2006 Chevrolet Equinox

2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX "AIR BLEND DOOR" NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND CAUSING SAFETY HAZARD. WE PURCHASED A 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX FROM TERRY LABONTE CHEVROLET IN 2006. NOW AFTER APPROXIMATELY 4 YEARS, THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE 'AIR BLEND DOOR" MALFUNCTIONING IN THE HEATING/COOLING SYSTEM CAUSING THE SAFETY HAZARD OF THE WINDOWS REMAINING ICED/FOGGED UP IN CERTAIN WEATHER CONDITIONS. FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 103, "WINDSHIELD DEFROSTING AND DEFOGGING SYSTEMS AND WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 101, CONTROLS AND DISPLAYS. I UNDERSTAND THEY HAVE A RECALL ON 2010 EQUINOX MODELS BUT THIS PROBLEM IS CONCURRENT WITH SEVERAL YEAR MODELS OF THE GM PRODUCT LINE INCLUDING OUR 2006 EQUINOX. ALL I CAN GET FROM ANYONE IS THAT WE HAVE TO COME IN AND PAY $85 TO GET THE PROBLEM "DIAGNOSED". THEN IF IT IS IN FACE THE AIR BLEND DOOR, IT WILL COST FROM $1,000 TO $1,500 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I FEEL THAT THE HEATING/COOLING SYSTEM AND ITS COMPONENTS (EXCEPT FOR THE HEATER COIL) SHOULD BE FUNCTIONAL FOR THE LIFETIME OF THE CAR AND ANY MALFUNCTIONING ITEMS WITHIN SHOULD BE A SAFETY VIOLATION AND THAT THE VEHICLE BE FIXED FOR FREE. THEY NEED TO RECALL ALL GM MODELS OF VEHICLES THAT HAVE THIS SAME PROBLEM. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX THAT HAS A BROKEN "HEATER BLENDER DOOR". APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR AGO MY HEATER JUST STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT ANY WARNING. I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC AND THEY WANTED $1,000+ TO FIX IT. THEY SAID THE WHOLE DASH ASSEMBLY HAS TO BE REMOVED TO GET TO THE HVAC BOX UNDER THE DASH TO ACCESS THE PART (HEATER BLENDER DOOR). THIS WINTER I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DEFROST MY WINDSHIELD BECAUSE THERE IS NO HEAT TO DEFROST IT. WHEN IT RAINS THE WINDOWS FOG UP AND I CANNOT SEE. I WAS TOLD BY THE MECHANIC TO USE THE AIR CONDITIONER TO DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD BUT IT DOESN'T WORK IT JUST MAKES IT WORSE. ALSO USING THE AC DOESN'T WORK WHEN IT'S 32 DEGREES OUTSIDE. I BELIEVE THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE THE WINDSHIELD CANNOT BE DEFROSTED WHICH CAUSES POOR VISIBILITY AND MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE RECALLED AND REPAIRED ASAP. *TR

AS THE VEHICLE IS APPROACHING A STOP SIGN OR STOP LIGHT WHILE BRAKING THE VEHICLE WILL GET DOWN TO ABOUT 5MPH OR LESS AND THEN THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES WILL ENGAGE. THIS FIRST STARTED HAPPENING IN PARKING LOTS AT LOW RATES OF SPEED AND I FIRST THOUGHT IT WAS POSSIBLY ICE ON THE GROUND BUT AS IT IS WARMING UP AND THE ROADS ARE CLEAR THE PROBLEM IS MORE PERSISTENT. THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE STOPPING AND THERE IS NO REASON FOR THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES SYSTEM TO BE COMING ON. THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE FINISHING COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP NOT STARTING TO PUMP THE BRAKES. *TR

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) ON ICY ROAD SURFACE, WITH TRACTION CONTROL ON (DEFAULT IN THIS CAR), THE ABS BRAKES ON CHEVY EQUINOX 2006 WOULD NOT STOP THE CAR. THE WHEELS WOULD NOT STOP UNTIL THE TRACTION CONTROL IS TURNED OFF BY THE DRIVER. THE CONDITION IS NOT DESCRIBED IN THE MANUAL OF THE CAR AND IT WAS JUST PURE LUCK THAT I AVOIDED AN ACCIDENT AFTER BEING IN SUCH A SITUATION. ANYBODY DRIVING THIS CAR WITH ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL SHOULD KNOW THAT WHEELS WILL NOT COMPLETELY STOP UNDER ICY CONDITIONS, NO MATTER HOW THEY WILL HANDLE THE BRAKES. CHEVROLET SHOULD WARN ABOUT THIS VERY DANGEROUS CONDITION IN THE MANUAL, (WHICH OTHERWISE HAS TENS OF USELESS REDUNDANT WARNINGS, BUT NOTHING ABOUT THE ABOVE MENTIONED SITUATION). AN IMPORTANT DETAIL - THE ROAD WAS IN A SLOW DESCENDING SLOPE. CONSISTENT WITH THE ABS AND TRACTION CONTROL WORKING NOISES, THE SYSTEM SEEMED TO WORK CONTINUOUSLY - BUT THE FINAL RESULT WAS THE CAR ROLLING FREELY AND NOT COMING TO A STOP UNTIL TRACTION CONTROL BUTTON WAS TURNED OFF. PLEASE CHECK CONDITION WITH MANUFACTURER AND HAVE A LABEL APPLIED ON THE DASHBOARD ABOUT THIS CONDITION - OR POST A WARNING IN THE MANUAL.[XXX] *TR

THE BLEND DOOR FOR THE HEATER SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK THEY CRACK.$ 1200.00 TO REPAIR THE ITEM AS THEY REMOVE THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD. WE CALLED GM AND THEY WOULD NOT OFFER US A PENNY. THIS IS A LIFE SAFETY ISSUE AND THE CARS SHOULD BE RECALLED. THE POINT BEING HOW DO YOU DRIVE IN THE NORTHEAST OR ANY COLD CLIMATE AND SEE OUT THE WINDSHIELD THIS WENT OUT AS WE WERE DRIVING IN SNOW CONDITIONS AND THE WINDSHIELD FOGGED UP WE HAD TO PULL OVER OFF THE HIGHWAY AS WE WOULD HAVE HAD A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. *TR

MY SEATBELT BROKE. I DROVE ACROSS TOWN AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. WHEN I WENT TO UNHOOK MY SEATBELT AND GET OUT THE BELT RECOIL DIDN'T PULL THE BELT BACK IN, RATHER IT WAS JUST SLUGGISH AND JERKY. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT, THE SEAT BELT JUST JAMMED UP AND STOPPED WORKING. I CALLED CHEVROLET TO CHECK FOR ANY RECALLS OF THIS NATURE. THEY SAID THERE WASN'T AND THEN ADVISED ME TO HAVE A GM SERVICE CENTER LOOK AT IT. THE GM MECHANIC (LUPIENT BLOOMINGTON) ESTIMATED THE REPAIR AT ABOUT $475. AFTER CALLING CHEVROLET TO ASK FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT WHY A SEAT BELT COULDN'T LAST 4 YEARS (2006 CHEVY EQUINOX), THEY SIMPLY REPLIED THAT MY VEHICLE WAS PAST WARRANTY. FINALLY, LUPIENT TELLS ME THAT A NEWLY INSTALLED SEAT BELT WOULD BE WARRANTED FOR ONLY 1 YEAR. *TR