2006 PONTIAC TORRENT Complaints

THE ACTUATOR THAT OPERATES THE HEATER BLEND DOOR - OVEREXTENDS AND BREAKS THE HEATER BLEND DOOR. THIS CAUSES THE HEATER TO NOT WORK AT ALL. THE ACTUATORS ARE DEFECTIVE AND THE HEATER DOORS ARE DEFECTIVE BECAUSE THEY BREAK DUE TO A MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. IF THE HEAT DOESN'T WORK THE WINDOWS WON'T DEFROST SO THIS IS A VISIBILITY HAZARD. I ALSO LISTED IT AS AN ELECTRICAL AND UNKNOWN HAZARD. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COMPLAINTS OUT ON THE INTERNET FOR THE 2006 PONTIAC TORRENTS & CHEVY EQUINOX'S AND ALL OF THEM HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AND MOST OF THEM ARE AROUND THE 50,000 MILE MARK. GM WILL NOT PAY FOR IT IF IT IS PAST THE WARRANTY BECAUSE THEY SAY THERE ISN'T A RECALL FOR THIS. THESE 2 PARTS SHOULD BE RECALLED BECAUSE IT IS A HAZARD TO DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE IF YOU CAN'T DEFROST YOUR WINDOWS. IT IS APPROXIMATELY $900-$1200 TO FIX BECAUSE THEY NEED TO TAKE APART THE ENTIRE DASH BOARD TO GET AT THE ACTUATOR AND THE BLEND DOOR. GM SHOULD STAND BEHIND THIS AND FIX THIS SO THAT PEOPLE CAN DRIVE SAFELY AND BE ABLE TO SEE OUT THEIR WINDOWS. *TR

ON 2 OCCASIONS MY CAR DIED ON ME IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD WHILE IM DRIVING WITH MY NEWBORN. FIRST TIME I GOT GAS. HALF MILE DOWN THE ROAD CAR DIES.THEY SAY ITS FUEL PUMP. SPENT 3 DAYS AT SHOP ON THIRD DAY WITH NO WORK DONE CAR STARTS RUNS FINE FOR 2 WEEKS WITH MULTIPLE GAS FILL UPS IN BETWEEN. THREE DAYS AGO I GET GAS DRIVE 1/2 BLOCK PARK CAR, HALF HOUR LATER GET IN CAR START DRIVING, TRY TO PUT WINDOWS DOWN BUT THEY WONT COME DOWN. IM NOW 1/2 MILE INTO MY DRIVE ON BUSY ROAD WITH MY BABY IN THE CAR AND I BARELY MADE IT OFF THE ROAD BEFORE BEING SLAMMED INTO BY A SEMI. I SPENT AN HOUR IN 80 DEGREE WEATHER IN MY CAR WITH MY BABY WITH NO WAY TO PUT WINDOWS DOWN. I CALLED A TOW TRUCK. BY THE TIME THE TOW GOT THERE MY CAR STARTED. I HAD IT TOWED ANYWAY FOR FEAR OF HAVING THIS HAPPEN AGAIN. TOW IT TO A DEALERSHIP NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. SO THIS IS TWICE NOW THEY HAVE FOUND NOTHING. I BOUGHT THIS CAR WHEN I HAD MY CHILD BECAUSE I WAS DRIVING A 92 TOYOTA AND I JUST FELT I NEEDED SOMETHING NEWER AND MORE RELIABLE BUT APPARENTLY I SHOULD HAVE STUCK WITH MY TOYOTA IT NEVER IN THE TIME I HAD IT BROKE DOWN AND IT HAD 192,000 MILES ON IT. IF THIS ISN'T A SAFETY ISSUE I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS. DOES IT SERIOUSLY HAVE TO BE A FATAL ACCIDENT BEFORE SOMETHING IS DONE ABOUT THIS BECAUSE IT JUST ABOUT HAPPENED 3 DAYS AGO TO AN INFANT AND MYSELF. PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE IN A TIMELY MANOR. *TR

VEHICLE BEGAN HAVING HARD STARTING PROBLEMS WHERE IT WILL NOT START THOUGH IT KEEPS CRANKING OVER AND OVER OR KNOCKS VERY BADLY THEN SPUTTERS OUT. THIS CAN GO ON 2 OR 3 TIMES BEFORE IT STARTS. IT IS INTERMITTENT BUT SEEMS TO OCCUR IF THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN RUNNING, IS SHUT OFF, AND RESTARTING IS ATTEMPTED AFTER 15-30 MINUTES. USUALLY IF IT SITS FOR SEVERAL HOURS OR OVERNIGHT IT STARTS ON THE FIRST TRY. DEALERSHIP HAS NOT KNOWN WHAT IT IS BUT BELIEVES IT IS MOST LIKELY A FUEL SYSTEM COMPONENT. *TR

FIRST WHEEL BEARING WENT OUT AT 16K MILES TO THE RIGHT FRONT. THEN THE LEFT FRONT WENT OUT WITH ALMOST 36K MILES. FIRST TWO REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THEN AT 55K MILES STARTED HAVING WHEEL SENSOR FAULTS. DEALER FIXED. WIRE WORN THROUGH AGAIN, SAME FAULT AT 72K MILES. FIXED OURSELVES WITH BETTER TAPE ON WIRE. NEXT THE LEFT WHEEL BEARING/HUB WENT BAD AND HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 78K MILES. 3RD WHEEL BEARING FOR THAT SIDE. CONTACT GM AND NO HELP WITH CASE THERE, SO REPLACED WITH PART FROM AUTOZONE TO SAVE MONEY. AT 83K MILES RIGHT WHEEL BEARING WENT BAD. THIS ONE HAD TWO BOLTS STUCK. HAD TO WAIT AROUND 2 WEEKS FOR BOLTS. PAID A SHOP TO TORCH OFF BOLTS AND REPLACE BEARING.3RD WHEEL BEARING FOR THAT SIDE. THIS IS NOT NORMAL! BEARING SHOULD LAST OVER 100K. I KEPT THE REPLACEMENTS THAT WENT BAD IF THEY COULD HELP FIGURE OUT WHAT IS THE ROOT CAUSE. LUCKILY IT DIDN'T CAUSE AN ACCIDENT, BUT THERE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH MY CAR TO CAUSE THIS. *TR

I OWN A 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT DRIVING ALONG ONE DAY AND THE HEAT JUST WENT OUT. THIS CAUSED A DANGEROUS SITUATION AS THE DEFROST STOPPED WORKING AS WELL. I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR IN THE WINTER FOR GOING ON THREE YEARS NOW ITS JUST NOT SAFE. DUE TO THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FILED FOR THIS SAME EXACT THING IT IS UNBELIEVABLE TO ME THAT THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT FORCE GM TO CONDUCT A RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. *KB

WIRING HARNESS BETWEEN DOOR AND BODY ON DRIVERS DOOR SUSPECTED DUE TO MULTIPLE COMPONENTS RELATED TO DOOR NOT WORKING. FIRST FAILURE WAS THOUGHT TO BE DOOR SWITCH NEEDED REPLACING AS DOME LIGHT WOULD NOT TURN ON CHIME WOULD NOT SOUND WHEN LOCKING DOOR AND RADIO WOULD CONTINUE TO PLAY AFTER DOOR CLOSED. 5 MONTHS LATER THE POWER WINDOW FAILS TO OPERATE. (FORTUNATELY IN THE UP POSITION) EXTENDED WARRANTY PURCHASED ON VEHICLE, WIRING HARNESS BETWEEN DOOR AND BODY NOT COVERED. RESEARCH SHOWS MULTIPLE OTHER CASES OF PROBLEM BEING IDENTIFIED HTTP://TOWNHALL-TALK.EDMUNDS.COM/DIRECT/VIEW/.F1C2EEA THE WIRING HARNESS IS EITHER TOO SHORT OR INSTALLED CORRECTLY. I WISH TO BE SURE THAT A REPLACEMENT HARNESS DOES NOT EXHIBIT THE SAME PROBLEM AS IT WILL LEAD TO A RATHER TOASTY EXPERIENCE CALLED A FIRE IF NOT REMEDIED. *TR

I WENT THROUGH A CAR WASH AND WATER POURED OUT OF THE READING LIGHTS AND ALSO ON TO THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER FLOORS. MY TORRENT WOULD NOT MOVE WHEN I PUT IT INTO DRIVE. EVENTUALLY, AFTER ABOUT 30 MINUTES, IT WOULD GO FORWARD A LITTLE BIT IF I PUT THE GAS PEDAL TO THE FLOOR AND HELD IT FOR ABOUT ONE MINUTE. EVERY TIME I STOPPED AT A STOPLIGHT, THE TORRENT WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD WHEN I STEPPED ON THE GAS - UNTIL I HELD THE PEDAL DOWN FOR A LONG TIME AND THEN IT WOULD CREEP FORWARD SLOWLY. I CANNOT GO THROUGH CAR WASHES ANY LONGER. THE AIR CONDITIONER AND HEAT WORK INTERMITTENTLY - SOMETIMES JUST FINE, SOMETIMES NOT AT ALL - DEPENDS ON THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE IT SEEMS. I DO NOT GET ANY WARM AIR WHEN THE DEFROST IS ON.

THE BLEND DOOR FOR HEATER IS BROKEN AND ONLY COLD AIR IS ALLOWED TO FLOW THROUGH. THIS HAS BEEN DOCUMENTED TO BREAK IN MANY TORRENTS. THE DOOR IS DESIGNED TO ONLY MOVE 60 DEGREES BUT THE ACTUATOR IS DESIGNED TO MOVE 180 DEGREES CAUSING THE DOOR TO BREAK. WHEN I CALLED TO TALK TO SEVERAL BODY SHOPS TO DISCUSS THIS ISSUE, THEY EXPLAINED TO ME THAT THIS HAPPENS IN MANY TORRENTS AND GM WILL NOT RECALL THE PART AND IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY TO GET IT FIXED WHICH COULD COST ME BETWEEN $1000 AND $1500 FOR LABOR AND PARTS. *TR

THE HEAT IN MY TRUCK STOPPED WORKING IN THE MIDDLE OF WINTER. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE PLASTIC CONNECTION SHAFT ON THE AIR TEMPERATURE BLEND DOOR WAS BROKEN WHICH IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT. *KB

THE HEATER HAS STOPPED WORKING. THE MECHANIC SAYS THE DOOR ROD HAS EITHER BROKEN OR THE MOTOR HAS GONE BAD. MORE THAN 200 COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS MALFUNCTION IN THIS PARTICULAR MODEL VEHICLE HAVE BEEN REPORTED. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED UNDER THE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 103 - WINDSHIELD DEFROSTING AND DEFOGGING SYSTEMS - PASSENGER CARS, MULTIPURPOSE PASSENGER VEHICLES, TRUCKS, AND BUSES (EFFECTIVE 1-1-88). THIS STANDARD SPECIFIES REQUIREMENTS FOR WINDSHIELD DEFROSTING AND DEFOGGING SYSTEMS. THIS IS NOT RANDOM IN ANY WAY. I THINK WE AS CONSUMERS SHOULD BAND TOGETHER AND FORM A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAIN THE MAKER OF THIS VEHICLE. I WILL BE IN CONTACT!!! *TR