The defect
GENERAL MOTORS IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2010 CHEVROLET EQUINOX AND GMC TERRAIN VEHICLES FOR FAILING TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 103, "WINDSHIELD DEFROSTING AND DEFOGGING SYSTEMS AND WITH FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 101, CONTROLS AND DISPLAYS". THE SOFTWARE IN THE CENTER INSTRUMENT PANEL CAN CAUSE THE HEATING, AIR CONDITIONING, DEFROST, AND RADIO CONTROLS, AS WELL AS THE PANEL ILLUMINATION TO BECOME INOPERATIVE.
The risk
DRIVING WITHOUT A FUNCTIONING DEFROST SYSTEM CAN DECREASE YOUR VISIBILITY UNDER CERTAIN DRIVING CONDITIONS AND COULD RESULT IN A CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE COMPUTER MODULE IN THE CENTER INSTRUMENT PANEL FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING JANUARY 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, GMC AT 1-866-996-9463 OR AT WWW.GMOWNERCENTER.COM.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Equinox | 2010 |
| GMC Terrain | 2010 |
Components: VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Equinox | 2010 | 784 | 3 |
| GMC Terrain | 2010 | 290 | 3 |
Other visibility recalls in 2009
10 of the 491 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2009 concerned the visibility; GENERAL MOTORS CORP. filed 1,195 campaigns in all.
| 09V470000 4 Dec 2009 | WILDFIRE MOTORS, INC. |
| 09V438000 6 Nov 2009 | CHRYSLER LLC |
| 09V318000 7 Aug 2009 | DAIMLER BUSES NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 09V261000 9 Jul 2009 | JAGUAR LAND ROVER NORTH AMERICA, LLC |
| 09V219000 12 Jun 2009 | DAIMLER TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA |
| 09V215000 11 Jun 2009 | DAIMLER BUSES NORTH AMERICA, INC. |
| 09V173000 21 May 2009 | VOLVO TRUCKS NORTH AMERICA |
| 09V084000 13 Mar 2009 | CHRYSLER LLC |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2009