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We have a 2012 Chevrolet Equinox. We cant turn off the interior heat even when we turn the temp all the way down. Even when we turn off the heater it keeps blowing hot air.

What could be the problem?

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  • 1
    Are you saying the blower continues to blow air even with the vehicle shut off, or that it's just hot air coming out? Does the fan blow all the time? Commented Apr 11, 2016 at 1:17
  • @Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 I gather the OP means that the A/C is not blowing cold air even though they are setting it to do so. This is a very broad question and can have many possible answers. Anyhow, have you noticed the A/C vents blowing any funny odors?
    – race fever
    Commented Apr 11, 2016 at 19:52

2 Answers 2

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This feels like a broken blend door. A blend door controls how much air is allowed to flow past the heater core, or past the a/c evaporator. A broken door means that air physically stuck going past the heater core, thereby heating it up.

Unfortunately, those doors live inside of the heater box, which usually requires you to rip apart the dash (and then remove the box and take it apart), which requires discharging and then disconnecting the A/C lines. Quite a project.

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  • I rarely see broken doors, now adays it's the actuator that fails 99% of the time. Either that or the HVAC module loses it's calibration.
    – Ben
    Commented Apr 14, 2016 at 20:43
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This sounds like a stuck or faulty heater circuit valve. There's a pipeline from the engine coolant system that goes up to a heat exchanger in the air conditioning duct. There's a valve that regulates how much hot coolant flows in this circuit, and if that valve sticks open or its actuating linkage is broken, the system will be on hot, hot or hot - No matter what you do with the controls.

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  • Is there really a water valve that controls the coolant flow, because I thought there was only an air diverter in the heater box under the dash?
    – JPhi1618
    Commented Apr 12, 2016 at 20:14
  • The heat has to come from somewhere - and be it a water or air valve, it's not moving.
    – Bevan
    Commented Apr 13, 2016 at 5:02
  • On the Equinox there isn't a water valve the heater core always see's coolant. Like Lynn Crumbling said in his answer air temp. is controlled by the blend door.
    – Ben
    Commented Apr 14, 2016 at 20:42
  • @ben, and as I said, be it a water or air valve, it's stuck. As its an air flap/ valve... look at the actuating mechanism for breakage, obstruction or malfunction
    – Bevan
    Commented Apr 20, 2016 at 11:16
  • @ben are you telling me that Chevrolet in all their advanced vehicle technology, have a heater core thatched permanently filled with blistering hot water irrespective of whether it is needed or not, that's nestled up in the dash and cooking the life out of the whole heater box even in the middle of summer? Seems a bit bizarre to this poor New Zealander!!
    – Bevan
    Commented Apr 20, 2016 at 11:26

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