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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

What owners actually said

240 reports
78,000 miles · Sep 12, 2011
Power Train

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, A LOUD SCREECHING NOISE WAS UNDER THE HOOD AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. UPON RESTART, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSI…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, A LOUD SCREECHING NOISE WAS UNDER THE HOOD AND THE VEHICLE STALLED. UPON RESTART, THE FAILURE CONTINUED TO OCCUR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION FLEX PLATE. THE VEHICLE WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.

NHTSA ODI #10424700

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

45,000 miles · Aug 17, 2011
Suspension

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH AND RIDING OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD THERE WOULD BE A POPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE CORNER OF THE RIGHT FRONT INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000.…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH AND RIDING OVER A BUMP IN THE ROAD THERE WOULD BE A POPPING NOISE COMING FROM THE CORNER OF THE RIGHT FRONT INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 45,000. UPDATED 09/15/11*LJ UPDATED 09/23/11*JB

NHTSA ODI #10419865

89,000 miles · Jun 27, 2011
Structure

WATER LEAKAGE INTO THE CABIN OF THE CAR. FLOORBOARDS SOAKED AFTER A HEAVY RAIN, AND THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM IS STARTING TO SHORT OUT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10409070

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

80,000 miles · Apr 16, 2011
SeatsFire

WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT, MY DRIVER SIDE HEATED SEAT CAUGHT FIRE. THE SEAT WAS TURNED ON AND BEGAN GETTING HOTTER THAN USUAL. I BEGAN TO SMELL BURNING. I WAS ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY AND COULD NOT PULL OVER, SO I STUCK MY HAT BEHIND MY BACK DUE TO THE HIGH TEMPERATURE. ALTHOUGH I TURNED OFF THE SEAT I STILL SMEL…

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WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY 2006 PONTIAC TORRENT, MY DRIVER SIDE HEATED SEAT CAUGHT FIRE. THE SEAT WAS TURNED ON AND BEGAN GETTING HOTTER THAN USUAL. I BEGAN TO SMELL BURNING. I WAS ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY AND COULD NOT PULL OVER, SO I STUCK MY HAT BEHIND MY BACK DUE TO THE HIGH TEMPERATURE. ALTHOUGH I TURNED OFF THE SEAT I STILL SMELLED BURNING AND THE SEAT WAS STILL HOT. WHEN I GOT OFF THE HIGHWAY, I SAW THAT THERE WAS A WHOLE BURNED INTO THE SEAT AND MY HAT WAS SMOKING AND HAD A WOULD AS WELL. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN MY BACK. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10396086

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

59,000 miles · Apr 4, 2011
Engine And Engine CoolingExterior Lighting

2006 PONTIAC TORRENT APRIL 17,2007 THE RESISTOR FOR DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS REPLACED, NOW IT IS DEFECTIVE AGAIN. ALSO THE BAFFLE PLATE IN THE HEATER BLOWER IS DEFECTIVE . IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE REPLACED FOR THE CAR TO HAVE HEAT, THE DASHBOARD HAS TO BE TAKEN APART , A $1200 BILL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10394158

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

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.