It’s a cold, cold world. Especially in the world of major automotive industry recalls. It appears that  GM will have a massive recall for its brand-spankin’-new-selling-like-hotcakes 2010 Chevy Equinox and 2010 GMC Terrain CUVs vehicles (59,031 in all). The news was originally posted on the website of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

This time, it’s due to faulty HVAC systems. It may sound silly that an imperfect air-conditioning and heating system would warrant a recall, but do not be so foolish. The HVAC system design is a major sub-discipline of mechanical engineering, based on the principles of thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. In this particular case, the official statement reads- “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 safety recall is expected to begin during January 2010. Chevrolet and GMC dealers will replace the computer modules in the center console, at no charge, to repair the problem.

Owners of any of these vehicles can contact Chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or GMC at 1-866-996-9463.