KnownCarProblemsHome › Chevrolet › Equinox › 2006
2006 Chevrolet Equinox Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 695 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox, most often about the visibility and wipers (40% of complaints, typically around 66,000 miles). It is 4th of 23 Equinox model years by number of complaints.
Most common 2006 Chevrolet Equinox problems
Visibility and wipers
280 complaints · 40%Half of these problems showed up before 66,000 miles. Parts named most often: defroster/defogger/hvac system, power window devices and controls, sun/moon roof assembly.
2006 chevy Equinox heater blend door shaft broken and no heat is coming out. Dealer wants $1100 to fix it, cannot afford it. I agree, gm should recall, safety hazard when you cannot see out of the windows.
Tl 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…
Electrical
141 complaints · 20%Half of these problems showed up before 81,500 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, alternator/generator/regulator, wiring.
Heater in my wifes equnax just quit working while was driving it windshield iced over and foged up she had to pull over rite away tobefore she wrecked it
I have a 2006 chevy Equinox that all of a sudden started blowing cold air when the heat should be on. I replaced the thermostat thinking that was the problem. It's not. It is the temp actuator door. According to a diagnostic test done by a chevy dealer this is a very common problem with the 2006 Equinox. I emailed…
Engine
128 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 84,000 miles. Parts named most often: cooling system, engine, exhaust system.
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…
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…
Brakes
83 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 91,000 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components, antilock.
Own a 2006 chevy Equinox and when braking or attempting to stop the vehicle I have to press on the brakes very hard. I can feel the brakes pumping (ABS system) and making a rattling noise when trying to stop and the aba and track lights stays on.
While applying the brake, it pulsated and the ABS/traction control light came on. We took it to the Chevrolet dealer we purchased it from for repair. They replaced the left front wheel speed sensor/hub assembly and the front brake pads and resurfaced the rotors. Approximately one week later, the same issue occurred…
Other or unspecified
58 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 102,000 miles.
The issue with the HVAC appears to be a common problem, no heat just cold air, defroster will not defrost windows but fogs them all up, which is really a problem @ 65 MPH on the interstate. Spoke to dealer about tsb # 11135 issued by gm may of 2012 and they could care less about what is contained in this bulletin.…
I was driving down the road and the vehicle just shuts off and it takes along time to get it started again and this happens at least twice a day.
Steering
34 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 79,000 miles. Parts named most often: electric power assist system, hydraulic power assist.
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 contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Equinox. The contact stated while parking the vehicle the steering wheel malfunctioned, and the contact was unable to move the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer stated the steering column disconnected from the steering rack. The dealer stated the…
Transmission
31 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, driveline, axle assembly.
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.
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.…
Equipment
28 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: appliance, electrical, mechanical, recreational vehicle/trailer.
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…
2006 chevy Equinox blowing cold air. Dealership said plastic door part is broken that controls direction of cool or hot air. $50.00 part $1200.00 labor to remove dash to fix, not under warrenty. Safety issue, moisture builds up on inside of windshield and freezes.
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2006 Chevrolet Equinox recalls
NHTSA lists no recalls for this model year.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
Questions about the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox
- What are the most common problems with the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: visibility and wipers (280 complaints, typically around 66,000 miles); electrical (141 complaints, typically around 81,500 miles); engine (128 complaints, typically around 84,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox have?
- NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2006 Chevrolet Equinox. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls in case one is issued later.
- Is the 2006 a bad year for the Chevrolet Equinox?
- It is 4th of 23 Equinox model years by number of complaints, with 695 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.