The heating control on my vehicle has malfunctioned. The problem is permanent. There is no internal heat. As I live in a winter climate, the lack of heat with my blower has made defrosting my vehicle difficult to impossible. Upon further research, this exact problem has been diagnosed with at least several hundred vehicles of my make and model. The problem is a heating door mechanism that controls hot and cold. A local mechanic stated that Chevrolet would not provide a non-dealership the part to fix it. Chevrolet fails to acknowledge this as any safety concern. The dealership is offering to repair it for $1000.

- Pocatello, ID, USA

Heater quit working, now no defrost.

- Cool Ridge, WV, USA

It is now the end of October in Pennsylvania. It is very cold at 32 degrees. I turned my heat on in my Equinox and it is blowing cold air. I did some research online, and found out many other owners of the 2006 Equinox are having the same problem. It is due to the plastic piece braking on the heater blend door. It will cost $1,200 to fix. I called GM to see if their was a recall on theis part. I was told by GM that it has not been recalled because it "is not a safety issue". not a safety issue? I am unable to defrost my windows so I may see the road, putting my life, my children's lives and the lives of everyone on the road in danger. I would say this is a big problem!

- Johnstown, PA, USA

2006 Chevrolet Equinox. Heater actuator door broke. This leads to unsafe driving conditions. Windshield can't be defrosted due to lack of heat control. 3 cold seasons use should present a recall. Completely failed construction of makeup parts. This presents unsafe lack of visibility while driving in cold weather.

- Hope, AR, USA

Heat does not work, heater temperature valve has broken. Can not turn heat to hot or cold. The windshield fogs up and freezes when below 32, it was a 15 hour project that will happen again in 40,000 miles if the problem is not corrected by GM.

- Plymouth, NH, USA

I cannot unfog my windshield because a heater flap has broken. My car blows out only cold air because of this broken piece (as diagnosed by a GM repair station). Bright sunlight shining on the fogged (and frosted because of the cold air blowing on a wet, cold windshield) windshield results in zero visibility.

- Stony Brook, NY, USA

The heater/defroster on my 2006 Chevrolet Equinox failed to produce heat. As a result, I could not defrost my windshield while driving. I took the vehicle to a local GM dealership to diagnose the problem. The failure was due to a plastic air blend door (part# CH19130554) that is controlled by an electric actuator (part# CH15781467). The actuator is not calibrated appropriately and places excessive stress on the plastic air blend door connection. Over time, the plastic breaks, disabling the door and not allowing heat to be directed into the cabin. The repair requires the removal of the dashboard, driving control consoles and steering column to access the blend door. It cost me $1,145.08 to replace and required my car to be in the repair shop for 2 days. I live in Pennsylvania and needed the repair completed so I could safely drive the vehicle. I strongly believe this is a design flaw that needs to be corrected by GM before someone gets into an accident. I was lucky to discover the problem in the early fall months. I could only imagine what would have happened if it broke in the winter. Since GM has yet to address the design issues, I am concerned that I will experience the same problem again. From my internet research, I have identified many others who experienced this same problem and have the same concern. Some cannot afford to make the repair and are operating the vehicle without heat/defrost. I am writing in the hopes that the NHTSA can influence GM to improve the design, to extend vehicle warranties to cover the repair and to assist those whom already paid for this repair.

- Lansdale, PA, USA

The blend door for the heater system does not work they crack.$ $1200 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.

- Pomeroy, OH, USA

Heater blowing cold air for 1 week. Took to repair shop and advised blend door stuck, it and activator need replaced. Estimated approx. $1000.

- Columbus, OH, USA

2006 Chevy Equinox - there is a defect in the heater actuator occurring on many vehicles. I didn't realize the problem until searching all the complaints on the web and talking with the dealership. The failure of the heater actuator caused only cold air to blow. This prevents warm air from being directed to the front windshield to prevent buildup of frost. Depending on weather fronts passing through and time of day, this is becoming a serious safety issue for me. One would ask: Why not get it fixed? I have taken this to the dealer and the relatively cheap replacement part requires $1200+ to have the entire dashboard removed. It is not practical in most cases to pay this amount for a simple part repair, and in most cased to complex for a do-it-yourself mechanic. Hundreds of car part failures are occurring, as apparent from complaints on the web. A fatal accident is bound to happen if it hasn't already. There are some reports that GM as recognized the poorly designed part and the high potential for accidents so they are quietly trying to design a new part. This has got require a recall.

- Spanaway, WA, USA

2006 Chevrolet Equinox. No heat as the HVAC temperature door is broken. Part is $79 cad but dealer needs 8 - 10 hours to replace part. Must remove dash board. Car has 102,000 kms. Part like this should not break and if it does, should be easier to replace.

- Sainte-Anne-De-Belleve, 00, USA

2006 Chevy Equinox many of them including mine have no heat the door breaks and the whole dash must come off to fix. I checked online and many many of this year has or had this problem. Very costly to fix. Should not be happening to this new of a car. Why no recall of this with so many having the same problem" where to go" no heat no defrost.

- South Dennis, , MA, USA

There is a failure in the heating blend door which causes the defrosting system to become inoperative. Causing reduced visibility & obstructed view when condensation collects on the inside of the windshield also the illuminated light on the control knob have burnt out causing further inattentiveness while driving, if looking to change the setting.

- Dudley, MA, USA

I was driving on a cold morning and discovered that I could not obtain any heat or defroster action in my vehicle. From searching online I discovered this is a violation of your rule which motor vehicles must have the capability to defrost the windshield. I found that there is a recall on the 2010 Chevy Equinox at the present time. The module which controls the same part which failed in my vehicle has to be replaced. The end result from the module failure is the same thing which I experienced, that there is no way to defrost the windshield. I took the car to the dealer and they diagnosed the problem. The temperature control door had broken off where it is driven by the electric motor. The entire dash had to be removed to gain access to the temperature control door. I was quoted a price of $895 labor and $55 for the part. After calling GM and they investigated they offered me a discount which reduced the price to$458.40 which I paid to have the problem fixed. Once the part breaks, there is no chance of defroster action. The consequences of no defrosting action in Wisconsin in the winter means you cannot see where you are going and no way to rectify it temporarily. It can happen on the spur of the moment since once the control door fails you have no defrost action. I asked the dealer for the parts which were replaced and he told me that GM might ask for them. After 30 days if they don't want them I can have them.

- Cedar Grove, WI, USA

2006 Chevy Equinox with 53K miles. Heater door is broken. 8-9 hours of labor plus parts. I live in Wyoming with -20 degree mornings during the winter. Mine broke while driving 200 miles with no place to stop to get warm. If we had not had really warm cloths and blankets to bundle in we would have froze. From a safety stand point- all the covers made movement difficult. If there had been an emergency I would not have been able to move quick enough.

- Jackson, WY, USA

Blend door on 2006 Chevrolet Equinox has broken and does not allow heated air to be circulated through the vents -- only cold air. GM has known about this condition but refuses to fix the issue, regardless of it's countless documentations of the problem. Without heat being circulated through the ventilation system it causes a serious safety hazard as fog and haze will cover the interior of the windshield and eliminate the driver's view of the road. To repair the door the entire dash of the vehicle must be removed to replace the door, totaling over $1,200 in labor.

- Wichita, KS, USA

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.

- Mascotte, FL, USA

The blend door for the heater system does not work they crack.$ $1200 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.

- Quincy, MA, USA

The heater on our 2006 Chevy Equinox went out in the middle of a road trip in the winter. We experienced visibility issues and endured cold temperatures for the balance of the trip. Turn out the heater blend assembly door broke. This problem has been reported in thousands of 2006 Chevy Equinox and Pontiac vibe models. The break happened a few months after our manufacturer's warranty had expired. GM has refused to goodwill the fix, in spite of the fact that the part is clearly defective and is a major safety issue when it breaks.

- Akron, OH, USA

Blend door malfunction causing no heat in 2006 Chevy Equinox. Heater blowing cold air.

- Pikesville, MD, USA