2006 Pontiac Torrent

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT. WHEN THE HEATER WAS ACTIVATED, COLD AIR BLEW FROM THE VENTS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE KEMP BLEND DOOR NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER (WALSER BUICK GMC OF BLOOMINGTON, 4601 AMERICAN BLVD WEST, BLOOMINGTON, MN 55437) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL OR EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE AND OPENED CASE NUMBER: 8-3687100903. THE CONTACT WAS REFERRED TO NHTSA. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 180,000.

WHERE TO START AS IT WOULDN'T LET ME SELECT MORE THAN 3 OPTIONS. I BOUGHT MY TORRENT IN 06 WITH 65K MILES ON IT AND FIGURED THAT A 40K/ 4 YEAR WARRANTY WAS A GOOD IDEA. IT WAS!! IT ALL STARTED WHEN I TOOK IT TO A CAR WASH A WEEK AFTER BUYING IT, WELL I EXITED THE CAR WASH AND HAD NO THROTTLE WITH GAS PEDDLE, I WAS STUCK. BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THE TUBES THAT ALLOW THE SUN ROOF TO DRAIN WERE CLOGGED AND WATER BACKED UP AND TRAVELED DOWN THE LEFT FRONT PILLAR AND FRIED THE THROTTLE SENSOR. REPLACED IT AND ON I WENT. THESE TUBES BLOCKED UP 3 MORE TIMES IN A FEW YEARS ONLY FRYING IT ONE OTHER TIME. WITHIN THE FIRST 3 YEARS WITH LESS THAN 80K MILES EVERY HUB HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE FRONT PASSENGER TWICE, AND FRONT DRIVERS 3 TIMES. 2 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT AROUND 67K MILES THE DRIVE SHAFT BEARING NEEDED REPLACING. AROUND 76K MILES THE ENTIRE DRIVE SHAFT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AROUND 85K MILES THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FRONT A WORN BEARING THAT DESTROYED OTHER INTERNAL PARTS. AROUND 83K MILES THE FRONT LEFT BEARING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AGAIN, WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE KNUCKLE MAY BE THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM AS CHIPS OF MATERIAL WERE SEEN TO BE FALLING OFF BEHIND THE HUB. JUST LAST WEEK AT ONLY 101K MILES THE FRONT LEFT HUB WAS BAD AGAIN!! THAT MAKES 5 TIMES ON THAT ALONE. VARIOUS OTHER ISSUES INCLUDE MULTIPLE ABS SENSORS FAILING PREMATURELY MORE THAN ONCE. I GET ANNUAL ALIGNMENTS, BRAND NEW TIRES ANUALLY, HAVE REPLACED STRUTS AND SPRINGS AND WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THE ENTIRE BOTTOM IS RUSTING OUT THE WORST HE'S EVER SEEN FOR A VEHICLE. THESE WERE ALL OEM PARTS BY THE CHEVY DEALER, NOT CHEAP AFTERMARKET INSTALLED IMPROPERLY BY SOME BACKWOODS MECHANIC. CAN I JUST POST THIS ONE LENGTHY COMPLAINT OR DO I NEED TO CREATE ONE FOR EVERY ISSUE?

HEATING SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY, SOMETIMES HEAT ONLY BLOWS COOL AIR, MANUFACTURER ACKNOWLEDGES THIS IS A DEFECT BUT ONLY ISSUED A LIMITED SPECIAL COVERAGE. THE SPECIAL COVERAGE EXPIRED IN FEB 2016, MY VEHICLE HEATING UNIT BROKE IN OCT 2016! THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE TO FIX THIS DEFECT! LISA OF HEATING UNIT CAUSES UNSAFE DRIVING CONDITIONS WHEN WINDOWS CAN NOT DEFROST AS A RESULT OF DEFECT, ALSO OCCUPANTS FREEZE THEIR ASSES OFF IN THE WINTER! UNCONSCIONABLE THAT GM WILL NOT ISSUE A RECALL FOR THIS DEFECT!

I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE HEAT AND DEFROSTER IN MY CAR. IT DOES NOT WORK, AND THUS CAUSES MAJOR VISIBILITY PROBLEMS BECAUSE THE WINDOWS CANNOT DEFROST. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD, WHICH, IF LEFT UNREPAIRED, COULD CAUSE A WRECK. I TOOK THE CAR TO A GM DEALER, AND THEY DIAGNOSED IT AS A BROKEN TEMPERATURE BLEND DOOR. I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON THIS ISSUE, SINCE IT IS QUITE COSTLY (ABOUT $1100) TO REPAIR. I FOUND THAT GM HAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED THIS FREE OF CHARGE TO THE OWNERS BECAUSE THIS IS A MANUFACTURER DEFECT (SPECIAL COVERAGE/POLICY ADJUSTMENT 11135). THE ACTUATOR HAD BEEN DESIGNED POORLY, USING PLASTIC INSTEAD OF METAL. THIS CAUSES THE PLASTIC TO BREAK WHEN THE ACTUATOR OVER-ROTATES. THIS PROBLEM VIOLATES THE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NUMBER 103, WHICH STATES THE STANDARDS OF HAVING A WORKING HEATER AND DEFOGGING/DEFROSTING SYSTEM. THIS PROBLEM IS MENTIONED IN 87 OF THE 198 COMPLAINTS FOR THE 06 PONTIAC TORRENT, AND HAS A TSB #10044379. WITH A SEVEN-YEAR COMPLAINT HISTORY, I WOULD EXPECT THE COMPANY TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS SAFETY ISSUE. I CONTACTED GM WITH THIS INFORMATION AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD CONTACT ME IN 1 BUSINESS DAY. IT HAS BEEN OVER 5 DAYS NOW AND NO WORD FROM THEM. ALL I WANT IS FOR THIS TO BE FIXED/COVERED BY GM BECAUSE IT IS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT AND IS VERY EXPENSIVE (I.E. I CANNOT AFFORD IT EVEN THOUGH IT'S HAZARDOUS). I WOULD LIKE TO DRIVE SAFELY AND WITH FULL VISIBILITY!

MY 2006 TORRENT HAS NO HEAT. I HAVE READ ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND DO HAVE THE BROKEN TEMPERATURE BLEND DOOR. I DID RECEIVE A LETTER ABOUT THIS FROM GM, BUT SINCE THEN MY CAR HAS BEEN FINE TILL THE OTHER DAY WHEN I NEEDED TO DEFROST MY WINDSHIELD. THE LETTER STATED THAT IF MY HEAT WORKS TO DO NOTHING. BUT MY CAR IS 11000 MILES PAST WHAT THEY STATE IN THE LETTER TO HAVE IT FIXED FOR FREE. THEY KNOW THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THESE DOORS, IT SHOULD BE COVERED ANYWAY BECAUSE A LOT OF THEM SEEM TO BREAK. THE $1000 DOLLAR LABOR CHARGE IS CRAZY.

MY BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR HAS FAILED AND FELL OFF INSIDE OF MY CAB CAUSING MY HEAT TO FAIL INSIDE MY CAB FOR BOTH DEFROST AND HEAT. I LIVE IN A COLD CLIMATE AND IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE WITHOUT HEAT IN THE WINTER. THE REPAIR TECHNICIAN QUOTED ME 9+ HOURS OF LABOR TO REMOVE MY DASH, INSTALL THE NEW ACTUATOR AND RE-INSTALL MY DASH. IT WILL TAKE THREE DAYS TO REPAIR AND COST ME $1800 TO FIX. APPARENTLY, AFTER SPEAKING WITH THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN AND MY LOCAL AUTO SHOP, THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH PONTIAC TORRENTS AS I'VE ALSO READ DOZENS OF COMPLAINTS FROM PEOPLE ON THIS SITE. HE SAID THERE MIGHT BE A RECALL ON THE PART, AND I SHOULD CHECK. HOWEVER, AFTER SEARCHING MY VIN, IT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A RECALLED PART AT THIS TIME. I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED AS THIS IS SUCH A COSTLY REPAIR TO BE MADE FOR A FAULTY PART FROM GM. PLEASE HELP AS THIS IS NOT DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE AN ISOLATED OCCURRENCE WITH PONTIAC TORRENTS. *TR

WHILE DRIVING 55MPH ON A TRIP THE HEAT JUST STOPPED BLOWING. AS SINCE, THIS WEATHER HAS BEEN -20 AND -25 BELOW AND I HAVE NO DEFROST, HEAT. I WENT TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC ONLY TO FIND OUT THE HEAT/AIR/DOOR IS BROKE. COST OF REPAIRS 1200.00 TO 1,500.00 IT IS AN ALL DAY JOB. THE DASH AND ALL COMPONENTS WILL HAVE TO BE REMOVED AND PUT BACK ON. NEEDLESS TO SAY WITH THIS WINTER BEING ONE OF THE COLDEST I UNDERSTAND AND CAN FEEL WHAT OTHERS ARE GOING THROUGH THAT HAS THIS SAME PROBLEM... AND I HAVE TO BUNDLE JUST TO GO TO WORK. I WORK AN HOUR AWAY AND AFTER FINDING THIS IS A HUGE PROBLEM !!!! I THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE MONEY GIVEN TO THE ONES THAT NEEDS THIS FIXED. *TR