2006 GMC Envoy Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Avoid The 2006 GMC Envoy ranks 2nd worst out of 5 model years with a complaint index of 75 and 352 complaints. Fuel System problems dominate at 51% of complaints, and the year carries 8 recall campaigns, earning an Avoid verdict relative to other Envoy years.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 75/100
- #2 of 5 Envoy years
- Verdict
- Avoid
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 352
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 8
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 6
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 24
- Injuries
- 5
- Top issue
- Fuel System
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 16
- 14 city / 20 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 5 / 0
Top 2006 GMC Envoy problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Fuel System180 (51%)
- Electrical System124 (35%)
- Visibility & Wipers31 (9%)
- Engine26 (7%)
- Brakes18 (5%)
- Other18 (5%)
- Steering13 (4%)
- Transmission & Powertrain12 (3%)
- Airbags9 (3%)
- Structure & Body6 (2%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Headlights, running lights, and high beams can cut off while driving, with wiring melting inside the headlight housing.
- A burning smell can develop near the driver's door as the electrical panel or door lock switch overheats and catches fire.
- The blower motor or resistor wiring can melt during air conditioner use, producing smoke or a burning odor through the vents.
- The engine can stall unexpectedly while turning, with no response reported after contacting GMC.
- The ABS system can trigger a traction warning light before a loss of braking control while changing lanes.
- The airbag can fail to deploy during a frontal crash into a fixed object.
2006 GMC Envoy recalls
8 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 15V599000Sep 24, 2015Visibility & Wipers9,932 vehicles
Visibility:power window devices and controls
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer and GMC Envoy vehicles, and 2006 GMC Envoy XL and Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT vehicles. Fluid may enter into the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board, causing window switches to become inoperative. Previously, the affected vehicles may have had their master power window switch module treated with a protective coating, instead of having it replaced.
Risk: The protective coating may not eliminate the risk that the circuit board could short and result in a fire, even while the vehicle is unattended.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will install a new driver's door switch module, free of charge. The recall began on November 2, 2015. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300, Chevrolet customer service at 1-800-222-1020, and GMC customer service at 1-800-462-8782. GM's number for this recall is 15700.
- NHTSA 15V519000Aug 14, 2015Electrical System429,170 vehicles
Exterior lighting:headlights
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix, 2006-2009 Buick LaCrosse, 2006-2007 Buick Rainier, Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT, GMC Envoy XL, 2006-2008 Isuzu Ascender, and Saab 9-7x vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the headlamp driver module (HDM) may overheat and fail, causing the headlamps and daytime running lights to not illuminate.
Risk: Headlamps that do not illuminate reduce the driver's ability to see the roadway and reduce the vehicle's visibility to oncoming vehicles, both of which increase the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the HDM, free of charge. The recall began on May 17, 2016. Owners may contact Buick customer service at 1-800-521-7300 or Pontiac customer service at 1-800-762-2737. GM's number for this recall is 14291.
- NHTSA 14V404000Jul 2, 2014Visibility & Wipers184,611 vehicles
Visibility:power window devices and controls
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2007 SAAB 9-7x; 2006 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT and GMC Envoy XL; and 2006-2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer, GMC Envoy, Buick Rainier and Isuzu Ascender vehicles. Fluid may enter the driver's door master power window switch module, causing corrosion that could result in a short in the circuit board. A short may cause the power door lock and power window switches to function intermittently or become inoperative. The short may also cause overheating, which could melt components of the door module, producing odor, smoke, or a fire.
Risk: A short in the circuit board could lead to a fire, increasing the risk of personal injury. A fire could occur even while the vehicle is not in use. As a precaution, owners are advised to park outside until the remedy has been made.
Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the part number on the door module, and install a new door module if necessary, free of charge. Parts for the remedy are not currently available. An interim letter was mailed to owners in August 2014. A second owner letter will be mailed when parts are available. Owners may contact GM customer service at 1-800-521-7300 (Buick), 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet), 1-800-462-8782 (GMC), 1-800-955-9007 (SAAB), and 1-800-255-6727 (Isuzu). GM's number for this recall is 14309. NOTE: This recall provides a new remedy for all vehicles covered by recall 13V-248. Vehicles whose modules were modified but not replaced as part of the previous recall remedy must have their vehicles remedied again under this campaign.
2006 GMC Envoy fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 14 MPG
- Highway
- 20 MPG
- Combined
- 16 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $4,050
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2006 compared with other Envoy years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2006 GMC Envoy reliable?
- Relative to other Envoy years, the 2006 model ranks 2nd worst of 5 years with a complaint index of 75 and 352 complaints logged with NHTSA, most tied to the Fuel System.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2006 GMC Envoy?
- Fuel System issues make up 51% of complaints (180 of 352), followed by Electrical System problems at 35%, which also account for 21 reported fires.
- Does the 2006 GMC Envoy have recalls?
- NHTSA lists 8 recall campaigns for the 2006 Envoy, covering Visibility & Wipers, Electrical System, Airbags, Steering, and other components; none are do-not-drive recalls.
- What year GMC Envoy should I avoid?
- Based on complaint index, 2005 is the worst at 100 with 488 complaints, followed by 2006 at 75; 2008 and 2009 rate Good with much lower complaint indexes of 25 and 0.
- At what mileage do 2006 GMC Envoy problems typically show up?
- Median mileage at failure across all reported problems is 76,360; Fuel System issues show a median of 65,000 miles and Electrical System issues a median of 96,000 miles.