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2006 Pontiac Torrent

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

209 reports with mileage · 31 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Visibility. Review the 73 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 63 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 29 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

10 crash reports10 fire reports11 injury reports

Visibility complaints

73 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 14, 2011
Electrical SystemVisibility

NO HEAT; TEMPERATURE CONTROL DOES NOT CHANGE FROM COLD TO HOT. BELIEVE TEMPERATURE BLEND DOOR TO BE THE PROBLEM, AS THIS SEEMS TO BE WHAT THE DEALERS (CHECKED WITH 3 LOCAL GM DEALERS) ALL POINT TO AS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL. THIS WILL AFFECT VISIBILITY (NO OR POOR DEFROSTING) AS WELL AS COMFORT, BOTH OF WHICH ARE SAFETY H…

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NO HEAT; TEMPERATURE CONTROL DOES NOT CHANGE FROM COLD TO HOT. BELIEVE TEMPERATURE BLEND DOOR TO BE THE PROBLEM, AS THIS SEEMS TO BE WHAT THE DEALERS (CHECKED WITH 3 LOCAL GM DEALERS) ALL POINT TO AS A COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS MODEL. THIS WILL AFFECT VISIBILITY (NO OR POOR DEFROSTING) AS WELL AS COMFORT, BOTH OF WHICH ARE SAFETY HAZARDS WHEN FACING THE COMING WISCONSIN WINTER. STRONGLY BELIEVE THIS TO BE A MANUFACTURING DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED, AS IT INVOLVES A RELATIVELY LOW COST PART BUT EXTENSIVE LABOR TO DISMANTLE THE DASHBOARD AND REPLACE IT. ESTIMATES HAVE RANGED FROM $800 TO $1200 FOR THE JOB. PLEASE TAKE ACTION ON THIS, AS IT HAS BEEN A SAFETY AND FINANCIAL CONCERN FOR ME AND MY FAMILY, AS WELL AS NUMEROUS OTHER PONTIAC TORRENT AND CHEVROLET EQUINOX OWNERS. THANK YOU. *KB

NHTSA ODI #10425446

62,000 miles · Sep 6, 2011
Visibility

NO HEAT IN 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT. BROKEN VALVE DOOR. HUNDREDS OF OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. HOWEVER, SINCE THE ACTUALLY MAINTENANCE IS SO COSTLY, GM HAS CHOSEN TO NOT RECALL IT. ( HTTP://M.TOPIX.COM/FORUM/AUTOS/CHEVROLET-EQUINOX/TNMHVCTE76U9HGTH4/P19 ). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10423913

66,500 miles · May 10, 2011
Unknown Or OtherVisibility

EXPERIENCED NO HEAT; FAN WORKED. NO HEAT MEANS YOU CAN'T DEFROST OR DE-FOG YOUR WINDSHIELD. TOOK TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. FROM INVOICE -- "TEMP ACTUATOR OUT OF PARAMETER. BROKEN TEMP DOOR...TEMP DOOR DOES NOT MOVE...DEFECTIVE TEMP ACTUATOR. DOES NOT RESPOND....R&R TEMP ACTUATOR. FOUND END OF TEMP DOOR BROKEN OFF. TEMP ACTUATOR OUT …

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EXPERIENCED NO HEAT; FAN WORKED. NO HEAT MEANS YOU CAN'T DEFROST OR DE-FOG YOUR WINDSHIELD. TOOK TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. FROM INVOICE -- "TEMP ACTUATOR OUT OF PARAMETER. BROKEN TEMP DOOR...TEMP DOOR DOES NOT MOVE...DEFECTIVE TEMP ACTUATOR. DOES NOT RESPOND....R&R TEMP ACTUATOR. FOUND END OF TEMP DOOR BROKEN OFF. TEMP ACTUATOR OUT OF PARAMETER DUE TO BROKEN DOOR. NEED TEMP DOOR....RE-PLACED TEMP DOOR AND TEMP ACTUATOR AS NEEDED." COST INCLUDING LABOR & PARTS ~$1550. GENERAL MOTORS HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL TO FIX THIS SAFETY ISSUE GM HAS NOT EVEN ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) ABOUT THIS PROBLEM TO ADVISE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THE HOW'S AND WHY'S OF THIS MALFUNCTION.

NHTSA ODI #10400455

23,785 miles · Apr 13, 2011
Visibility

HEAT WENT OUT WITH OUT WARNING. UPON RESEARCHING ONLINE FOUND IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. THE ACTUATOR WAS THE CAUSE OF THE BROKEN SHAFT ON THE BLEND DOOR. THE ACTUATOR HAD ROTATED TOO FAR, BEYOND ITS LIMITS, AND OVERPOWERED THE PLASTIC SHAFT ON THE DOOR. THIS ACTUATOR ISN'T JUST A SIMPLE MOTOR. AS YOU KNOW, AN…

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HEAT WENT OUT WITH OUT WARNING. UPON RESEARCHING ONLINE FOUND IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. THE ACTUATOR WAS THE CAUSE OF THE BROKEN SHAFT ON THE BLEND DOOR. THE ACTUATOR HAD ROTATED TOO FAR, BEYOND ITS LIMITS, AND OVERPOWERED THE PLASTIC SHAFT ON THE DOOR. THIS ACTUATOR ISN'T JUST A SIMPLE MOTOR. AS YOU KNOW, AN ELECTRIC MOTOR SPINS WHEN POWER IS APPLIED. THE ACTUATOR IS A SMALL ELECTRIC MOTOR CONNECTED TO A GEAR-REDUCTION UNIT, WITH A POSITION-SENSING DEVICE THAT IS MONITORED BY THE BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM), WHICH IS A COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS A BUNCH OF STUFF NOT RELATED TO THE ENGINE OR POWERTRAIN. WHEN THE POSITION SENSOR INDICATES THAT THE ACTUATOR IS AT THE END OF ITS RANGE OF TRAVEL, THE BCM SHUTS OFF POWER TO THE MOTOR. THE OUTPUT SHAFT ON THE ACTUATOR SHOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO REACH THE DEGREE OF ROTATION THAT IS SHOWN ABOVE. WHY DID THAT HAPPEN? DID THE BCM MALFUNCTION AND APPLY POWER TOO LONG? I DOUBT IT... BECAUSE ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS ARE LESS LIKELY TO MALFUNCTION THAN ELECTRO-MECHANICAL DEVICES. I'M GOING TO HAVE TO ASSUME THAT THE ACTUATOR IS FAULTY... THAT THE POSITION-SENSING DEVICE (PROBABLY JUST A VARIABLE RESISTOR) DEVELOPED AN OPEN CIRCUIT, OR AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT, OR SOMETHING. THIS KIND OF PROBLEM BUGS ME (AND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE) BECAUSE GENERAL MOTORS HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL TO FIX WHAT CAN BE A SAFETY PROBLEM... NO HEAT MEANS YOU CAN'T DEFROST OR DE-FOG YOUR WINDSHIELD. WHAT'S WORSE... GM HAS NOT EVEN ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) ABOUT THIS PROBLEM TO ADVISE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THE HOW'S AND WHY'S OF THIS MALFUNCTION. SO I'M A BIT CONCERNED THAT THE NEW ACTUATOR MIGHT MALFUNCTION JUST LIKE THE FIRST ONE. IF GM HAD ISSUED A TSB, I'D BE ASSURED THAT THE ENGINEERS HAD SOLVED THE FAULTY ACTUATOR PROBLEM, AND THAT ALL THE REPLACEMENT PARTS HAD BEEN REVISED AND IMPROVED, AND THE HEAT WOULD WORK JUST FINE FOR YEARS TO COME. BUT I DON'T HAVE THAT CONFIDENCE. RECALL NEEDED. $915 TO FIX IT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10395812

Mileage unknown · Apr 12, 2011
Visibility

2006 PONTIAC TORRENT. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH THE FUNCTIONING AIR TEMPERATURE BLEND DOOR *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN SHE TURNED THE HEAT ON ONE MORNING, ONLY COLD AIR CAME FROM THE VENTS. THE CONSUMER LEARNED THE PLASTIC DOOR WAS ATTACHED TO A MOTORIZED ACTUATOR WHICH OPENED AND CLOSED TO ALLOW AIRFLOW PAST THE HEATER CO…

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2006 PONTIAC TORRENT. CONSUMER STATES PROBLEM WITH THE FUNCTIONING AIR TEMPERATURE BLEND DOOR *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN SHE TURNED THE HEAT ON ONE MORNING, ONLY COLD AIR CAME FROM THE VENTS. THE CONSUMER LEARNED THE PLASTIC DOOR WAS ATTACHED TO A MOTORIZED ACTUATOR WHICH OPENED AND CLOSED TO ALLOW AIRFLOW PAST THE HEATER CORE. *JB

NHTSA ODI #10396317

95,000 miles · Mar 25, 2011
Electrical SystemVisibility

2006 PONTIAC TORRENT; LOSS OF HEATING SYSTEM; NO DE-ICE OR DEFROST CAPABILITY; $1200 REPAIR COST...FAILURE OF AIR TEMP BLEND DOOR ASSEMBLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10392844

55,000 miles · Mar 10, 2011
Visibility

2006 PONTIAC TORRENT - HEAT STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT WARNING - ONLY COLD AIR BLOWING FROM HEATER AND DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER. BROUGHT CAR IN FOR SERVICE TO HAVE THERMOSTAT CHECKED - NO ISSUES WITH THERMO. TOLD THE PROBLEM IS THE "BLEND DOOR" INSIDE THE DASH AND IT WILL COST APPROXIMATELY $1254.32 IN LABOR SINCE THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD NE…

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2006 PONTIAC TORRENT - HEAT STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT WARNING - ONLY COLD AIR BLOWING FROM HEATER AND DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER. BROUGHT CAR IN FOR SERVICE TO HAVE THERMOSTAT CHECKED - NO ISSUES WITH THERMO. TOLD THE PROBLEM IS THE "BLEND DOOR" INSIDE THE DASH AND IT WILL COST APPROXIMATELY $1254.32 IN LABOR SINCE THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD NEEDS TO BE REMOVED IN ORDER FOR THE PART TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE WITHOUT HEAT, THE DEFROSTER DOES NOT CLEAR THE WINDSHIELD OR DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE WINDOWS, AFFECTING VISIBILITY. AFTER READING NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE I REALLY THINK A RECALL IS IN ORDER HERE. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL "WEAR AND TEAR" ISSUE, AND IS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN FLAW AND FAULTY PARTS, SEEMS THIS ISSUE IS DUE TO A FAULTY ACTUATOR THAT IS OVER TORX THE BLEND DOOR CAUSING THE DOOR TO BREAK. DOOR AND ACTUATOR NEEDS REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10389686

106,000 miles · Mar 2, 2011
Electrical SystemVisibility

2006 PONTIAC TORRENT - HEAT STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT WARNING - ONLY COLD AIR BLOWING FROM HEATER AND DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER. BROUGHT CAR IN FOR SERVICE AND HAD COOLANT, HEATER CORE, FUSES AND THERMOSTAT CHECKED - ALL FINE. TOLD THE PROBLEM IS THE "BLEND DOOR" INSIDE THE DASH AND IT WILL COST APPROXIMATELY $1000 IN LABOR SINCE THE ENT…

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2006 PONTIAC TORRENT - HEAT STOPPED WORKING WITHOUT WARNING - ONLY COLD AIR BLOWING FROM HEATER AND DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER. BROUGHT CAR IN FOR SERVICE AND HAD COOLANT, HEATER CORE, FUSES AND THERMOSTAT CHECKED - ALL FINE. TOLD THE PROBLEM IS THE "BLEND DOOR" INSIDE THE DASH AND IT WILL COST APPROXIMATELY $1000 IN LABOR SINCE THE ENTIRE DASHBOARD NEEDS TO BE REMOVED IN ORDER FOR THE PART TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE WITHOUT HEAT, THE DEFROSTER DOES NOT CLEAR THE WINDSHIELD OR DRIVER SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE WINDOWS, AFFECTING VISIBILITY. AFTER READING NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE I REALLY THINK A RECALL IS IN ORDER HERE. THIS IS NOT A NORMAL "WEAR AND TEAR" ISSUE, AND IS OBVIOUSLY A DESIGN FLAW AND FAULTY PARTS, PLEASE HELP. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10386139

79,580 miles · Mar 1, 2011
EquipmentVisibility

HEAT WENT OUT WITH OUT WARNING. UPON RESEARCHING ONLINE FOUND IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. THE ACTUATOR WAS THE CAUSE OF THE BROKEN SHAFT ON THE BLEND DOOR. THE ACTUATOR HAD ROTATED TOO FAR, BEYOND ITS LIMITS, AND OVERPOWERED THE PLASTIC SHAFT ON THE DOOR. THIS ACTUATOR ISN'T JUST A SIMPLE MOTOR. AS YOU KNO…

Read full complaint

HEAT WENT OUT WITH OUT WARNING. UPON RESEARCHING ONLINE FOUND IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. THE ACTUATOR WAS THE CAUSE OF THE BROKEN SHAFT ON THE BLEND DOOR. THE ACTUATOR HAD ROTATED TOO FAR, BEYOND ITS LIMITS, AND OVERPOWERED THE PLASTIC SHAFT ON THE DOOR. THIS ACTUATOR ISN'T JUST A SIMPLE MOTOR. AS YOU KNOW, AN ELECTRIC MOTOR SPINS WHEN POWER IS APPLIED. THE ACTUATOR IS A SMALL ELECTRIC MOTOR CONNECTED TO A GEAR-REDUCTION UNIT, WITH A POSITION-SENSING DEVICE THAT IS MONITORED BY THE BODY CONTROL MODULE (BCM), WHICH IS A COMPUTER THAT CONTROLS A BUNCH OF STUFF NOT RELATED TO THE ENGINE OR POWERTRAIN. WHEN THE POSITION SENSOR INDICATES THAT THE ACTUATOR IS AT THE END OF ITS RANGE OF TRAVEL, THE BCM SHUTS OFF POWER TO THE MOTOR. THE OUTPUT SHAFT ON THE ACTUATOR SHOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO REACH THE DEGREE OF ROTATION THAT IS SHOWN ABOVE. WHY DID THAT HAPPEN? DID THE BCM MALFUNCTION AND APPLY POWER TOO LONG? I DOUBT IT... BECAUSE ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS ARE LESS LIKELY TO MALFUNCTION THAN ELECTRO-MECHANICAL DEVICES. I'M GOING TO HAVE TO ASSUME THAT THE ACTUATOR IS FAULTY... THAT THE POSITION-SENSING DEVICE (PROBABLY JUST A VARIABLE RESISTOR) DEVELOPED AN OPEN CIRCUIT, OR AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT, OR SOMETHING. THIS KIND OF PROBLEM BUGS ME (AND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE) BECAUSE GENERAL MOTORS HAS NOT ISSUED A RECALL TO FIX WHAT CAN BE A SAFETY PROBLEM... NO HEAT MEANS YOU CAN'T DEFROST OR DE-FOG YOUR WINDSHIELD. WHAT'S WORSE... GM HAS NOT EVEN ISSUED A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN (TSB) ABOUT THIS PROBLEM TO ADVISE DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENTS ABOUT THE HOW'S AND WHY'S OF THIS MALFUNCTION. SO I'M A BIT CONCERNED THAT THE NEW ACTUATOR MIGHT MALFUNCTION JUST LIKE THE FIRST ONE. IF GM HAD ISSUED A TSB, I'D BE ASSURED THAT THE ENGINEERS HAD SOLVED THE FAULTY ACTUATOR PROBLEM, AND THAT ALL THE REPLACEMENT PARTS HAD BEEN REVISED AND IMPROVED, AND THE HEAT WOULD WORK JUST FINE FOR YEARS TO COME. BUT I DON'T HAVE THAT CONFIDENCE. RECALL NEEDED. DANGEROUS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10386062

Mileage unknown · Feb 24, 2011
EquipmentVisibility

I OWN A 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT. OVERNIGHT THE HEATER STOPPED WORKING IN MY VEHICLE. THE BLOWER FAN AND ALL THE SWITCHES ARE FINE. AIRFLOW DOES CHANGE FROM VENT TO FLOOR TO DEFROSTERS. WHEN I TURN THE TEMPERATURE KNOB TO HOT AIR, ONLY COLD AIR COMES OUT NO MATER WHAT THE SETTING IS ON THE MODE DOOR. I BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC AND …

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I OWN A 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT. OVERNIGHT THE HEATER STOPPED WORKING IN MY VEHICLE. THE BLOWER FAN AND ALL THE SWITCHES ARE FINE. AIRFLOW DOES CHANGE FROM VENT TO FLOOR TO DEFROSTERS. WHEN I TURN THE TEMPERATURE KNOB TO HOT AIR, ONLY COLD AIR COMES OUT NO MATER WHAT THE SETTING IS ON THE MODE DOOR. I BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC AND THEY RAN A DIAGNOSTIC. MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS FINE AS WAS MY COOLANT LEVEL. THEY ADVISED THAT THE TEMPERATURE SHAFT IS BROKEN INSIDE THE HEATER BOX AND WOULD NEED TO BE FIXED BY REMOVING THE ENTIRE DASH LABOR COST ALONE IS ABOVE 1000K. I CALLED GM TO ASK WHAT THEY WILL DO TO ASSIST WITH THE COST BUT SINCE THERE IS NO RECALL OR CLASS ACTION THEY WILL NOT HELP TO REPAIR THE DAMAGED HEATER DOOR. ONLINE THERE WERE OVER 325 COMPLAINTS OF THE EXACT SAME ISSUE WHEN I JUST PUT IN 2006 PONTIAC HEATER AS A SEARCH. NOTE THAT THIS VEHICLE IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD AND GARAGED AT ALL TIMES THIS SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED AND IS A SAFETY ISSUE ESPECIALLY SINCE I NO LONGER HAVE HEAT IN THE CAR AND TRANSPORT CHILDREN DAILY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10384317

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.