Problems with 2006 Chevrolet Equinox VISIBILITY

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. while driving various speeds, the check engine indicator illuminated, the heat in the vehicle did not work, and the vehicle overheated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who could not diagnosis the failure. the dealer was not contacted. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 127,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the defroster was activated, but failed to defrost the windshield. the failure recurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the temperature control door fractured and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 117,500.

I have no heat, yesterday, i did . this morning my heat will not work recirculation works fan controls work a/c works, after all of my hours of research, i know what the problem is, along with thousands of other equinox owners . its the vent door and actuator, i narrowed all down at first coolant thermostat etc. i found my result for a cheap piece of plastic on the vent door that breaks so often sure its a 70$ part but as a single father , i cannot afford a 1500.00$ shop fee for that, this is something chevy knows is wrong , and can be a very liable hazard to accidents ! i live in north dakota where it gets pretty darn cold , you lose your heat on a way to a kids hockey game 100 miles away on a friday night when snowing and 30 below zero yes could cause fatalities !! its widely spread across the board there are thousands of people with same problem , chevrolet knows this , they need to make it right before someone gets killed from it ! *tr

The heater blend door is broken. the cost of replacing the door is $1000 +. i cannot afford to get this problem fixed. this seems to be a very common problem in this model vehicle. i am so disappointed. *tr

The heater is currently blowing out cold air. i have tried every setting to try to see if any of the settings help but always blows out cool/cold air. another costly repair to add to this vehicle. ave had numerous problems with this vehicle, the worst chevy model i have ever owned. have had this vehicle for 16 months have had numerous problems with this vehicle. *tr

06 chevy equinox lt2, heat started blowing cold air. i didn't know the problem but fortunately i went into my onstar account to look for diagnosis but since service engine light did not come on it couldn't tell me. but while in my account it was showing active warranty. it showed me there was an active extended warranty from gm, covering actuator door default. all equinox owners are covered to 120,000 miles or 1/1/2016.....so if you have this issue with heat blowing cold take it to authorized chevy gm dealer because they have to take the whole dash out to fix a 10.00 part, the labor charge is $2600 my dealer told me. also if you paid for this issue out of pocket they will reimburse you. google this issue , there is a special bulletin number for this. get that number and call your dealer!!!!! they won't tell you it's covered and charge you because most of the service managers don't even know it exists. now that's not rite.....they should have been informed of this being covered, it's not fair to the consumer. *tr

A little over a month ago, i began experiencing an issue with my 2006 chevy equinox. the heat stopped working. the fan would work and blow air - but no heat. i took my vehicle to a gm dealership to have them look at the issue. immediately upon telling them the symptoms, they diagnosed my vehicle without even looking at it. the service rep told me that it was "known issue" with the equinox, that almost 4 out of 5 vehicles of that make/model/year have the same problem. he told me the good news was that the part to fix it was only $65, but the bad news was that the labor was $1000. i was told that the hinge on the temperature blend door" was broken at the actuator and that the entire dash assembly would have to be removed to get to the broken part. i took my vehicle to another dealership and had almost the same answer - although, to their credit, they did actually look at the vehicle before diagnosing it. both of these gm/chevy dealerships shook their heads and almost laughed at me - saying that it was a "known issue". i decided that i shouldn't have to pay $1000 to fix a "known issue", so i called chevy customer service. keep in mind that my vehicle is sitting at the dealership during all this. after more than a week, chevy tells me that my warranty expired (i was 20k miles over the warranty) and that there is nothing they can do about it. they convince the dealership to knock 10% off my bill. gee... thanks. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system were not operating properly. the failure recurred multiple times. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. the technician stated that the failure was known by the manufacturer who diagnosed that the blower motor speed and mode selection continued to function; however, the heater would not be available. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the manufacturer stated that the mileage surpassed the accepted mileage for customer satisfaction campaign number: 10044379-4513(equipment/visibility); therefore, the contact could not be assisted. the approximate failure mileage was 124,000. the vin was unavailable.

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that the heater failed to defrost the windows. the failure occurred on numerous occasions. the dealer stated that the blend door needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

The blend door on the heated is broken. i see there have been numerous complaints concerning this. is there a recall on this? if not why isn't there? i see you issued a recall on the 2010 equinox for this problem. my daughter who is a college students drives this car and can't afford the $1000+ to repair it. *tr

The heater is blowing out cold air, it's is definitely a safety issue. i have to drive to work with a blanket on my lap, heavy jacket and gloves. the blanket on the lap is not the smartest choice but i can not afford to pay somewhere between $800 - $1000 to get this fixed. i also have to have my children bring blankets so they stay warm. we live in a southern state but we still get cold here. i can't imagine living up north and dealing with this problem. needs to be fixed. *tr

Heater stopped working on vehicle making it impossible to defrost my front window. this creates a driving hazard due to foggy window. this can happen in cold or humid weather so it is an issue that needs to be addressed by gm, especially since they are aware of the problem. *tr

Vehicle has no heat or defrost. took to shop. shop stated blend door is broken and actuator needs replaced. shop has to dissemble the entire vehicle dash to access and replace the 2 parts to the cost of $1030.00. majority of costs $750 is labor to dissemble and reassemble the entire dash to replace 2 simple parts that total about $280 for gm. as i am finding out this is a recurring event with a substantial number of equinox vehicle owners. *tr

Heater is blowing cold air and defroster is not working. went on-line and saw that hundreds of others are having this same issue. when it rains this poses as a safety issue due to the defroster not working. can you please recall since there are so many with the same issue. *tr

The heat in the vehicle has quit and after investigating, we believe that the heater door in the dash could be broken. my 16 year old new driver was operating the vehicle and the windows fogged up and would not defrost. i saw that tsb 11135 was released for equipment replacement but only for limited age and mileage. it is a $35 part that requires the entire dash to be disassembled resulting in over $1000 in labor costs. this should be replaced regardless of mileage on vehicle because of the safety hazards if operating the vehicle at normal speeds and the windows fog up or frost over. *tr

2006 equinox: my heater blows cold air. upon research, i've learned that i am among hundreds, if not thousands, who had have had the same problem which stems from a broken blend door. i strongly believe that this is a serious safety issue. my front windows do not defrost on cold mornings, creating a significant driving hazard on the roads. i am aware that a service bulletin was released in june of 2012 to address the issue and offer repair at no charge. however, the bulletin only covers vehicles 'within 10 years of the date your vehicle was originally placed in service or 120,000 miles, whichever occurs first'. that said, i would like to address my concern for vehicle owners such as myself whose mileage/years have exceeded those specified in the paragraph. please help me understand why chevrolet would be willing to repair some vehicles with this issue, but not all. especially if the company knows that their product is at an extremely high risk of putting the lives of its drivers in danger. *tr

Heater is blowing cold air and defroster is also not working. went on-line and see that hundreds of others have this costly but more importantly safety issue (can't see out of window because defroster doesn't work). i've been cutoff because i have no warranty but this seems to be a bigger problem such as a total recall. *tr

Blender door broke no heat to defrost windows. *tr

Loss heat,air temperature blend door failing to operate. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the stated that while driving 30 mph, the sun roof failed to close completely causing rain to enter the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis where it was stated the sun roof retractor was defective. the vehicle was not repaired and the manufacturer was notified. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000.

We had a cold front come through today causing my window to fog. i changed my air to heat but just got cold air. i took it to the dealership and found out its my blend door. he said it would cost about $45 for the part but $1200 in labor!!!!! he also said that this has happened to thousands of equinox's! this issue needs to be corrected and a recall issued! i could not see anything and came so close to wreaking i sat in the shoulder of the road and cried! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that the ignition switch failed. the contact also stated that the a/c and heater was not activating properly. in addition, the sun roof would allow water to leak through when it was fully closed. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 147,000. the vin was not available.

Heat just stopped blowing out , was told it could be temperature control door, $25 part and $800 in labor , this is a problem that should have a recall on it. *tr

The power window control on the driver side no longer works, the power lock on that side quit working as well. now i hear there is a recall of 2006 gm vehicles with the same issue, but not my car. is this a coincidence or not enough complaints from equinox owners? the risk that caused the recall was the potential for a fire. do i need to worry that my car will catch fire? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. while driving various speeds, the right turn signal mechanism would illuminate continuously when activated. the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. in addition, the driver side power window failed to operate. the contact also mentioned that the driver side headlight bulb was replaced six times. the manufacturer was not notified of the issue. the vin and failure mileage were unavailable.

I have no heat or defrosters. is there a recall because it is unsafe to drive when cold weather is present. should i file a law suit? i understand this is something that is under investigation in other vehicles of same make and model. i can't afford to fix. my garage states $1100.00 to fix. what should i do and how can i get chevrolet to pay for this? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that while driving approximately 55 mph, he attempted to activate the heater but to no avail. the contact mentioned that all of the windows in the vehicle became icy, in which the contact was unable to view the roadway. the vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the a/c heater blend door actuator needed to be replaced. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 130,000 and the current failure was 160,000.

I live in alaska where it does get cold during the winter time. my wife was driving from anchorage to our home about 45 miles away when she had no heat inside her car. i replaced the thermostat and sensor check the heater core all were fine. i could not figured out why no heat. no heat also meant i could not defrost the windshield ( safety hazard). i did some research on the internet and ask other equinox owners if they had the problem. i found out the blend door breaks. the reason it breaks is the blend door motor rotates to far, breaking the tabs on the door. i would like to know why there has not been a recall on this safety hazard? look on the internet and you will find many owners who have the same problem and still the nhtsa does nothing about the problem, why? *tr

I live in florida, so i don't need the heater that often. last year when it got cold, i turned on the heater and got nothing but cold air blowing out. i took my vehicle to get it looked at and was told it would probably cost around $1000 - $1500 to fix. they would probably have to pull out the whole dash and it was very labor intensive. when i look on the internet, i see numerous people with the same problem. i would think chevrolet would do a recall. i guess if they ignore it, that is a lot of money they will be saving. *tr

The vehicle has no heat and only blows cold air....does not allow the windows to defrost and is a safety hazard. *tr

i was driving my child to school one morning and the heater started blowing out cold air. some time later, i took my chevy equinox to my mechanic. he said it would cost around $1,000 to repair. this was a shock because my mechanic is very reputable; i have used him for years. he never tries to cheat me or any of his other customers. when he quoted me that price, that's when i knew something was seriously wrong with my car. i don't have that kind of money - i'm a single mother of 2 kids and i was laid off from my job a few months ago. i called chevrolet 3 times and nobody would help me. in the meantime, i did some research to see if any other consumers have experienced this same problem. i found over 600 complaints from other drivers about this exact same issue. i took my car to a mechanic again and was advised that chevy/gm hasn't issued a recall for this problem (car heater blowing cold air) because it would not be cost-effective for chevy to fix it. this is a problem that chevy/gm has known about and, from what i've seen, the problem exists in chevy equinox's from all different model years. not only will i never buy a chevy again, i am filing a class-action lawsuit against chevy/gm for failing to issue a recall to fix a known problem. even if i did have the money, i should not have to pay out of pocket for something that this company knows is a problem. *tr

A cheap plastic part (air temperature control door ) breaks and you lose all heat and cannot defrost or defog windows, and as such have virtually no visibilty, which in my opinion is a very serious safety concern. *tr

I have a 2006 chevy equinox that the heater does not work. the blower fan and all the switches are fine. when i turn the temp knob to hot air, only get cold come out. does not matter what setting the mode door is in. 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 broken.the cost is over 1,000 and i am being told gm will not fix the problem. i have two small children and we are freezing in my car that i bought to be a "family" vehicle. this is just one more problem to the list of things i have already had fixed in this car since i bought it. *tr

My heater stopped working it blows out cold air. as i have researched this problem it seems to common with all 2006 equinox. *tr

Heat stopped working. not able to turn on the heat in the car because the plastic part that works the heater blend door is broken and would take 24 hours and about $1000.00 to replace. *tr

When driving my children to school one freezing cold morning i turned on the heat in my car only to realize that it was blowing only cold air! i brought it to a chevy dealer to diagnose the cause for the lack of heat and they reported that the temp blend door was broken inside the hvac case. it is very costly to fix and is not covered under warranty. it is clear from this website that this is a major issue with the this make, model, and year. it is definitely a safety issue...on the cold rainy mornings it is impossible to have any visibility with a broken hvac system and no defrost for the windshield not to mention the inability to clear the windshield of ice and snow in the winter months! this part needs to be recalled and chevrolet has to be held responsible and offer a solution so drivers can remain safe on the roads. *tr

On 4/14/12, the heater/defroster started blowing cold air only. this caused the windows to fog and limited visibility while driving in a rain storm on the highway. after researching the issue online, i found hundreds of report of the same failure in the air temperature blend door dating back to 2008. *tr

Tl* the contacts owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that heat no longer blew through the vents. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the temperature blend door needed to be replaced. the dealer did not provide a reason for the failure. the failure and current mileages were 68,000.

Bought used in feb 2012 from local dealer the heater worked fine until early april. we had weird weather here in upstate ny very warm so did not need to use heater that much. took daughter to work at 4 am and turned on heat and cold air is coming thru vents, the temp gauge is fine i am thinking maybe the thermostat is stuck open it might be original thermostat or from what i see on this site the mechanical door is stuck or broken. i spoke with dealer he said it was covered in the warranty to pay the $100 deductible and have it checked out , with so many other people complaining about this can the attorney general get involved on this it is definitely a safety issue if no heat and defrosting windows and gm sits on their hands and say it is within gm's criteria well gm obviously sucks and do not honor a major defect in their product. i like the equinox but only had it 2 months and this is not good glad it is getting warm now. *tr

My car blows cold air. i had everything checked only to find out that it was the air flow blend door inside the heater system. the entire dashboard has to be removed. to repair it will cost $1291.00 and $96.86 for the dealer to tell me that this is the problem. i live in chicago , my windows will not defrost, i have a hard time believing that this is not a recall. it is unsafe to drive a car when you can't get a clear windshield not mention driving in a freezing cold vehicle. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that only cold air blew from the vents. the contact had the thermostat replaced and that did not correct the failure. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that the vent that shifted between heat had broken and needed to be replaced. the contact spoke with the manufacturer and was informed that the failure was not a safety issue and was not under warranty. the vin was not available. the failure mileage was 102,000 and the current mileage was 103,000.

No hot air blows through vents, only cold air. also, the car cranks, but doesn't turn over most of the time, you have to push on the gas pedal in order for it to turn over. very frustrating for a mom. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet equinox. the contact stated that the defroster was inoperable and would not clear the windows whether using cold or hot temperatures. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where they advised the contact that the shutter door needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not contacted. the failure mileage was approximately 69,000. the vin was unavailable.

2006 chevrolet equinox lt. consumer writes in regards to a safety concern with defroster failure, blend door and actuator failure *tgw the consumer stated the blend door was removed from the dash of the vehicle due to a failed plastic end piece that was sheared off the door by the actuator that caused the door to rotate which made the heat and defroster inoperable. there was visible bubbles in the plastic portion that sheared off. *jb

Heater stopped blowing hot air which causes the windows to unsafely fog up on cold snowy and or rainy days. all visibility is gone as the inside fogs up wipers are unable to clear the glass. may cause potential serious accidents. it is to my knowledge this is happening with every 2006 equinox out there. the actuator goes out of alignment causing the blend door to break and not allow the heat in. *tr

I have a 2006 chevy equinox that all of a sudden started blowing cold air when the heat should be on. i replaced the thermostat thinking that was the problem. it's not. it is the temp actuator door. according to a diagnostic test done by a chevy dealer this is a very common problem with the 2006 equinox. i emailed general motors who offered to pay 10% of the $1000.00 charge it will take to fix this problem. i do not have this money. and after reading several websites there are a ton of people who have this same issue with their vehicles. this should be a recall. i live in colorado where it is 20 degrees outside. my windows will not defrost without heat. please help all of us that are having this problem. it is a safety hazard when you may be driving in dry weather...and then it starts snowing or raining. how are we to see when the windows fog or freeze up. as we say in colorado...wait five minutes and the weather will change. but it may be too late if my windows won't defrost and i'm out on the plains or in the mountains where there are no towns for 150 miles. this a very realistic danger. general motors does not recognize this as a problem with the 2006 model, although apparently they do realize it on the 2010 model. i have been a life long chevy owner, and my father retired after 32 years with gm. if something is not done...i will never own another general motors product. please do something before someone is seriously injured or killed because of this problem. *tr

Heater blows cold air. heater just stopped blowing hot air. after diagnosis the dealer found the temp (air blend )door broke and in the default cold position. had to replace the temp door and the actuator. parts $163 labor $930.60 plus misc. total cost $1184.12. *tr

The heater blend door and /or actuator have failed. there is no heat or defroster. it is now winter and because of the holidays, the dealer cannot get repaired in the next week or more. part cost = $55. estimated labor cost $1500. this repair is over 10% value of the car and i am told requires removing the entire dash. this is a safety hazard and the car is now unusable for a couple of weeks. *tr

After a month of purchasing my equinox the heat quit working. after doing research on the internet i have noticed that this is a common problem with this year and make vehicle. i took my equinox to my local gm dealer and they confirmed that the problem i was having was with the air temperature door blend breaking due to improper installation of the actuator that opens and closes the door. the actuator will put too much pressure on the door causing it to break over time. this is a safety issue in cold weather states because you don't have heat to defrost your window properly. if this door breaks on a road trip you are likely unable to see until you get the problem fixed. i believe that gm is unwilling to recall this part due to the fact that it is so labor intensive to repair this problem. the cost should not be the issue as people's safety should be their main concern! i am asking the nhtsa to look into this matter and make gm fix this problem! *tr

Vehicle has a broken "heater blender door" with a repair cost of approximately $1000 (the majority of the cost is for labor; the part is reasonably "cheap"). turning on the heat, the vehicle would only produce cold air. considering it is winter, this presents a considerable safety hazard as there is no defrost function for the front windshield. windshield easily fogs up and it is impossible to defog it. *tr