Vehicle no longer blows hot air when heat is on therefore the defroster will not blow hot air as well. This is a safety hazard! if windows are fogged or iced during inclement weather you can not see and could cause an accident resulting in fatalities. I found over 500 complaints about the same problem on the internet. Problem seems to be with a plastic temperature door valve (temperature blend door) that is broken. According to other customer complaints and the service dept manager at our local GM dealer, the cost to replace the faulty part is around $1300 for $50-$80 metal part. Furthermore, by replacing the plastic part previously used to a metal part in the newer vehicles clearly suggest GM knew there was a problem with the crappy plastic part previously installed. This is a safety hazard and GM need to step to the plate and recall this item before someone is killed. My wife already damaged the car and took out a mailbox due to reduce visibility.

- Marietta, GA, USA

The blend door in my 2006 Chevy Equinox lt is broken. The knob that turns it from cold to hot is cracked and I was told by a mechanic that this piece should not have been broken and it is a manufacture defect. It is only blowing cold air. I have read many complaints online from people with the exact same issue. This is a safety issue because I can't defrost my windshield on a cold day with cold air. I have driven with fogged windows and windshield almost hitting objects on the road because I couldn't see anything. The repairs are expensive and GM needs to place a recall on this.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

TL - the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated the defroster on his vehicle was defective. He mentioned that when he tried to put it on, it would not blow hot air and it impaired his visibility. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who diagnosed a faulty temperature actuator blendor nob and had to be replace. The manufacturer was contacted who did not offered any assistance. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage 40,000 and current mileage was 58,000.

- Dallas , TX, USA

My car lost all heating function due to a faulty heater blend door and actuator which prevented hot air flow from coming into vehicle. This door was inside the dash console and required disassembling the entire dashboard. We were driving and unable to defrost our windshield as no heat was coming out of vents and ice/fog build up difficult to remove. The vehicle became a danger to other vehicles and pedestrians as windshield visibility was limited and blocked. Dealer and GM considered this a non-safety issue and requires auto owners to repair the faulty parts.

- Park Ridge, NJ, USA

Yesterday I got in my vehicle, turned on the heat and defrosters. I only got very cold air, the car never warmed up, the windows never defrosted, they only became foggy inside. G.M. says they have no records of this problem. The internet records over 500 incidents of the same thing happening to 2006 Chevrolet Equinox's. this car should be recalled and repaired, G.M. knows the part (plastic) fails because on later models they began using a metal part.

- Hillsboro, OH, USA

As with what I have discovered to be with hundreds of other Equinox owners...with out warning or prior issues, my heater is no longer "heating" the air. It just blows out cold air. I have been told that it is the actuator/blend door (which is a plastic part) and that to correct it, requires the entire dash to be removed, 8+ hours of labor and upwards of $1000 in repair costs. I only have 44,000 miles on this car and should not be having this issue so early into the life/ownership of this car. I contacted GM and they are unwilling to recognize this as a problem and refused to offer any assistance to get it corrected. This is obviously a safety issue as it also prevents the defroster from working as well. Temperatures have been in the teens for several weeks now which makes it dangerous to drive in the cold and snowy conditions. I have discovered several owner forums across the internet and have found hundreds of the same complaint on this make/model. I have also since learned that GM recalled the 2010 model for the exact same reason but is ignoring the same issue on the earlier models. GM needs to be made accountable for their faulty cost cutting ways and correct this problem via a recall.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

I own a 2006 Chevy Equinox. My problem began when I had approximately 55,000 miles on my car. This past October (2010), I noticed my heater was not working. No warm or hot air comes out of any vent or defroster at any fan speed. My car has no heat. It is impossible to defrost windows to de-ice or remove/prevent fogged windows when driving. Also, I have two small children (ages 2 and 4 months) and I must have heat in the care for their care and safety. After doing research and reading 100's of complaints online about others with this same problem, I took my car to a mechanic at an authorized dealer, where they told me that the temperature door and temperature actuator were defected and would need to be replaced.. the estimated repair cost is approximately $1500. The inability to defrost and defog the windows of this 2006 Equinox is a safety hazard for myself and other drivers, causing lack of visibility before and during vehicle operation. I recommend you look at the following links to forums where numerous Equinox owners have complained about this same problem with their vehicles. www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2006/Chevrolet/Equinox/window+defroster please investigate this problem and require GM to recall this factory defect.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

Temperature heater door broken. Defroster does not work in winter.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

Heat began blowing only cold air, could not defrost windshield. Was on a trip with two small children. It became very cold and difficult to see; dangerous. Dealership diagnosis is a broken temperature control door actuator. GM is so far unwilling to aid in repair cost.

- Myrtle Beach, SC, USA

Defroster/ heater inoperable car can't be driven in winter. Updated IVOQ 03/14/11

- Middlefield, OH, USA

In October of 2010 my 2006 Chevy Equinox heater began blowing cold air. I did research and found a lot of Equinox owners are having the same issue. I went and received a diagnostics at the dealership and they said it is the temperature door and the repair cost is $1300. This is a safety issue because I am unable to defrost the windows if there is a snow storm or just being too cold. This happens whenever I turn on the heat and my concern is being able to see out the windshield if it fogs up or freezes. GMC has yet to issue a recall on the defective part. I have googled this problem and there is a website with over 400 complaints of consumers with the same issue and their vehicle being diagnosed with the same defective part.

- Denver, CO, USA

Heater not working on 2006 Chevy Equinox causing safety and visibility problems. One day the ac and heat were working fine, the next day the heater would only blow cold air...no heat as well as a non-working window defroster. This began in early November. The dealership says the actuator needs to be replaced as well as the temperature door (blend door). Cost is $100 for the analysis and about $1,000 for parts and labor. I have a securenet extended warranty but they say this is not covered. Car is at dealership now awaiting my approval to do the work. I am in limbo and looking for another shop who can maybe fix it cheaper. Considering the hundreds if not thousands of complaints I have seen online about this, and the fact the parts were cheap and should not be breaking so soon, this needs to be recalled!

- Cypress, TX, USA

Like hundreds, maybe thousands, of other 2006 Chevy Equinox owners, the heater will only blow cold air out because of a faulty part that wears out and breaks after approximately 2-3 years. I have been told by the dealership that GM is refusing to issue a recall because it is not considered a safety issue, however when I am driving my kids to school in the morning and cannot see where I am driving because I can't defrost my windows, it seems to be quite a safety issue to me, not to mention the fact that my children are freezing. Any length of time in the during a Michigan winter we will risk hypothermia & frostbite. I have been told it is $900 to fix, which like many others I don't just have that amount of money sitting around and now have to wait awhile to get the repair made. I understand that things go wrong with cars and cars require maintenance and repairs, but this is obviously an issue with GM's design and decision to use cheap parts that wouldn't last and they should be held responsible for their poor decision.

- Baldwin, MI, USA

I own a 2006 Chevy Equinox. A couple of months ago the heater and air conditioning stopped working. I began looking online to possibly see what might be wrong with it only to find that this was something many 2006 Chevy Equinox owners were experiencing. Apparently it is a problem with the plastic blend door part and actuator. The total cost of parts is around $150, however the total cost of repair is in excess of $1000! the reason being is they have to disassemble the entire dashboard in order to reach this particular area of the car. I realize when owning a vehicle that issues arise and must be dealt with, but the frustrating thing here is Chevy will not issue a recall nor a technical service bulletin because they say it is not a safety related issue. I tend to disagree. Without being able to properly defrost and de-ice your windshield you are putting yourself in very dangerous driving conditions. It is my feeling that GM should stand behind their products better than this. One quick online search will reveal that this is a common issue for 2006 Chevy Equinox owners. They have sinced replaced the plastic part with what they originally used which is a metal piece. The plastic piece was choosen as a cost savings measure that in my opinion only saved GM money and not the end consumer. Thank you for allowing me to file this complaint. I hope something with be done to address this issue.

- Hermitage, TN, USA

I took my 2006 Chevrolet Equinox in for repair when my windshield defroster didn't work effectively and I discovered my heat was blowing cold air. My local Chevrolet dealership charged over $1100 to replace the temperature valve actuator and the HVAC door valve to correct the problem. My car had only 44,495 miles at the time of the malfunction, and when I went online, I found that many others complained of the identical problem with their 2006 Equinox. I was dismayed at the cost, but was more dismayed to learn they replaced the broken plastic parts with identical plastic parts on which there is only a 12-month warranty. I learned that there has been a recall on the 2010 Chevy Equinox on which they replaced the plastic parts with metal parts. The 2006 Equinox should also be recalled, since a defroster will not clear a windshield in winter with cold air, which is definitely a safety hazard! GM should acknowledge this problem as a safety issue on the 2006 Chevy Equinox and issue a recall to replace the breakable plastic parts with metal.

- Angier, NC, USA

I own a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox. I had no symptoms or signs of the failure I had with my heater. No leaks or symptoms lead up to the issue- it simply stopped working. Because GM (starting roughly in 2005) started manufacturing vehicles with a plastic blend door for the actuator- the heat is malfunctioning and only blows extremely cool air. This is a definite safety issue that thousands of americans are experiencing. We are unable to defrost the windows and see visibly- the only response from GM that we are getting is to "roll a window down" and with 3 infants in the car, this is impossible. The estimates range from 900 to 1800 to fix this part (which requires dismantling the entire dash down to the firewall) which arguably causes a domino effect of other issues to the vehicle. With no visibility and now way to Transport my infant children safely in the winter- this should definitely be a recall that is a safety and hazard issue on multiple levels. GM refuses to recognize the problem. Americans can't afford to have the car fix, but also can't afford to have no heat. There's nothing we can do and we are suffering.

- Christiansburg, VA, USA

Nothing caused the failure. Just driving down the road and the heat quit blowing. Just blows cold air now. The consequences are I can not defrost my windows and I have to drive my 6 year old handicapped son shivering in the back seat. GM knows about their defect but will not issue a recall. This is a huge safety concern for me and other drivers around me as my windows frost up driving. The part is a cheap plastic piece that GM used that is causing the temperature blend door and actuator to be faulty. To access this part the whole dash has to be removed, steering column and all. This should not be the owners responsibility when it is the manufactures problem.

- Nashville, TN, USA

The heater in my Equinox went out at about 45,000-50,000 miles. I was unable to defrost my window and driving conditions were dangerous not only to me but also to other drivers. I was able to get the part fixed after about 1 year of driving with no heat. It cost me $1,035 and of course happened not too long after my warranty had expired.

- Fife, WA, USA

2006 Equinox suddenly began blowing only cold air, regardless of the heat/cold settings, 100% of the time. There were no noticeable events leading up to the failure. Because of this failure, the defrost function is inoperative leading to reduced visibility. Out of the factory warranty period, the quotes for repair range from $800 to $1800. This is not affordable at this time, and given all the other identical complaints found on the internet, I believe this to be a recall issue due to the safety hazard resulting from decreased visibility. For reference, please see these forums for additional complaints: www.web2carz.com/797/2006/Chevrolet/Equinox/reviews/overview www.topix.com/forum/autos/Chevrolet-Equinox/tnmhvcte76U9hgth4/P18 after brief browsing of these forums, you can see that this problem is nowhere near unique to mine!

- Sterling, IL, USA

My 2006 Chevy Equinox starting blowing cold air in 2009. I took the car to my mechanic and discovered a plastic piece known as the blend door assembly is stuck or broken and it will cost over $1000 to repair. Without heat my windows will not defrost and it is a safety issue. I went to a site (www.topix.com/forum/autos/Chevrolet-Equinox/tnmhvcte76U9hgth4/P5) and found hundreds of GM owners are having the same problem. Please forced GM to recall this item.

- Marietta, GA, USA