NHTSA Complaint #10658779 — 2006 CHEVROLET EQUINOX

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