IllustrationMy 2006 Chevrolet Equinox blows cold air will not defrost windshield. And while driving I push the gas pedal and it’s like surges and jumps. The car manufacturer knows about the issues and they don’t vare
2006 Chevrolet Equinox
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 382.5.
Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.
About this comparison →695Owner complaints
Model-year median: 382.5
0Recall campaignsView recall details →
0InvestigationsView investigation details →
Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Inspection summary
2006 Chevrolet Equinox
NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 695 owner complaints · 0 recall campaigns · 0 investigations.
Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.
Top reported categories (up to 5)
- Visibility: 247 reports
- Electrical System: 141 reports
- Engine: 68 reports
- Service Brakes: 63 reports
- Engine And Engine Cooling: 60 reports
Full reported-category list and vehicle report
Recall links
No recall campaigns in this snapshot.
Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.
How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Equinox years →Counts vary with age, sales, mileage exposure and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
450–25K
10225–50K
16950–75K
11675–100K
129100–150K
41150K+
602 reports with mileage · 93 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Visibility. Review the 247 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 141 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 68 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
16 crash reports9 fire reports11 injury reports
Visibility/wiper complaints
34 reportsWHEN PRESSING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL YOU GET CONSTANT VIBRATION CAUSING YOU TO SKID. IT HAPPENS WHEN YOUR GOING STRAIGHT OR TURNING WHEN YOU PRESS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. IT ALMOST CAUSED ME TO SKID INTO THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. AND ALSO DEFROST IS NOT WORKING CAUSING VISIBILITY ISSUES ESPECIALLY IN THE COLD AND SNOW.
WEAK PLASTIC IN THE BLEND DOOR OF THE HVAC SYSTEM CAUSES DOOR TO BREAK AND GET STUCK IN THE "COLD" POSITION. NO HEAT IN SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN MEANS YOUR WINDSHIELD WILL NOT DEFROST AND VISIBILITY DROPS BECOMING HAZARDOUS IN POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS.
ONE WIPER BLADE QUIT FUNCTIONING AND CAUSES SEVERE DANGER TO THE DRIVER. HEATER QUIT WORKING CAUSING FOGGING ISSUES AND KEEPING MY KIDS & WIFE IN DANGER. APPARENTLY THESE ISSUES ARE VERY COMMON ACCORDING TO THE 2009 REPORT GM RECALLED 59,000 VEHICLES FOR THIS ISSUE BUT OUR VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.
MY HEATER ONLY BLOWS COLD AIR. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. WHEN MY WINDSHIELD HAS A LAYER OF FROST OR SNOW ON IT, I HAVE NO ABILITY TO CLEAR IT BY WAY OF UTILIZING MY DEFROST. I DRIVE WITH ALL OF MY WINDOWS DOWN AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS MOVING CONSTANTLY IN ATTEMPTS TO SEE. CHEVY IS AWARE THAT THEY MADE A PART THAT IS DEFEC…
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MY HEATER ONLY BLOWS COLD AIR. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. WHEN MY WINDSHIELD HAS A LAYER OF FROST OR SNOW ON IT, I HAVE NO ABILITY TO CLEAR IT BY WAY OF UTILIZING MY DEFROST. I DRIVE WITH ALL OF MY WINDOWS DOWN AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS MOVING CONSTANTLY IN ATTEMPTS TO SEE. CHEVY IS AWARE THAT THEY MADE A PART THAT IS DEFECTIVE. THEY EXTENDED A WARRANTY ON A CHEAP PLASTIC PART THAT TENDS TO BREAK AT 60,000 THAT WAS COVERED UNTIL 2016 OR 120,000 MILES. I HOWEVER DID NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES UNTIL OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY. I DON'T SCAN RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE IF I'M NOT EXPERIENCING ISSUES AT THE TIME. MY CHEAP DEFECTIVE PART BROKE WHEN UNDER 58,000 MILES AND UNFORTUNATELY IN 2017. CHEVY HIDES BEHIND THIS AND IS NOT WILLING TO FIX A DEFECTIVE PART AND ULTIMATELY DEFECTIVE MANUFACTURING. THIS IS A DEFECTIVE MANUFACTURING ISSUE THAT CHEVY DOES NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR AND IS ULTIMATELY A SAFETY ISSUE. CHEVY NEEDS TO PAY FOR IT TO BE FIXED-PERIOD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE HEATER BLOWER ONLY BLEW OUT COLD AIR AND WAS UNABLE TO DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (JIM BUTLER CHEVROLET IN FENTON, MO) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BLOWER ARM WAS DAMAGED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHIC…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE HEATER BLOWER ONLY BLEW OUT COLD AIR AND WAS UNABLE TO DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (JIM BUTLER CHEVROLET IN FENTON, MO) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BLOWER ARM WAS DAMAGED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.
IN ALL DRIVING MODES, HEATER ONLY BLOWS COLD AIR, NOT HOT AIR
TEMP CONTROL DOOR FAILED CAUSING NO DEFOGGING/DEFROSTING IN CAR. CHEVY IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WHICH COULD CAUSE DRIVER INABILITY TO SEE THRU WINDSHIELD AND HAS RECALLED SOME YEAR MODELS, BUT NOT 2006 MODELS. I REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE FOR $1162.49. THE PART IS NOT EXPENSIVE, REQUIRES MANY HOURS OF TAKING APART DASHBOARD.
HEATER BLOWS COLD AIR IN WINTER IN CHICAGO CAN'T SEE WHILE DRIVING , VERY DANGEROUS. *TR
ABS ACTIVATION AT LOW SPEEDS ON DRY PAVEMENT. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY AND CHANGES THE VEHICLE BREAKING DISTANCE. IT IS ALSO UNKNOWN HOW MUCH IT WILL CHANGE THE DISTANCE. SO IT CAN POTENTIALLY CAUSE A LOW SPEED IMPACT ACCIDENT. THIS IS DUE TO NOT KNOWING WHERE TO BREAK FOR PROPER STOPPING DISTANCE. ENGINE PROBLEM WHEN STARTING V…
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ABS ACTIVATION AT LOW SPEEDS ON DRY PAVEMENT. THIS HAPPENS RANDOMLY AND CHANGES THE VEHICLE BREAKING DISTANCE. IT IS ALSO UNKNOWN HOW MUCH IT WILL CHANGE THE DISTANCE. SO IT CAN POTENTIALLY CAUSE A LOW SPEED IMPACT ACCIDENT. THIS IS DUE TO NOT KNOWING WHERE TO BREAK FOR PROPER STOPPING DISTANCE. ENGINE PROBLEM WHEN STARTING VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE TURNS OVER THEN STALLS. ONLY WAY I HAVE FOUND TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING IS TO PRESS THE GAS PEDAL WHILE TURNING IT OVER. WIPER ISSUE. MY PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER DOESN'T WORK. I LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE HEAVY SNOW FALL HAPPENS. THIS IS A DANGER TO MYSELF AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD. IF MY VEHICLE IS ON THE ROAD DURING A BLIZZARD OR HEAVY SNOW VISIBILITY IS LOST ON HALF MY WINDSHIELD.
Recall campaigns
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
Defect investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.