Chevy HHR Complaints Still Coming In
September 10th, 2012. By AbiK
A while back we asked readers to submit videos of their Chevy HHR problems; specifically, we’d asked for videos where readers were telling us their HHR won’t shut off. A number of readers submitted videos, and we’ve had hundreds of HHR owner comments going off on HHR problems. While there hasn’t to date been an official recall over at the NHTSA, some of our readers did report receiving a letter from GM stating that they could have their car fixed at no cost—however, it appears not everyone got that letter and the fix depended on what the HHR VIN number.
In the meantime, we’ve just received this comment from a woman whose HHR wouldn’t shut off when she pulled in to buy some gas—with an infant in the car, mind you—so she was forced to leave her car running while she fueled up. What was that about safety at the tank that we’re always told—? Something about NOT leaving the car running… Hmm, guess GM didn’t hear that one…
Just went to get gas and couldn’t get the key to move or engine to turn off – had to gas up with it running! As a woman alone with an infant in the car, Thank God for my smart phone and all you folks posting some “quick” fixes to put my mind at ease that I wasn’t the only one!
When I got to my inlaws, I was able to pull the fuse for the transmission/engine console and the engine cut off. Key is still stuck so had to pull fuse for lights and disconnect battery cable also. VERY INCONVENIENT!!
Not happy to hear this isn’t covered under warranties but I am going to try nonetheless. More pissed to be losing the time from work to fix something so ridiculous! I do not have time or patience for this. STEP UP, GM!
And just this morning we hear from a senior citizen who’s been put in a bind with Chevy HHR repairs. Read what she has to say:
I do not have a video but I have a 2006 Springtime Edition HHR and about 6 weeks ago the key stuck in the ignition and would not shut off all the power and ran down battery so had it towed to Chevrolet Dealer in Vicksburg, MI and it cost $420.
Now tomorrow I have to have it towed again because it would start and stop at stop light so took it to dealer and he put it on the computer and told me it was a short in the brain and estimate is $437.00 Could not decide to pay that much after having the earlier $420 so took it home and now it will not make it out of the driveway. Chevrolet should be ashamed of themselves for having a vehicle with problems like this, I only have 39,000 miles on it. I am a senior citizen with limited income and thought I bought a dependable vehicle but will never buy another Chevrolet. I intend to let Chevrolet know that I do not believe these problems are isolated but there are other people who bought HHR’s with problems much the same as mine and they should be responsible for the repairs.
Let us know if you’ve had Chevy HHR problems, and how you’ve fared with GM service (or not).
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I have an ’06 that I bought a year ago from my sister in law to help her out of a bind. She claims to never have had a problem and if something came up she was at the dealership to rectify it and her stack of paperwork confirms it. It has 125k, is a 2.4 and Lt trim. My wife uses it as her primary car. I’ve replaced inside door handles….no biggy, they’re plastic, they break. Months ago my wife said the dash lights are going haywire. I drove it, nothing. Later she says it’s happening more and more. The lights go crazy, AC and radio shuts off and it steers hard. Oh, and key stuck but can stop engine. (Did the ignition recall). This week she called from work “it’s dead. No start, no lights, nothing”. I figure since the ‘puter is shutting things down, it’s prolly low voltage. Yes, the battery was shot – new battery (almost $200). Started the car. It ran for five minutes and shut down. Started again, die. Start again, die. Alternator? Another test with volt/ohm meter. I get no charging voltage back to battery so the ‘puter shuts down? Ok, new alterator ($125). What a horrible pain to get at, but today that task is complete. I start the motor and watch the meter. Good juice even with air on. I shift to reverse then into drive. Ok, no drop in voltage, sweet. No crazy light show on the dash. Man, I soo rock. I shift back to park, it dies. Start it back up, die. Start, die. Start, die. The car is still sitting in my wife’s Employer’s parking lot where I did all the “repairs” in between rain showers. Why doesn’t it go bad when it’s near the garage where all the tools are? Now I’m stumped and will have to pay for a tow and shop rates for diag and labor. Can’t wait to hear what they want for parts. Being retired and budgeting has it’s drawbacks. I haven’t even touched on the front end trouble we’re experiencing such as steering wheel wobble when braking hard. I inspected the brakes and it all appears in good shape (recent brake work performed according to sis in law’s receipts). I have replaced all four hub bearings and it still doing it.
There are so many probs on this thread, has anyone got any solutions? I’ll try to be diligent and follow up with fixes.
So far it has been learned that this 06 HHR, and very possibly many other models, have many grounding posts placed throughout the car’s unibody. Since the battery is in the rear under the spare tire, the negative post is no longer tied directly to the engine block like the “old days”. My mechanic researched the wiring schematic for this car and we found that many different functions are bundled and grounded at various locations. GM has replacement bolts you can order because the originals tend to rust and/or oxidize over time. A bad ground will play havoc with an electrical system by not completing a circuit thus not allowing certain functions to operate correctly. And since many of the problems we’re experiencing are bundled to common ground locations it makes sense the we will find the problem. Right? Each location was painstakingly checked and cleaned. All serial connections, wires, modular plugs and relays were inspected and tested. Seriously, we have talked with GM dealers, Buick dealers and they have no idea what do to look for next.
BCM. Body Control Module.
Can it be tested? No, not really. We know that the commands are being transmitted but the actions aren’t being carried out. An example would be that there are no injector codes stored and there is no pulse at the injector when there should be to keep the engine running. The ECM (Engine Control Module) gets a lot of commands from the BCM.
My mechanic doesn’t have the expensive testing equipment that is usually reserved for dealers to plug in and the BCM but being a good mech and running a reputable shop, he knows someone that does. This process does NOT come cheap. The car is now in another shop and I’ve been contacted by the owner and he stated that he thinks we need to order a new BCM. You think? He says it’s getting commands but nothing is happening. Hell, I knew THAT much. I asked where he gets them and he answered “chevy”. His quote is just shy of $600 to acquire it, program it since it is specific to the car’s VIN, and install it. That doesn’t include the use of the “wonder machine” and his time thus far. Wow. Just wow.
Please order the part and make the car whole, thank you very much I mutter through clenched teeth all the while trying to sound cordial. I doubt that it did.
More later, I hope it’s good.
Got the call to inform me that the car is done and ready to be picked up. With a shaky hand I swipe my credit card and the gal at the counter handed me my key. I have almost $1000 into this damn car so far. My wife and I go outside and she starts the car. It’s running!! Finally, a step in the right direction. I have my wife push all the buttons, turn every knob, operate all the functions she can find. It’s still running. Ok, lets roll. I’ll follow you home.
This morning while my wife is driving to work the dash board lights went out and came back on and now the key fobs don’t work. Oh no, this feels very familiar.
Tune in again to the continuing saga. More to come.
had all those problems finally found somebody who diagnosed the situation as a simple bad ground to the computer he did not want to charge me took 5 minutes to fix after me spending hrs replacing sensors
Do u know where the grounds was lpcated, I am having major issues and car won’t start and I just bought it 3 months ago and got a small loan to buy it and paying for a car that sits in my driveway and can’t affard another.
Dave, Wondering how you made out with the HHR problem, as I’m experiencing the same thing. We’ve replaced the BCM twice (second one covered under warranty) and now it’s doing the same thing with the dash/gauges going crazy!
Hello, I am having the some of the same issues. Just replaced the battery, just went out to start it, however it is running really rough. I am a retired old lady with limited money, so will have to wait until more money available to get the car towed by AAA and diagnosis done.
Hi Dave guess what I have a 2006 Chevy HHR which was doing the same thing I replace two new batteries thinking it was the battery because it would do weird thing on us and go completely dead. We check the altenator it was not that so Got tried finally got it tow to my mecanic so it turns out it was the starter and a relay that goes somewhere near the starter that was getting wet with oil the mecanic did not know about it until they call him from where he took the starter to be refurnish that he need it to check on that because it would give me the same problems again. So he did pay and extra $60.00 for relay and labor total cost $300.00 Thank god ! no more electrical problems or low batteries. Also it was said that the starter get easy broken if you carry too many keys in your key chain when turning on the ignition the heavy key chains well damage the starter. Hope this helps.
Did u ever solve ur problems. My 2006 hhr which I bought 3 months ago will not start and I have spent $1000 so far replacing parts and 3 different mechanics all agree it’s electrical and now I am so screwed and can’t afford another vehicle. Replaced sensors and the whole fuse/relay box and still no start. Starting to think maybe it’s a grounding issue. Could u let me know where the grounds are located. any help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks Josh
I have an 07 hhr I had the same problem with the keys it turned out to be a faulty neutral switch on the shifter, the whole shifter had to be replaced, a couple years later I got a recall notice on it and GM refunded my money. Currently I have no reverse due to getting stuck in a snow storm, but I guess at a 174,000 miles and only these two problems I can’t complain.
I also had the problem with my ignition not turning off. It was at the same time as the major recall for the ignition switch. They had my car for six months and they paid for a rental car for that entire time. The rental bill alone was about $3,000 (thanks Chevy!). In my opinion, these cars were made with the poorest parts that could be installed legally. My door latch also broke off in my hand (another problem I’ve been reading about). It’s also ridiculous that you need a mechanics degree to replace a headlight. Everything about these cars is poorly made.
I had that “jiggly” problem– after replacing the brakes, and it still did it, I bought new tires. Works fine now. No wobble.
My ac keeps dripping water onto my floor mat. Now my ac doesn’t work.
get up underneaath car and right beneath the center right behind engine is a small hose outlet, get you an air hose shoot a burst or air up thru the hose and there will unclog it will be some water run out and that should fix your problem.
This is the worst car I’ve ever purchased. Never again will I do .
I had an 06 hhr last december going to christmas smoke came in car up by windshield and dash my daughters and i jump out of the car within seconds car was completely in flames very horrifing i would never buy a chevy hhr or any piece of shit chevy at that thank God we survived.
I have a 2011 HHR bough it brand new with 11 miles on it. Before 20k miles I had a circuit short out and took it to the dealership for an under warranty repair. 25k I start having problems with the passenger side back window getting stuck in the halfway or fully down position and not closing. Took to dealership again who says I’m pressing the window button too much causing a temporary short. 41K miles and the passenger side window will not roll down from driver side controls. I get a check engine light that comes on out of the blue, take it to get a diagnostic, nothing wrong…now getting brake fluid/service traction message from dashboard.
I have a 2009 Chevy HHR. It has 108k on it. Can anyone tell me how to fix my ground problem?? I thought my problem was because I was in a rear end collision??? About a year after that, every time I touch my brakes, my back windshield wiper would turn on!! It was driving me crazy, so I took out that fuse under the hood. Then my rear hatch would not open, I ordered a new latch and put it on, it works now. I asked my brother about it so he looked at it. He took one ground wire off the back hatch towards the middle (by the way, I had already taken the plastic covering off the inside the back hatch, it’s still off!) When he took that ground wire off, the back windshield wiper wouldn’t work at all, neither would the back taillights. I would like a fix for my car. I have also been having to replace the Intake Camshaft Position timing, also it read the oil control circuit malfunction??? It this car going to catch on fire??? Actually, it probably needs too!!!!
Hi Armando
So how did u fix the ground cable?
I have a 2008 HHR. I love my car. The main issue I have is in the Winter time my gear shift is stuck. It takes about 20 to 30 minutes the actually move. I have to literally let my car sit for that long for it to thaw out. It’s bad because sometimes I’m going to work and forget that I had to sit for an 1/2 hour more. What can I do about that?
theres a plug with wiring peoblem. you can bpass it its a switch under the shifter button press.
Having the same problem. Went out this morning and my HHR wont let me out of park. Yes it’s 14 degrees out there but this should not be happening. Came back into the house and waiting for it to warm up….hopefully I’ll get to the store today. Can this be fixed?
I have been having this problem every since I had my car. Only in the Winter time though. It’s really annoying.
Cheryl I have had this problem since I bought it 6 years ago. Now I need a censor. I have had a lot done to this car. I didn’t realize it had been in a car accident until 2 years later. It was leaking antifreeze. I looked under the car and the paint was different colors.
Start HHR, let run 10 seconds. Depress brake, shifter releases.
When its cold out I have the same problem. Takes about 15 minutes and it might switch gears. It should not be doing that.
I have a 2008 hhr that I can not get unlocked. Why would anyone design a car with ony 1 key entry. There are 4 doors and back hatch. Key doesn’t work to unlock it.
My original keyfobs stopped unlocking my car forever ago, then I got a remote start put in and everything works fine now– i think the 1 lock on the outside is a safety feature– but I agree, there should be atleast 2!
2008 HHR. DRIVERS SIDE BACK WINDOW HAD TO REPLACE MOTOR RELAY AND SWITCH. THEN THE MAIN SWITCH UP FRONT
Was driving fine shut everything off went out next day the car will turn over but not start
I have an 07 hhr and the steering knuckle snapped, suspension on driver side twisted to hell and back. Car rolled 4 times… anyone else have suspension issues? Cause before 12/21/15 i had none to speak of. Never hit anything, no pot holes were in the road i was on. Suddenly car started jerking outta no where, ended with myself and my 4 year old flipping down the road into the side of a hill. Anyone have aome thoughts on this let me know.
I’m glad you guys are alright. I was having a steering problem, there was a loud click like it was going to snap or something. I went and got the steering column replaced last weekend. Now everytime I hit a bump it sounds weird. Back to the shop this weekend.
Recently got a HHR 08 because my subaru finally died. I hate this car…. Everytime it rains the drivers side floor gets wet ( cant find the leak) The driver side head light and tail light always turn on and off for no reason. Speakers are all crackle sounding. My steering wheel smells like gasoline. No clue why. And whenever I drive the front end makes some kinda “jingle noise” Like something is loose. Everywhere I have taken it mechanics say “thats an entire front end kinda thing” and wont touch it… also now its saying “service tire monitor” I was told that most of these problems are over $500 work. I cant stand this car, not to mention the terrible blind spots, no center console ( that little divet is not a center console) and the poor excuse for interior lighting. Whom ever came up with the design of this car should be forced to drive my car for a week. Worst part is I hardly drive it. I go home and to work. I dont go out and if I do I walk to any destination that I need. What a sad example of a car…
When it rains… the water is coming in from the faulty window seal. This happened with our 2006 HHR. In fact, it was so bad that it wound up shorting out the heater computer located underneath the passenger seat. Completely soaked floor board. This part was recalled and we took it into the dealer to get fixed. Problem is… it caused other damage and the dealer will not acknowledge that this was the cause… even though we found countles others that experience the same problem. Get that fixed! it will lead to much bigger problems… ( mold ) very frustrating… over all… I love the car… it is a good design… I am an artist-painter and it helps me haul my work around very easy — too bad Chevy can’t get their heads out of their butt over this one… 🙁
There is a drain in the wheel well that funnels water from windshield to the road. It fills up with leaves and causes the interior to flood. These cars are shit!
check the lower control arms. They have ball joint on one end but the mounts on the other end go bad. This happened to my 2011 hhr. I ordered aftermarket control arms and problem fixed. No more noise or vibration. Over time with them being bad it will destroy engine mounts and steering rack.
Hello all, Glad to see I’m not the only one with the sticking shifter issue. I noticed last winter that whenever I pressed the brake pedal while in park, I would hear a clicking noise in the shifter. Now, this winter the darn thing just wont come out of park at all. It takes me several tries and continually pressing the shifter button before it will go into reverse or drive…UGH!.
I realize many of these posts are very dated but this could possibly help. The folks complaining of sticking shifter in cold weather please consider..Ive found with many floor or console mounted shifters. Especially those with cup holders near by get dumped on repeatedly. Who’d thought that a few gallons of coffee and soda dumped into a complex mechanism over time can cause issues. When its cold out this stuff is like glue. If you are lazy. Spray it down with some diluted cleanser but I would suggest disassembly and light lube. Lets dont get into the Subaru’s with CD player right below your coffee cups. Thats a little tougher fix. Just consider when you hate all the problems your car has how many you could prevent.
I’ve had my HHR since January 2011(it’s a 2010) and so far– I’ve had the ignition cylinder fixed TWICE because the key was stuck and the car wouldn’t shut off, my windshield leaks, and my passenger side door jam leaks–every time it rains I get a puddle in the floor board, both rear window motors have gone bad, once I couldn’t get out of the car, and had to have a piece or the door latch fixed, and here recently the driver power seat doesn’t move. And have also had a handful of recalls to be repaired. I love my car, but dang!
I also forgot to add, a few months after I had purchased it– all of the gauges and the radio stopped working– I was driving down the road and the odometer said 0. I couldn’t get the radio to turn on, and the sounds such as seatbelt dinger, and turn signal clicks were off. I took a picture of it, and drove it to the dealership, where they obviously couldn’t duplicate the problem. But it’s never done that again!
And my check engine light has been on for 2 years saying its a “gas cap” issue…. Replaced gas cap, no fix. Check engine light still on.
Mine to and it won’t read under the steering wheel !!!!
The lock button finally stopped working a few months ago. It worked then I had to really push then it stopped working. I have a 2010 HHR. Back in 2012 I replaced the radio because the aux port was going bad. I finally broke down and but a replacement fob from the dealer after by some online and having a locksmith try to program them. The dealer couldn’t get their fob or the ones I bought online to program at all. After an hour and a half of trying they told me I would have to come back when a different tech was onsite who could diagnose the system further. Before running a full diagnostics on the system for $120. But the tech who looked at it and told me that said it might be due to the fact that I replaced the radio with a non factory one. I bought the radio from Crutchfield and got all the additional plugs they said I would need to make it work correctly with my car.
I bought my 2006 HHR car from a used dealership. At the time I thought it was a good idea, my babies father at the time was with me and we both agreed on it. Turns out my boyfriend wasn’t the only lemon, the battery ended up dying the next day in my jobs parking lot. I had to jump it so many times my dad let me have his jumper cables. Now the brake light and the right signal and head light is out. Not to mention the battery still dies after putting a new one in. I’m a single mom with a newborn and a dumb a$$ car. I don’t have money to throw into a car that has more issues than my ex!!!
I have a 2008 HHR, had the ignition recall done… Sometimes you get in it and it starts right up, then two weeks ago when were leaving a restraunt the crazy thing cranked and the starter hung up and would not stop. I had to click the remote to get it to shut down. It still not wanting to do anything at times, but then give another try and it cranks! Not a happy camper with this HHR!! Don’t know if I will ever buy another Chevy!
We bought a 2006 Chevy HHR brand new in December 2005. At 15k we had front brake pulsation. Fixed under warranty. They did a quick brake service only. At 25k same thing. And again GM did a quick brake service. Two more times this happened. And every time they did a quick brake service. I pushed to have the rotators and pads replaced but GM states they have to turn the rotors until they can’t anymore. After warranty ended the issue kept happening. We had another none GM garage replace everything. Lasted for about a year with no issues. Then it came back. So since then about 8-10 months I have to get the brakes replaced. This last time we had EVERYTHING replaced. Rotors pads calipers and front wheel bearings. Even new front struts. Not even 4 weeks later pulsing is back. They replaced the Rotors under warranty as they said they may have been bad. And a month later it’s back. Spoke to GM several times and every time they say the HHR doesn’t have a pulsing brake issue history. Ya right I just like wasting money for no reason. This is just one of my issues we’ve had with this car. The key switch issue if not turning off. Finally after 4 years of this GM came good and replaced the switch and wire harness. Also the headlights when changing from hi beam to low or back the lights go out for a split second. Just enough to freak the wife out. GM changed the headlight switch under warranty but only the switch. Problem still continues today. The other issue is that when the car is running and you tilt the steering wheel the engine shuts off. GM didn’t believe me so I left the car with them for the day and did it for them. They ended up replacing the entire ignition switch again but this time they also replaced the wire harness. That problem was finally solved. So besides the constant brake pulse, headlights cutting out and oh ya the dash lights flickering on he or own once in awhile the cars been ok.
Sorry for being long winded.
I was working at the time where I deliver express mail and the bosses car is a 2010 hhr that I was driving and has already had brake trouble in the past lights going on and off ,abs lites on and off causing pedal to studder real bad ( enough to make your foot push off pedal) brakes locking up when abs lit is off then when u push brake again lite comes back on causeing it to slide. This causes me to have a wreck! And I got hurt. I would never buy this car ever…and the rotors also have been replaced also but they say nothing is wrong with car? Yea right. It’s a very bad investment if u ask me. I’m just glad u all are not hurt by this car so far..aside from the loss of your well earned money that is ..gm should replace this car free of charge and the damages u have suffered from owning this bad of a car
I have a 08 hhr. Had ignition switch done owned the car 2 years now it doesnt want to drive. Reverse is fine d,i,l the car barely moves changes gear if going down hill otherwise the car isnt driveable. Just checked under the hood while car was on drive wheel isnt moving help me plz….
I bought my HHR in June of 2007,I’ve never had a car,this long,in all my life!I just went over 200,ooo Kilometers,& the only two repairs that i’ve had ,were,a front wheel bearing,& an inside door handle,which I had to change the whole door panel,which I purchased from a scrap yard ,for 100.00,& changed it myself!Literally ,the best car,that I ever owned!
Bob Presseau
Montreal Can
Mine has the engine light on won’t go off won’t read under steering wheel when I put gas in it won’t start
Help don’t kn what to do 192000 miles love the car but don’t know what to do
Well more problems with my 2008 HHR. Check engine light on and off. Radio speakers seem to be blowed when moist outside but when it’s 80 degree it works fine.can’t drive over 55 or car starts shaking. Got rotors, brakes, struts tie rods, radiator. Now their saying sway bar needs to be replaced. Praying that after this I get a couple more yrs out of it.
Just bought a 2006 HHR n same thing going on. Not to mention it wont shift into high gear. So I have to drive at 50 mph to keep the rpms below 3000. This sucks. My only hope is to sell it when I get the title and buy something else.
I have a 2009 HHR with 24K miles. The front door would not open from the inside, after reading I bought a new front door opener and started to install it. No instructions, but I was a mechanic for about 15 years. Got the door panel off – no problems. I had left the window down and I needed to up it up for more room. Now, none of my power windows work. Everything else works including other controls on the door. 30 amp fuse looks fine. I am so lost. Power, fuse and switch all good, but it does not work. As long as I do not mind the drivers window down, I can drive it.
Been having problem my 2006 HHR how to replace the gas pedal keeps coming up engine power loss then I get disabled engine and will not do anything crank over nothing getting really sick of it leaving me sick I may just go Volkswagen
I have 2008 hhr ss. 56000km air bag light on, lights flickering on dash and radio, windows blowing 30 amp fuse and gm could not fix it. told me I needed everything from front sensor to air bag control, maybe needed new bcm. they changed the front sensor but it did not help. they had vehicle for week and could not fix it. air bag light on , lights flickering, had a new key fob and key cut at this time but they could not get the fobs to work. they said the receiver had to be changed so receiver changed. the keys worked fine. 1000 bucks. took car to independent guy with laptop. he fixed air bag problem in an hour. 150 bucks front end had noise and the right link gone. struct leaking oil. changed both sides. take car back to gm complain that car was fixed by someone outside gm. we get into heated arguement when I pointed out that I had caught them lying to me more than once. He tells me the wiring harness needs to be changed out. they can fix the car but it will take time and money.
car not working now has new code crankshaft position sendor. I take the car to Canadian Tire ne. they change the fuse panel. windows work, but the rest of the problem still there. they say might need a bcm but not sure. it would be 600 to find out but no guarantee. charge me 1700. I have independent company check battery. Battery has bad cell so buy new battery. key fobs fail. I change the crank shaft sensor. go over wiring, ohm all wires to emc, gar starts and runs again now lights flickering. One of the key fobs stops working. I call gm. take car in. service manager stops work on car tells me to come back and get car. some one else worked on car and he will not work on it any more. I have to agree to pay for repairs to key fobs because their records of my bills only show install of receiver and not linking of fobs. I argue again how did they get fobs working in first place. Brutal argument. I must pay they say. I agree but say if it is not my fault then I dont pay. they dont agree. I call another gm dealer and ask how they would install receiver and make fobs work. they tell me process and state that once done they should remain synced. My wife pulls up bill and sure enough it says they had linked the fobs and receiver. I take the bill and go back. this time they are able to find the billing on their end. they want money I tell them no way. big argument. My wife gets call and they tell her no charge. I pick up they tell me not to come back. keep car in driveway because it shuts off while driving. ignition stays on and you have to turn it back to get it to stop. I disconnect battery. car starts but within minutes shuts down. try to start but it seems like it is out of timing. esc light on. I am at wits end. the dealer ship will not work on car. No one will touch the car. I dont know where to start now. I plan on calling GM headquarters..
2007 HHR: Front end out at under 30,000 miles.
Head blown at 32,000 (recall not advertised to public).
Vibrates enough to shake your teeth out.
BUT: 40MPG highway and 24 in city…
Were there any front end recalls in this HHR?
we have a 2006 HHR we use as service vehicle . The problems started with the radio close to 2 years ago (which has never worked since) then the key fobs would not unlock or lock the car.
next was it was dead battery about 50% of the time.
at time after you jumped started it and got it running, there was no power steering.
every time we take it in, it works just fine. until about two weeks ago
it finally died at the mechanics.
they tested the charging system and monitored the battery
the battery was only charging at 13 volts, and the charging would almost pulse.
the thought is now it is the body control module, which can only be installed by a GM dealership, as it needs to be flashed while in the car.
this vehicle is just not trustworthy , it will just die while being driven and with that O so wounderful relectric power steering, you now have something you can not even steer off the to the side of the road.
it would seem these cars are just poorly designed.
Have had a host of oil leak problems on my 2007 HHR chevy.They have fixed a few, but seemed baffled.I am going back in tomorrow,good thing I’m retired. I have spent over $1000 .
i have 2008, I have been locked out on occasion, I will invest in remote. This week though my warning lites are going crazy, (check engine, power stirring, tratcion, low fuel, gas gauge,temp gauge, trip miles, and yes the car does not always shut off when i turn off the car) 106,000 miles. any ideas ? thinking of disconnect battery and see if it re-sets
My 2006 Chevy HHR issues:.
*Turn Signal sticks-doesn’t cancel
*While the radio is OFF, it will start playing VERY LOUD when turning on turn signal, starting vehicle, locking doors, and you can’t turn it down. Must turn on the radio, of which you hear a LOUD POP (sounds like it will blow the speakers) and then you can turn it off again to get the radio to stop playing.
*Sideview mirrors control switch just fell off.
*Key FOB stopped working/controlling vehicle
I also have a 2006 HHR its does the same thing to my signal light its just sticks and my radio goes crazy a me too!
Radio is horrible. I’m not sure if some wires are getting wet or what, But when it’s really hot out that’s when my radio works.
Power locks locking and unlocking, power steering light coming on, speedometer not working, RPM running high, low power, engine sounds like car is in nutral when it is in drive. Only happens in hot weather. This time corrected itself after a couple of miles but last time I was far from home and had to drive all the way at under forty miles an hour. What could this be?
I have a red 2010 HHR that I bought brand new in August 2009. It has 53,000 miles on it. For no reason I have two 12 inch by 12 inch areas over the front windshield on both sides of the car. The clear coat is gone and now the red paint is fading badly. It has been garage kept up until the last 2 years. I moved to the beach 4 months ago. All of this was present prior to my move. I am worried that it will rust out. Is anyone else having this problem? What are you doing about it? I am genuinely concerned about this. This is definitely defective.
My whole hood is peeling. The only paint that’s left on it is the center of the hood. So imagine hoe bad it looks. It will eventually start to rust. It’s going to cost me $300.00 to paint.
HHR or better put gm are a sorry bunch of assholes for not backing these death traps
My 2010 HHR has frozen up on me without me doing anything. My brakes are not full power they squeak when applied. My steering is difficult when trying to un park. I cant believe how the gas dwindles down. My inside flooring panel comes apart and my door seems not to ever unlock. I have had this car only 8 or nine months and I am disgusted already. I know there is more to come. My wheels had a 800 dollar job done on them and it backfires what a looser.
I have had my 210 car for 8 or nine months. My wheels had 800.00 worth of work on them. It backfires, My check engine light is damaged need 2 additional cylinders, My steering is outrageous when trying to start or park. My brakes squeaks and are hard to pump. I thought I had a gas saver and I do not I regret I ever bought this car. My inside panels are not properly installed some are falling off.
I have a 2006 Chevy HHR we put a radiator in it now the car won’t start. Any ideas on how to fix it
I just got into car accident. TOTAL LOSS! Dry road and brakes locked up when trying to stop car slip into car in front of me. 2008 HHR 82,000 miles well maintained. Any HELP? Please.
I bought used 2006 HHR 2 months ago. It rain like a brand new car and road like a Cadillac. A week after buying Told needed crossbar and bearing $365 And alignment it’s never been the same. Taken it back 3 times Now needs bushing on side of new crossbar and telling $311 Cause other side needs a crossbar, bearing and new bushing? What The Hell? It steered drove perfect no whistltling or warp or noise before licensed mechanic touched it. A/C would freeze you out and now it doesn’t work. Brakes r grinding & grabing It had new brakes when purchased. Got gas yesterday today check gas cap light came on and now engine lights on. ALL THIS IN LESS THAN 2 months. It’s a 2006 with 89.700 miles. Heart broken not to mention pocket book. Any advice or suggestions? Plz anybody. Thx ☹️
After taking my hhr to coggin Chevy in Jacksonville fl to repair the transmission, my automatic door lock will not work!!!! The back doors won’t unlock at all!!!!! What other ridiculous problems will I incur with this piece of crap, er, heap of metal? And is the dealership liable? The doors and locks were working perfectly when I left it with them. Also, wondering what line of crap they might shoot me when I take it in to fix it, i.e., how are they going to try to place blame elsewhere?
I purchased a 2007 hhr in June 2016 off a used car lot. Ran well at first , 80,000 miles. Then my alternator decided to start acting up a few weeks later, the rotors are always warping, i can get the steering wheel not to shake when using my brakes unless at slow speeds. The dealer said i just needed a front end alignment. Which is crap and i knew it. BUT the real kicker is that yesterday while ibwas driving down the interstate at about 75mph , my sunroof just flew off of my car into traffic behind me. Upon further inspection i saw that the entire housing of the sunroof was completely rusted and brittle. Is this a normal occurance with the HHR?? Because someone could have died yesterday
We have a 2008 HHR that continually dings and then the service traction light comes on and the the engine light comes on. The car starts to shake violently and we shut off the air, put it in neutral and try to keep the engine running. We have spent over 1500.00 dollars trying to fix this issue. According to the posts on this site this is a real problem and GM needs to step up to the plate. Because of this issue we can not get any real value on a trade in as the car has 85,000 miles on it. In todays world it’s not bad.
It’s not just those cars I have a 2012 Chevy Malibu I bought from AutoNation so I wouldn’t have problems with an older car I drive a lot this how about Miles is beautiful they told me it was a great car for single woman that needs her car every day for her sons a trial in another town 30 miles away they overcharged me they tried to repo it and now I wish they would’ve because it died in the middle the road just everything dies they replaced it $3000 later that wasn’t covered by insurance it’s dying again the check engine light comes on and go off. I’m times it doesn’t start at all my bills have been over $6000 in the last month just on rental cars because the warranty doesn’t cover it the run the Vin number there’s no recalls on this car but it’s either the fuel pump or the connector box or code for this or code for that but said we can’t even fix it and it’s so frustrating I don’t have this kind of money I don’t have any money is all going to the car and they still owe $11,000 on it and I feel so unsafe in it because it dies completely in the middle the highway
My issue has been going on with the car since 100 miles. First off both sets of keypads stopped working in less than 6 months. (Not covered under warranty) So I haven’t had use of a keypad pretty much since the car was brand new. At 100 miles the lights on the dash flickered off and then back on. Just for a second… thought I blinked. The only telltale sign that you aren’t nuts when it happens is the passenger airbag resetting itself. This happened MANY times. Took it to the shop “cannot duplicate” “bring it back when it does it”. Yeah right. It happens unexpectedly and for a few seconds. I was also told to ‘video it’. So after being made to feel like I was nuts, they still didn’t address the issue. I have figured out that it seems to be a moisture issue. It happens most often in the morning or in the rain. Now of course it is getting worse. Today my little car with a lock lit up. I guess it’s something to do with the anti-theft device. However I haven’t had the little clicker thing to lock my car since the beginning of time. Same key, same car, nothing fixed or changed. I think the Chevy wiring in this car is just crappy. My airbag light keeps coming on to. The one that says it’s broken. However, it is intermittent. I think that is the sensor under the seat but just a guess. I haven’t had any real terrible issues with the car. it just has bad wiring, random clicking noises (and I mean random), and drives you crazy with unidentifiable issues) Of course Chevy’s answer wasn’t to help out their customers and fix the issues, they just quit making the car.
I have a 2006 Chevy HHR 2.4L LT an from the get go brand new it’s had a leak in the sun roof that Joe Lee Chevy here in Clinton arkansas jumped through hoops to come up with every reason it was my fault an not a defective sunroof. Next my shifter got stuck an wouldn’t let me key come out or my car shut all the way off, they blamed it on a spilled coke, an they had taken the shifting pin out so now you can move the shifter freely while in drive….. then they replaced my ignition which after they did that pulled out of the parking lot an my car started dying randomly….. took it back to Joe Lee Chevrolet an had the guys look at it an NOTHING…….. they claimed they couldn’t find nothing wrong with it. Finally it stopped doing that in its own which was strange… this car should of been replaced by the dealership if they were worth anything, it’s been a lemon from the start….
Any reports of hod releasing by it self. I was on interstate driving all of a sudden MY HOOD RELEASED WHILE DRIVING. CAME BACK ON MY WINDSHIELD & BUSTED WINDSHIELD?
car radio speakers sound like they’re blown but wait for a very long time, maybe a day or two, and they come back on.
Mine has been that way for years. When it’s really hot outside I might get it to play for a couple of hours, But I basically use my cell phone. Its really a shame that we can’t enjoy the .