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.
2.4
hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
63,694 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.
It just got cold in my region and I noticed my heater was not working. It just blows cold air out. I did some research and saw that there were lots of complaints about a heat blend door breaking in this model. The part costs approximately 30 dollars to buy but the associated labor is over $1200 dollars. Chevrolet hasn't recalled this even though it's kind of dangerous to not have a defroster in icy weather.
2006 Equinox; air temp blend door not operating, no heat no defrost on SUV. This poses a issue during winter months. Causing issues visibility for driver. Have seen several forums that discuss many many Equinox SUV with same problem with VIN starting with 2cndl. Really needs a recall on this asap... over $1000 to repair $35 to $100 part. (note. I am entering complaint for a friend who works 2/3 jobs and does not have time to do this herself. I am the contact person).
The heater blend door and /or actuator have failed. There is no heat or defroster. It is now winter and because of the holidays, the dealer cannot get repaired in the next week or more. Part cost = $55. Estimated labor cost $1500. This repair is over 10% value of the car and I am told requires removing the entire dash. This is a safety hazard and the car is now unusable for a couple of weeks.
Vehicle has a broken "heater blender door" with a repair cost of approximately $1000 (the majority of the cost is for labor; the part is reasonably "cheap"). turning on the heat, the vehicle would only produce cold air. Considering it is winter, this presents a considerable safety hazard as there is no defrost function for the front windshield. Windshield easily fogs up and it is impossible to defog it.
Yesterday the heater stopped blowing hot air. After having the vehicle looked at it was determined that the blend door and the blend door actuator needed replaced. From researching the issue this is a major problem and needs to be taken care of by GM.
I am not sure how many complaints you've had regarding this 2006 Equinox lt blowing cold air. GMC is not doing to resolve this problem and I think this is safety hazard issue due to it will not defrost without heat and defog.
Heating problem in the vehicle. It has been diagnosed to the blend air damper (valve) being broken from the blend air actuator torquing it too far. I have found that this is an on going problem for GM and this needs to be addressed.
The contact owns on a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated that she turned on the defrost system while driving 70 mph, but only cold air would blow through the vents. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the blend door motor failed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 09V489000 (visibility:defroster/defogger system). The approximate failure mileage was 64,000. Updated 02/09/12 updated 02/13/12
The heater door has broken and the heater/defroster no longer work. The issue causes the windshield to frost over while driving. Many complaints on this issue have been posted on the internet.
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 defective on the 2006 Chevy Equinox.
This incident happened in early spring 2011, temperatures in Oklahoma are still cold in March, the heater stopped putting out hot air. The defroster would not defrost. My wife drives this car and had told me that the heater is not working. I guess I procrastinated about it, as temperatures became warmer, the heater was not needed. During this spring-summer, I happened to go to a auto repair shop that my cousin owns, there sits a Chevy Equinox, like the one we own. I asked the tech, what was wrong with it, he stated that the heater stopped putting out hot air through the heater ducts. I was shocked to see the entire instrument panel was disassembled. There was a bad feeling coming upon me. He shared his frustrations about this job, and the design/part that was used for this system, that caused this problem. This was his 2nd repair of this problem. Well, needless to say I have the same problem. The heater blend door was broke. I am lodging this complaint due to such an important function of not only heating the car interior compartment, but also most importantly the defrosting system. I strongly feel this is a design flaw from the manufacturer. This defect will cost over $1200 to fix at the dealer. There need to be a recall for this defect immediately. Thank you.
While leaving a parking lot during a rain storm on the night of June 18th, 2011, I turned on the heater and heard a clicking sound from the dash area, and the heater wouldn't blow hot air. There was/is still cool air blowing from the vent(s). Because of this, the defroster on the vehicle would not/doesn't work either, it too only blows cold air. I had to crack the windows open in order for the windows not to fog up during my drive home. Believing this was just a simple matter of replacing a heater core or thermostat, and because I wouldn't need the heater during the summer months I didn't start looking into the matter until a few weeks ago. In having the problem checked, it seems that it is a faulty heater blend door/actuator. The cost to fix it is very expensive, due to the labor involved. Chevrolet seems to be aware of the problem, but are doing nothing about the potential safety issue. I feel that not being able to defrost the windshield is a serious safety problem, that has the potential to cause a serious accident. I have read that Chevy recalled a 2010 Equinox because of a defect that caused an inoperable defrost system, but there is no recall for the 2006 model. (failure mileage is approximate).
The heater started blowing cold air. I know for certain that my car is one of many. There was less than 60K miles on the car at the time. Unacceptable.
Chevy Equinox 2006-broken blend door due to malfunction of the actuator. Cost for diagnoses $44, cost to repair $1,000. Have noticed that numerous owners of this year and make are having this problem around the 50,000 mile mark, mine is at 51,000. Problem is not covered under extended warranty and poses a safety hazard in that the heat ceases without warning. Defrost is not usable. This should be a safety recall from the manufacturer due to the large number of Equinox owners with the same problem. The part has been redesigned and should be updated without cost to these Chevrolet owners.
Heat stopped working in 06 Equinox. Told it was the air blend door. $40 dollar part but $1000 to replace. This is a very common problem and is a design flaw by GM. They will not back it. This leaves the car with no way to defrost/defog the windshield. This is a major safty concern.
My blend door also broke from deep inside the dash causing the heat setting to blow only cold air and I am unable to defog windshield. Since purchase the vehicle has had difficulty starting. Sometimes it starts up on the first try and other times I have to pump the gas in order to get vehicle to start. Both of these problems are consistent with other vehicle owner complaints.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Cincinnati , OH, USA