the heater actuator needed to be replaced. the contact called the manufacturer and stated that there were no recalls and that the warranty had expired. the contact stated that the failure was a known issue with that year, make and model vehicle and should be addressed by the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 44,500.

As with what i have discovered to be with hundreds of other equinox owners...with out warning or prior issues, my heater is no longer "heating" the air. it just blows out cold air. i have been told that it is the actuator/blend door (which is a plastic part) and that to correct it, requires the entire dash to be removed, 8+ hours of labor and upwards of $1000 in repair costs. i only have 44,000 miles on this car and should not be having this issue so early into the life/ownership of this car. i contacted gm and they are unwilling to recognize this as a problem and refused to offer any assistance to get it corrected. this is obviously a safety issue as it also prevents the defroster from working as well. temperatures have been in the teens for several weeks now which makes it dangerous to drive in the cold and snowy conditions. i have discovered several owner forums across the internet and have found hundreds of the same complaint on this make/model. i have also since learned that gm recalled the 2010 model for the exact same reason but is ignoring the same issue on the earlier models. gm needs to be made accountable for their faulty cost cutting ways and correct this problem via a recall. *tr

Heat began blowing only cold air, could not defrost windshield. was on a trip with two small children. it became very cold and difficult to see; dangerous. dealership diagnosis is a broken temperature control door actuator. gm is so far unwilling to aid in repair cost. *tr

At 46,000 miles heater blowing out cold air. can't defrost windows. problem started december 23, 2010. i have researched the problem and numerous equinox owners are having the same issue. problem comes from the manufacture. dealership is charging between $800-$1200. entire dash board needs to be removed to switch out a plastic part that was placed instead of a metal one. *tr

I have a 2006 chevrolet equinox and the heater blows cold air causing the windshield to frost up. took to a chevrolet dealer and they said that it is a broken heater blend door and it cost me $1598.00 to fix. chevrolet does not say that this is a safety hazard therefore will no issue a recall. i have been reading about this on other sites and there are some cases of people having to replace the part 4 times in 4 years. *tr