CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2006 Equinox is plagued by a heating problem, as in the heater only blows cold air.
The reported cause of this problem is a small door, known as the air temperature blend door, which allows air to flow past the heater core. This door has a plastic connecting shaft to an electric motor and the shaft is prone to breaking after a few years. The problem has a typical repair cost of over $800.
The 2006 Equinox also has a number of reported problems ranging from the key getting stuck in the ignition, to failing speed sensors, and trouble starting the engine. All in all, this car sounds like one worth avoiding.
2.7
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
55,361 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
My 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
While accelerating the vehicle isnt shifting in the proper way it should. There is a chain rattling kind of sound from the engine as it accelerates, closer to the driver side. While braking, the brakes pads are all new, it will sometimes make a grinding sound and have little to no brake resistance if you hit a bump. All in a straight motion.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox. While exiting a parking lot onto a main road, the gear shifter moved into first gear and failed to shift out of gear. The contact let off the throttle and the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact waited for a few seconds and restarted the vehicle. While depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to accelerate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 86,000.
While driving at 55 mph the bell started ringing, then the dash lights came on. Tc-ABS-brake, then the steering wheel stiffened up as like standard before power steering. I pulled over it scared the hell out of me, we could have been killed. I went to a GM authorized repair shop the said it was normal for this car to do"??" I was talked into putting a new brain in the Equinox several thousand dollars $$$$$ and it still did the same thing. Went back to the dealer (Chevy) they had the car for a few days, called and said they found the problem, yea a bent wire?? worked fine for a few months and now its doing the same thing again. Oh by the way I was informed that I did not need to put a new brain in the car the old one was very good. GM is a realy bad place to buy any car any more, they do not care about the customer only the $$$ they sold me a car they new full well had problems.
I replaced the egr valve sensor and hose still getting a code 1404.I don't understand what the main problem could be unless it's the PCM causing problems and it has been changed as well.
- Charlotte, NC, USA
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The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that while making a right turn, the steering wheel seized and the contact had to apply extreme force to the steering wheel. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle would slip gears intermittently. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign id number: 04V302000 (power train). The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
I am a owner of a 2006 Equinox, I have noticed the change in shifts when I am driving. It's like the transmission is shifting and jerks the car this has been an on going problem for a few weeks now. It stalled out on me one while I was in traffic and the key was stuck in the ignition hard for me to turn key to restart. I took it to a local dealership numerous times and they said nothing was wrong. Finally this past weekend I almost wrecked someone in front of me because of the jerking and I took it to the dealership once again, they finally gave me a diagnosis said I need to get my ignition switch replaced which is a large amount to fix. This is very unsafe for families and I can see accidents happening. This vehicle should definitely be recalled as well ! I have contacted GM but no replies.
Herd a grinding noise and felt like the transmission was stuck in a gear. Brought the truck to ogden car care where I was told it's a wheel bearing on the left and that the car is pulling emissions codes bring it to Chevy. So I brought the truck to sunrise Chevrolet were they confirmed a bad wheel bearing and no emissions codes were showing up. So I took it to my mechanic at route 66 tire and auto were he told me it has a broken axel and was only being held on by the cv boot. He also stated that if the boot would have come off the truck could have been a terrible crash costing the lives of its occupants and other dri I ers on the road.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that the engine was started and shifted into drive when the vehicle abruptly accelerated. The contact was unable to stop the vehicle by applying the brakes, but was eventually able to turn the key and power the vehicle off. The contact stated that the gear shifter did not move until the vehicle was powered off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that the throttle box needed to be replaced. The contact stated that an independent mechanic determined that the failure was connected to the cruise control system. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure and the current mileages were 95,000.
Took the car to the dealer for annual state inspection, was told that the center support bearing is loose and worn, could cause the axle to fall off. Have been reading different forums and this doesn't seem to be an uncommon problem but no recall has been issued. Car has less than 56,000 miles on it.
Bought this piece of [xxx] used in 2011. Amongst other things wrong with it a week after I bought this junk (some weird knocking noise in the rear wheel, sometimes it takes 3-4 times to start the car, etc) started overheating July 2012. They replaced thermostat - $280. Started overheating again - they replaced the radiator!!! two days after picking up from shop, overheating again. Looks like it's the gd head gasket! someone is going to get ripped a new [xxx] tomorrow morning. I don't know to be mad at the dealership or GM or both. I will never buy a Chevy again. Should had learned when I bought a 1996 Beretta brand new years ago - that was a piece of [xxx] also. Traded in my 1996 Nissan Sentra - why didn't I just buy another Nissan?? no wonder they went[xxx] near belly up. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
My 2006 Chevy Equinox had four problems that were fixed by replacing the steering column and motor: * several incidents where I could not turn the key in the ignition until I jerked the steering wheel back and forth (out of frustration). * several incidents where I could not move the steering wheel after starting the engine on a hot day. Turning engine off and restarting a few times finally engaged power steering assist. * several incidents where I lost power steering assist while turning corners and required assistance from the passenger to turn the steering wheel. * several incidents where I completely lost power steering and engine power while driving in rain. Steering column was smoking, shaking side to side and up and down, and felt like the whole steering column was falling apart under my hands. The car slowed down and did not respond to the gas pedal, even though the engine was running. Three times the escondido dealer said nothing was wrong because there were no failure codes. I thought it was wrong that I almost died and there is no error code for that, but realized I was talking to a wall. My problems continued and I went to the poway dealer who said the overheated steering motor was forcing the engine into protective mode. They asked me to leave my car and replaced the entire steering column and motor on GM warranty. None of the described incidents have recurred since replacing the steering column and motor. My problems seem similar to those stated in these complaint ODI numbers: 10168607, 10181373, 10195505, 10207818, 10210502, 10245868, 10248789, 10250004, 10321311, 10364217, 10383115, 10383313, 10410417, 10419886, 10440553. These are very dangerous problems. I could have died several times and could have killed people in other cars on the road with me. I bought this car B/C my dad was a lifelong Chevy fan. This is not my father's Chevy.
On February 12, 2011, I began noticing the start up problems with the 2006 Chevy Equinox. It intermittently has excessive cranking time to start and as of lately (Jan. 19, 2012) it only has gotten worse. I took it to the shop to get it serviced the same day and they told me it was the mass airflow sensor. I paid for that but the problem did not go away. Since then, I have had the radio replaced and the gas has had many fuel delivery issues. I believe it is the powertrain control module which was recalled in the 2005 Chevy Equinox. It needs to also be recalled for the 2006 so that I can stop wasting my time and money on something that wasn?T built right. Thank you.
Vehicle will not pass state required emission, due to readiness error code. For reasons unknown the evap and egr system code will not reset (not ready code). We were told by several mechanics to drive the vehicle for several hundred miles. After 800 miles and several failed test later the system still will not reset. We called GM and was told to take the car to a dealer. Against our better judgment we had no other options available and finally took it to our local GM dealer and was told the service tech downloaded software to address a P0171 code, which cost us over $300 and to drive it 200 more miles, bring it back for a test. The system still did not reset and the car will not pass emissions. We asked the service manager for other options and all he could give us was lip service (useless rambling), possible troubleshooting repairs and more money. I found on a topix website that GM recalled the PCM for the Equinox but could not find the recall on the NHTSA website. Please research and post the recall if GM has issued one for the PCM.
I have a 2006 Chevy Equinox and I've been having difficulty starting it. The cd/radio was not working correctly displaying numbers/letters and signs. -failure to start -poor fuel economy -radio/cd failure I did some research and found that the 2005 Chevy Equinox had the same problems and a recall was issued for faulty PCM, which was covered under a NHTSA recall for replacement. The report indicated that it can cause the problems listed above at random times: I checked with the dealership and they indicated that there is no listing for recalls on my 2006 Chevy Equinox.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox. When water made contact with the transmission the vehicle lost power. The contact was unable to accelerate to the normal speed. The dealer confirmed that whenever water entered the transmissions protection shield it caused the vehicles speed to decrease. The dealer will replace the transmission shield. The estimated repair cost was $570. The contact is also unable to defrost the windshield since the heater motor failed to operate normally. A complaint regarding the failure was filed with the manufacturer. The manufacturer stated the warranty expired; therefore, they will not assist with the repairs. The failure and the current mileages were 66,537.
I have a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox with 41,000 miles on it. At about 50 mph I felt a vibration. A mechanic then inspected the vehicle and stated that I needed a carrier bearing for the driveshaft, and that they see this problem frequently. When I approached the dealer to secure the replacement part, I was told that there was currently at least a three month wait for the part, and that it was not advisable to drive the vehicle for safety reasons. I was then told that there were others waiting for the part as there is a nationwide shortage. Calls to other dealers resulted in the same outcome, there were many customers waiting for this part and were unable to drive their vehicle in the meanwhile. The parts are on order, but it is clearly apparent that there is a defect in this part, as it should not need replacement so often and in low mileage vehicles.
17 trips to the dealership for repeated problems with brakes, rotors, bearings, transmission, clicking/other sound in engine compartment not fixed as of yet by GM, broken door hinge, broken license plate bolt receivers, starter, seat belt clip, air conditioner, remotes, noises in front end, engine miss, clunking when wheels spun on wet pavement.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact hears excessive noise coming from the rear of the vehicle when driving at various speeds. The vehicle was taken to the dealer approximately five times and they replaced the rear differential twice. Currently, the vehicle is still making the noise. There are no recalls on the vehicle. The fuel system was unknown. The current mileage was 18,300 and failure mileage was 17,080. Updated 4/21/08 updated 04/21/08
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Loganville , GA, USA