There are 50 owner-reported visibility & wipers complaints for the 2006 Chevrolet Equinoxin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
WEAK PLASTIC IN THE BLEND DOOR OF THE HVAC SYSTEM CAUSES DOOR TO BREAK AND GET STUCK IN THE "COLD" POSITION. NO HEAT IN SNOW AND FREEZING RAIN MEANS YOUR WINDSHIELD WILL NOT DEFROST AND VISIBILITY DROPS BECOMING HAZARDOUS IN POOR WEATHER CONDITIONS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, THE HEAT IN THE VEHICLE DID NOT WORK, AND THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO COULD NOT DIAGNOSIS THE FAILURE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 127,000.
MY HEATER ONLY BLOWS COLD AIR. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. WHEN MY WINDSHIELD HAS A LAYER OF FROST OR SNOW ON IT, I HAVE NO ABILITY TO CLEAR IT BY WAY OF UTILIZING MY DEFROST. I DRIVE WITH ALL OF MY WINDOWS DOWN AND WINDSHIELD WIPERS MOVING CONSTANTLY IN ATTEMPTS TO SEE. CHEVY IS AWARE THAT THEY MADE A PART THAT IS DEFECTIVE. THEY EXTENDED A WARRANTY ON A CHEAP PLASTIC PART THAT TENDS TO BREAK AT 60,000 THAT WAS COVERED UNTIL 2016 OR 120,000 MILES. I HOWEVER DID NOT HAVE ANY ISSUES UNTIL OUTSIDE OF THE WARRANTY. I DON'T SCAN RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE IF I'M NOT EXPERIENCING ISSUES AT THE TIME. MY CHEAP DEFECTIVE PART BROKE WHEN UNDER 58,000 MILES AND UNFORTUNATELY IN 2017. CHEVY HIDES BEHIND THIS AND IS NOT WILLING TO FIX A DEFECTIVE PART AND ULTIMATELY DEFECTIVE MANUFACTURING. THIS IS A DEFECTIVE MANUFACTURING ISSUE THAT CHEVY DOES NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR AND IS ULTIMATELY A SAFETY ISSUE. CHEVY NEEDS TO PAY FOR IT TO BE FIXED-PERIOD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. AFTER RESTARTING THE VEHICLE, THE HEATER BLOWER ONLY BLEW OUT COLD AIR AND WAS UNABLE TO DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL DEALER (JIM BUTLER CHEVROLET IN FENTON, MO) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BLOWER ARM WAS DAMAGED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 52,000.
TEMP CONTROL DOOR FAILED CAUSING NO DEFOGGING/DEFROSTING IN CAR. CHEVY IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM WHICH COULD CAUSE DRIVER INABILITY TO SEE THRU WINDSHIELD AND HAS RECALLED SOME YEAR MODELS, BUT NOT 2006 MODELS. I REPLACED AT MY EXPENSE FOR $1162.49. THE PART IS NOT EXPENSIVE, REQUIRES MANY HOURS OF TAKING APART DASHBOARD.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE DEFROSTER WAS ACTIVATED, BUT FAILED TO DEFROST THE WINDSHIELD. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TEMPERATURE CONTROL DOOR FRACTURED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 117,500.
I HAVE NO HEAT, YESTERDAY, I DID . THIS MORNING MY HEAT WILL NOT WORK RECIRCULATION WORKS FAN CONTROLS WORK A/C WORKS, AFTER ALL OF MY HOURS OF RESEARCH, I KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS, ALONG WITH THOUSANDS OF OTHER EQUINOX OWNERS . ITS THE VENT DOOR AND ACTUATOR, I NARROWED ALL DOWN AT FIRST COOLANT THERMOSTAT ETC. I FOUND MY RESULT FOR A CHEAP PIECE OF PLASTIC ON THE VENT DOOR THAT BREAKS SO OFTEN SURE ITS A 70$ PART BUT AS A SINGLE FATHER , I CANNOT AFFORD A 1500.00$ SHOP FEE FOR THAT, THIS IS SOMETHING CHEVY KNOWS IS WRONG , AND CAN BE A VERY LIABLE HAZARD TO ACCIDENTS ! I LIVE IN NORTH DAKOTA WHERE IT GETS PRETTY DARN COLD , YOU LOSE YOUR HEAT ON A WAY TO A KIDS HOCKEY GAME 100 MILES AWAY ON A FRIDAY NIGHT WHEN SNOWING AND 30 BELOW ZERO YES COULD CAUSE FATALITIES !! ITS WIDELY SPREAD ACROSS THE BOARD THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH SAME PROBLEM , CHEVROLET KNOWS THIS , THEY NEED TO MAKE IT RIGHT BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED FROM IT ! *TR
HEATER BLOWS COLD AIR IN WINTER IN CHICAGO CAN'T SEE WHILE DRIVING , VERY DANGEROUS. *TR
THE HEATER BLEND DOOR IS BROKEN. THE COST OF REPLACING THE DOOR IS $1000 +. I CANNOT AFFORD TO GET THIS PROBLEM FIXED. THIS SEEMS TO BE A VERY COMMON PROBLEM IN THIS MODEL VEHICLE. I AM SO DISAPPOINTED. *TR
HEATER AND DEFROSTER ARE NOT WORKING. BLOWER WORKS GREAT BUT IN THE WINTER COLD AIR DOES NOT DEFROST WINDSHIELD. THERE IS NO WARM AIR AT ALL. THIS MAKES DRIVING CONDITIONS VERY DIFFICULT IN THE COLD WEATHER. MY WIFE DEPENDS ON THIS CAR TO GET TO WORK EVERY DAY. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE ISSUE IS A PART THAT COSTS ABAUT $65 BUT THE LABOR COST IS ABAUT $1000 WE CANNOT AFFORD TO PAY THAT. CHEVROLET SHOULD STEP UP AND PUT A RECALL ON FOR THIS ISSUE. *TR
THE HEATER IS CURRENTLY BLOWING OUT COLD AIR. I HAVE TRIED EVERY SETTING TO TRY TO SEE IF ANY OF THE SETTINGS HELP BUT ALWAYS BLOWS OUT COOL/COLD AIR. ANOTHER COSTLY REPAIR TO ADD TO THIS VEHICLE. AVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE, THE WORST CHEVY MODEL I HAVE EVER OWNED. HAVE HAD THIS VEHICLE FOR 16 MONTHS HAVE HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE. *TR
HEATER / DEFROST SYSTEM STOPPED WORKING. ONLY BLOWING COLD AIR. LIVE IN IDAHO AND TEMPERATURES GET BELOW ZERO. NO WAY TO DEFROST WINDSHIELD CAUSING A SAFETY HAZARD. CHEVY DEALERSHIP QUOTED REPAIR OF THE HEATER VENT DOOR ACTUATOR AT $1200.00, SINCE THE ENTIRE DASH BOARD NEEDS TO BE REMOVED. HISTORY SHOWS SEVERAL ISSUES WITH DOOR ACTUATOR MALFUNCTION. *TR
06 CHEVY EQUINOX LT2, HEAT STARTED BLOWING COLD AIR. I DIDN'T KNOW THE PROBLEM BUT FORTUNATELY I WENT INTO MY ONSTAR ACCOUNT TO LOOK FOR DIAGNOSIS BUT SINCE SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT DID NOT COME ON IT COULDN'T TELL ME. BUT WHILE IN MY ACCOUNT IT WAS SHOWING ACTIVE WARRANTY. IT SHOWED ME THERE WAS AN ACTIVE EXTENDED WARRANTY FROM GM, COVERING ACTUATOR DOOR DEFAULT. ALL EQUINOX OWNERS ARE COVERED TO 120,000 MILES OR 1/1/2016.....SO IF YOU HAVE THIS ISSUE WITH HEAT BLOWING COLD TAKE IT TO AUTHORIZED CHEVY GM DEALER BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO TAKE THE WHOLE DASH OUT TO FIX A 10.00 PART, THE LABOR CHARGE IS $2600 MY DEALER TOLD ME. ALSO IF YOU PAID FOR THIS ISSUE OUT OF POCKET THEY WILL REIMBURSE YOU. GOOGLE THIS ISSUE , THERE IS A SPECIAL BULLETIN NUMBER FOR THIS. GET THAT NUMBER AND CALL YOUR DEALER!!!!! THEY WON'T TELL YOU IT'S COVERED AND CHARGE YOU BECAUSE MOST OF THE SERVICE MANAGERS DON'T EVEN KNOW IT EXISTS. NOW THAT'S NOT RITE.....THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN INFORMED OF THIS BEING COVERED, IT'S NOT FAIR TO THE CONSUMER. *TR
TRIED TO CLEAR WINDSHIELD OF FROST. ONLY COLD AIR CAME OUT OF VENT. SAME COLD AIR ON ALL HVAC SETTINGS. *TR
A LITTLE OVER A MONTH AGO, I BEGAN EXPERIENCING AN ISSUE WITH MY 2006 CHEVY EQUINOX. THE HEAT STOPPED WORKING. THE FAN WOULD WORK AND BLOW AIR - BUT NO HEAT. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A GM DEALERSHIP TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT THE ISSUE. IMMEDIATELY UPON TELLING THEM THE SYMPTOMS, THEY DIAGNOSED MY VEHICLE WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT IT. THE SERVICE REP TOLD ME THAT IT WAS "KNOWN ISSUE" WITH THE EQUINOX, THAT ALMOST 4 OUT OF 5 VEHICLES OF THAT MAKE/MODEL/YEAR HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. HE TOLD ME THE GOOD NEWS WAS THAT THE PART TO FIX IT WAS ONLY $65, BUT THE BAD NEWS WAS THAT THE LABOR WAS $1000. I WAS TOLD THAT THE HINGE ON THE TEMPERATURE BLEND DOOR" WAS BROKEN AT THE ACTUATOR AND THAT THE ENTIRE DASH ASSEMBLY WOULD HAVE TO BE REMOVED TO GET TO THE BROKEN PART. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO ANOTHER DEALERSHIP AND HAD ALMOST THE SAME ANSWER - ALTHOUGH, TO THEIR CREDIT, THEY DID ACTUALLY LOOK AT THE VEHICLE BEFORE DIAGNOSING IT. BOTH OF THESE GM/CHEVY DEALERSHIPS SHOOK THEIR HEADS AND ALMOST LAUGHED AT ME - SAYING THAT IT WAS A "KNOWN ISSUE". I DECIDED THAT I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO PAY $1000 TO FIX A "KNOWN ISSUE", SO I CALLED CHEVY CUSTOMER SERVICE. KEEP IN MIND THAT MY VEHICLE IS SITTING AT THE DEALERSHIP DURING ALL THIS. AFTER MORE THAN A WEEK, CHEVY TELLS ME THAT MY WARRANTY EXPIRED (I WAS 20K MILES OVER THE WARRANTY) AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO ABOUT IT. THEY CONVINCE THE DEALERSHIP TO KNOCK 10% OFF MY BILL. GEE... THANKS. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEATING, VENTILATION, AND AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM WERE NOT OPERATING PROPERLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS KNOWN BY THE MANUFACTURER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE BLOWER MOTOR SPEED AND MODE SELECTION CONTINUED TO FUNCTION; HOWEVER, THE HEATER WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE MILEAGE SURPASSED THE ACCEPTED MILEAGE FOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 10044379-4513(EQUIPMENT/VISIBILITY); THEREFORE, THE CONTACT COULD NOT BE ASSISTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 124,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HEATER FAILED TO DEFROST THE WINDOWS. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE BLEND DOOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.
FAILURE OF THE HVAC BLEND DOOR [1] HAS MADE DEFROSTING THE FORWARD WINDSHIELD IN COLD TEMPERATURES IMPOSSIBLE. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE OF THE LIMITING OF VISIBILITY AND IN VIOLATION OF STANDARD 103 [2] FROM THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. GM HAS ADMITTED A DESIGN FLAW IN THE HVAC BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR IN THAT A DEALER REPLACEMENT USES AN UPDATED HVAC BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR WHICH MORE ACCURATELY LIMITS THE ROTATIONAL TRAVEL. THE FAILURE OF THE HVAC BLEND DOOR OCCURS BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL FAULTY DESIGNED HVAC BLEND DOOR ACTUATOR TRAVELS TOO FAR CAUSING STRUCTURAL STRESS ON THE BLEND DOOR WHICH EVENTUALLY LEADS TO PREMATURE FAILURE OF THE BLEND DOOR. THIS RESULTS IN VENT AIR NOT PASSING OVER THE HEAT CORE, THEREFORE MAKING DEFROSTING OF THE WINDSHIELD NOT POSSIBLE IN COLD CONDITIONS. *TR
THE HEATER IS BLOWING OUT COLD AIR, IT'S IS DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAVE TO DRIVE TO WORK WITH A BLANKET ON MY LAP, HEAVY JACKET AND GLOVES. THE BLANKET ON THE LAP IS NOT THE SMARTEST CHOICE BUT I CAN NOT AFFORD TO PAY SOMEWHERE BETWEEN $800 - $1000 TO GET THIS FIXED. I ALSO HAVE TO HAVE MY CHILDREN BRING BLANKETS SO THEY STAY WARM. WE LIVE IN A SOUTHERN STATE BUT WE STILL GET COLD HERE. I CAN'T IMAGINE LIVING UP NORTH AND DEALING WITH THIS PROBLEM. NEEDS TO BE FIXED. *TR
HEATER STOPPED WORKING ON VEHICLE MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DEFROST MY FRONT WINDOW. THIS CREATES A DRIVING HAZARD DUE TO FOGGY WINDOW. THIS CAN HAPPEN IN COLD OR HUMID WEATHER SO IT IS AN ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY GM, ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY ARE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *TR
Showing 1–20 of 50 complaints
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026