2006 Chevrolet Equinox

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE HEATER FAILED AND BEGAN BLOWING COLD AIR. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO THE HEATHER VALVE DOOR AND THE HEATER VALVE DOOR. THE DASHBOARD WILL NEED TO BE REMOVED AT AN APPROXIMATE COST OF $1,500. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 59,000.

2006 EQUINOX BLEND DOOR PREMATURELY MALFUNCTIONS AND RENDERS DEFOGGER AND HEATERS USELESS IMPAIRING THE VISION AND SAFETY OF THE DRIVER, PASSENGERS AND PUBLIC SAFETY. PLEASE REVIEW THE 100'S OF COMPLAINTS FROM THE LINKS I LISTED BELOW. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME! HTTP://WWW.TOPIX.COM/FORUM/AUTOS/CHEVROLET-EQUINOX/TNMHVCTE76U9HGTH4 HTTP://WWW.ABOUTAUTOMOBILE.COM/COMPLAINT/2006/CHEVROLET/EQUINOX/WINDOW+DEFROSTER HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/CHEVROLET/EQUINOX/2006/AC_HEATER/HEAT_BLOWS_OUT_COLD_AIR.SHTML HTTP://WWW.WEB2CARZ.COM/797/2006/CHEVROLET/EQUINOX/REVIEWS/OVERVIEW#ADDREVIEW. *TR

HVAC SYSTEM WENT OUT ON 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX VEHICLE. VEHICLE HAS 38,000 MILES AND WAS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY WHICH WAS 3 YEARS OR 36,000 MILES. WE LIVE IN COLORADO SPRINGS,COLORADO AND HAD MAJOR SNOWSTORM WHEN HEATER WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 25. SAFETY OF DRIVER AND OTHERS WERE PUT AT JEOPARDY DUE TO VEHICLE HEATER FAILURE. FRONT WINDSHIELD AND WINDOWS WOULD NOT DEFROST PUTTING DRIVER AT RISK. AFTER GETTING HOME SAFELY LOOKED AT INTERNET SITE (TOPIX.COM) AND FOUND APPROXIMATELY 230 OTHER VEHICLE OWNERS WITH SAME MAKE AND MODEL THAT HAS HAD THE SAME TYPE FAILURE OF THE 2006 EQUINOX HEATER SYSTEM FAILURE. THERE HAS BEEN NO RECALL OF THIS PROBLEM BY CHEVROLET PUTTING AT RISK THE SAFETY OF DRIVERS OF THIS VEHICLE MODEL WHEN CHEVROLET KNOWS OF THE FAILURE OF THE HEATER SYSTEM. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER ON JANUARY 8, 2009 AND EXPLAINED HEATER FAILURE AND CONCERN TO LOCAL SERVICE MANAGER. SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT THERE IS NO VEHICLE RECALL FOR THIS FAILURE AND THAT THE NUMBER OF HEATER FAILURES FOR THIS MODEL VERSUS SALES OF THIS MODEL IS LOW. COSTS TO REPLACE HEATER ON VEHICLE WAS $1100 BUT DUE TO MY COMPLAINT. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL NOTICE ISSUED BY CHEVROLET DUE TO NUMBER OF HEATER FAILURES ON THIS MODEL OF VEHICLE PUTTING DRIVERS AT RISK BY NOT BEING ABLE TO USE DEFROSTER TO PROVIDE CLEAR VISIBILITY ON WINDSHIELD AND COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING. THERE IS PRESENTLY A SAFETY RECALL (#090298) DATED DECEMBER 18,2009 NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 09V489000 FOR THE 2010 EQUINOX DEALING WITH THE SAME ISSUE ON SAFETY AND VISIBILITY ISSUE. DUE TO THE NUMBER OF FAILURES OF THE HEATER SYSTEM IN THE 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED FOR VEHICLE OWNERS. OWNERS ARE HAVING TO PAY FROM $800 TO $1100 DOLLARS TO HAVE THE HEATER SYSTEM REPAIRED SO THAT THEY CAN SAFELY DRIVE IN THIS MODEL OF VEHICLE DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER AND SAFELY SEE OUT OF THE VEHICLE WITH A WORKING DEFROSTER. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE AND SHOULD BE REVIEWED BY THE NHTSA. *TR

I HAVE A 2006 CHEVY EQUINOX. THE HEAT IS NOT FUNCTIONING. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TELLS ME THAT IT IS A HEATER BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR FAILURE. THIS VEHICLE ONLY HAS 72K MILES AND THIS PART SHOULDN'T BE FAILING ALREADY. IMAGINE THIS SCENARIO - A YOUNG COUPLE IN A REMOTE AREA OF NORTH DAKOTA IN THE WINTER. AND, THEY HAVE TWO YOUNG CHILDREN IN THE BACKSEAT. THE HEATER BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR FAILS AND THEY ARE 200 HUNDRED MILES FROM THE NEAREST PLACE THEY CAN STOP FOR HEAT. THEY THOUGHT THEY WOULD BE ALRIGHT WHEN THEY LEFT ON THEIR TRIP SINCE THE VEHICLE IS ONLY A FEW YEARS OLD. INSTEAD, THEY ARE FACED WITH A SITUATION THAT COULD BE FATAL. GM SHOULD BE FORCED TO FIX THIS SITUATION ON ALL CHEVY EQUINOXES AND PONTIAC TORRENTS. *TR

1) FAIRLY NEW CHEVY EQUINOX (2006) WITH $65,000 MILES OVERHEATED IN TRAFFIC WITHOUT WARNING - WITHIN A DAY, DIFFICULTY STARTING VEHICLE AND WHITE SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE TAIL PIPE WHEN STARTING THE CAR IN THE MORNING - CAR SHOWED NO SYMPTOMS UNTIL PROBLEM OCCURRED 2) CAR OVERHEATS AND STALLS OUT AS A RESULT - PER THE MECHANIC, IT HAS BLOWN HEAD GASKETS 3) HEAD GASKETS REPLACED AT $2,800 - THE CAR ISN'T EVEN FOUR YEARS OLD AFTER RESEARCHING MORE ABOUT THE PROBLEM TO SEE IF MY COST OF REPAIR WAS WITHIN THE AVERAGE FOR SUCH REPAIRS, I SAW THAT MANY OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THE CHEVY EQUINOX, AND THAT IT IS LIKELY A FAULTY DESIGN ISSUE. *TR

ON JAN. 11, 2010 I STARTED MY CAR TO LET IT WARM UP BEFORE LEAVING FOR WORK. I LET THE CAR RUN FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES. DROVE THE 20 MINUTE DRIVE TO WORK, AND WHEN I GOT DOWNTOWN, THE CAR SHUT DOWN AND ALL OF THE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD CAME ON. WAS ABLE TO COAST TO SIDE OF STREET AND STOP CAR. RESTARTED CAR AND PUT INTO DRIVE. ALL WARNING LIGHTS STILL ON, AND DON'T HAVE ANY POWER. WAS ABLE TO COAX CAR TO GO THREE BLOCKS TO PARKING LOT, AND CALLED DEALER WHO CAME AND GOT THE CAR. AFTER CHECKING, I WAS TOLD THAT WATER HAD LEAKED DOWN THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE WINDOW, FREEZING, THAWING AND BACKING UP WHICH GOT TO THE WIRING AND BURNT IT OUT. REALLY GLAD THAT I WASN'T ON THE INTERSTATE THAT MORNING. *TR