Chevy Traverse Air Conditioner Problems
shooter5743
Member Posts: 5
Hi,
We have a 2009 Traverse and are having problems with the air conditioner. I posted on the Acadia forum as someone else had started a thread with the same problem. We bought the car new Feb 2009 (2 1/2 years) and it has 55,500 miles. The problem started about 90 miles into a trip the face vents stopped blowing air although the fan speed or no other controls were changed. I stopped the car for about 20-30 minutes to check fuses, leaks, etc and when we started back up the fan came back on. Only there was a weird noise coming from just in front of driver's side dash. After a 4-5 minutes it stopped. We noticed the air started blowing warm. When we reached our destination since there was no GM dealer in the town I took it to a reputable shop that was recommended by 3 auto parts stores. The shop had been in business for over 30 years I believe. After the tech checked it out he found the problem was with the evaporator. Since he knew this was an expensive fix he had another tech check it out also and the second tech found the same problem. This was a labor intense job that involved among other things removing the dash. It would be at least an 8-10 hour job and be over a $1000. He said on a 2 and 1/2 year old vehicle there is NO WAY an evaporator would go out no matter how many miles it had. He advised me to take it back to the dealer even with it out of warranty. I called and spoke with the service manager at the dealer and he said they could not do anything that I would have to contact GM customer service to get a . I have an appointment to go to the dealer tomorrow to have it checked out. It was mentioned on the Acadia forum that once you are assigned a representative and have a claim number you are STUCK with that rep. If you ask to speak with a supervisor or try to appeal it to the next level you can't do so because it is counted against them and they want everything handled at the initial level. has anyone else had a similar problem with their A/C or and guidance about GM Customer Service? Thanks for ANY advice. Shooter
See Also: Edmunds Air Conditioning Guide
We have a 2009 Traverse and are having problems with the air conditioner. I posted on the Acadia forum as someone else had started a thread with the same problem. We bought the car new Feb 2009 (2 1/2 years) and it has 55,500 miles. The problem started about 90 miles into a trip the face vents stopped blowing air although the fan speed or no other controls were changed. I stopped the car for about 20-30 minutes to check fuses, leaks, etc and when we started back up the fan came back on. Only there was a weird noise coming from just in front of driver's side dash. After a 4-5 minutes it stopped. We noticed the air started blowing warm. When we reached our destination since there was no GM dealer in the town I took it to a reputable shop that was recommended by 3 auto parts stores. The shop had been in business for over 30 years I believe. After the tech checked it out he found the problem was with the evaporator. Since he knew this was an expensive fix he had another tech check it out also and the second tech found the same problem. This was a labor intense job that involved among other things removing the dash. It would be at least an 8-10 hour job and be over a $1000. He said on a 2 and 1/2 year old vehicle there is NO WAY an evaporator would go out no matter how many miles it had. He advised me to take it back to the dealer even with it out of warranty. I called and spoke with the service manager at the dealer and he said they could not do anything that I would have to contact GM customer service to get a . I have an appointment to go to the dealer tomorrow to have it checked out. It was mentioned on the Acadia forum that once you are assigned a representative and have a claim number you are STUCK with that rep. If you ask to speak with a supervisor or try to appeal it to the next level you can't do so because it is counted against them and they want everything handled at the initial level. has anyone else had a similar problem with their A/C or and guidance about GM Customer Service? Thanks for ANY advice. Shooter
See Also: Edmunds Air Conditioning Guide
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Comments
My 2010 Traverse 18,000 miles. So far a $600 vapor line was replaced. Now at 19,000 and the evaporator expires. $1200. Car is 4 yrs old. Since the 1st problem was originally under warranty it was covered. In the evaporator repair I paid $300. I am requesting the $300 back. Will see. Mean time the transmission line leaks and a front shock. The air conditioner should be recalled, I see a lot of posts on this subject.
A possibility is IF you have a single zone system without the dual AC/heat options, some GMs in past had the AC freon going into the cooling coil in a pattern that air going through the coil ended up going to, for example for example, the passenger side vents and they got normally cold air. BUT the freon had all evaporated to gas doing the cooling by the time the freon got to the other parts of the coil. Those got warm air. The freon is undercharged due to slow leakage, e.g..
If you are capable of being careful and safe about loose clothing and a running engine, you can locate where the two tubes go into the firewall behind the engine for the freon. One has freon going in and the other the freon returning.
With the air blower on high and the engine running for a few minutes, the tube going in should be cool not super cold and the tube with the "used" freon returning should be very cold. That means the entire evaporator inside the car got cooled by the liquid freon.
There are other ways to test, but by then you're better off taking it to a professional for evacuation, leak checking, and recharging.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Diagnosis for me would be what does it do if I turn the temp to full hot--I assume you have dual temp controls.
Do you get full heat out of both sides the same. That might indicate the blend door is moving and not broken or bound up.
Another factor may be what happened on H-bodies in the 2000-2005 era: the freon level dropped some and the freon went into a part of the evaporator where the air going tot he passenger side of the vehicle passed through. That air got cooled nicely. But the freon was "used up" by the time it got to the side of the evaporator where the driver air passed. So the drivers would be warm.
When the temperatures were mild and not as much cooling needed, the system seemed to operate correctly.
So if the blend door actuator can be verified to be moving when your head is under the dash, then have the state of charge of the freon checked by a dealer or a good quality shop.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,