Maybe Chevy HHR should stand for How ’bout Having a Recall
October 6th, 2010. By AbiK
These are the kind of things that piss me off. A fellow LAS staffer just happens to have a Chevy HHR. The HHR apparently stands for “Heritage High Roof”. At least that’s what Wikipedia says (you can tell I didn’t research that one too deeply). But I’m thinking HHR ought to stand for “HOW ’bout HAVING a RECALL?”.
Yes, a recall. For a design defect. For the ignition switch. It seems the HHR ignition switch has a tendency to get a bit, well, stuck. And that’s precisely what happened when my colleague drove into her driveway last Saturday evening. The key in her HHR got stuck. In the ignition. With the car running. Repeat: running.
Now, I’m sure many of us have experienced that damn-the-key’s-stuck thing—or the opposite, when you go to start the ignition and the key won’t turn at all. Usually a quick tug on the steering wheel will unlock the mechanism that allows your key to function properly. But what if that doesn’t work? And the car is running? Repeat: running.
What do you do? Aside, that is, from flashing back to Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty and realizing your car’s heading there—only it won’t be running on, running behind, or into the sun. It’ll be dead.
Here’s what our staffer did: She called AAA. Hell, she has a membership and they’re supposed to come help you out with a tow when you need one, right? That’s what I’d do. But here’s what happened—AAA said they couldn’t do anything about it. Next!
Call GM. Here’s what happened there—they didn’t want to diagnose the problem over the phone (what, was it wire-tapped? was a lawyer nearby?) Their advice? To “pull the fuel pump relay so the car turns off” and they’ll send a tow truck Monday morning. Ok, let’s just be whipping out that driver’s manual in the glove box to figure out what the heck the fuel pump relay looks like…
Here’s where this gets interesting. Tow guy comes on Monday. When he hears what the problem is, he says, “Oh, second one this weekend. There was a car in the storage yard they couldn’t turn off. They just towed it there, running, until it ran out of gas. It took over 24 hours.” Did you catch that one word? Running.
So they went on to the dealership. Our staffer tells the service guy there that she couldn’t turn the car off. He says, “Key is stuck in the ignition, right?” Bingo!
Our staffer’s starting to connect the dots and do that raise-an-eyebrow thing we all tend to do here at LAS. Comes with the territory. So she starts investigating the issue…goes to the GM site, the car recall sites, the Chevy HHR forum boards. No mention of any recall, but plenty of mentions of stuck keys in the ignition—from various years. She’s thinking, “what’s up with that?” (I’d be thinking WTF?)
Before I go further, the service manager at the dealership expounded on things. Seems that it’s a fairly common problem—not only with the HHR, but also with the Cobalt. The part in question was apparently redesigned due to a design defect, but there was never any recall. So if it happens to folks, they can get it fixed—if the car’s still under warranty, great, otherwise it may cost you about $350 (at least at our staffer’s dealership). Oh, the service manager mentioned that GM should’ve also said to disconnect the battery cables after pulling the fuel pump relay. Gee thanks.
So off I went to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)—the folks who do recalls and car defect investigations. I went there not to find out about the HHR—heck, we know there hasn’t been a recall on that—but to find out exactly what is necessary for a recall to happen? For starters (bad pun, I know), a “recall is necessary when…
- a motor vehicle or item of motor vehicle equipment (including tires) does not comply with a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.
- there is a safety-related defect in the vehicle or equipment.
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m thinking that a car whose engine I cannot control is perhaps a safety-related defect—? But I am willing to concede that if the car is in “P” for “Park” that maybe it cannot cause harm, unless I close the garage door and remain in the garage for the night…
Onward. Here’s the NHTSA list—not fully inclusive—of safety-related defects that may prompt a recall:
- Steering components that break suddenly causing partial or complete loss of vehicle control.
- Problems with fuel system components, particularly in their susceptibility to crash damage, that result in leakage of fuel and possibly cause vehicle fires.
- Accelerator controls that may break or stick.
- Wheels that crack or break, resulting in loss of vehicle control.
- Engine cooling fan blades that break unexpectedly causing injury to persons working on a vehicle.
- Windshield wiper assemblies that fail to operate properly.
- Seats and/or seat backs that fail unexpectedly during normal use.
- Critical vehicle components that break, fall apart, or separate from the vehicle, causing potential loss of vehicle control or injury to persons inside or outside the vehicle.
- Wiring system problems that result in a fire or loss of lighting.
- Car ramps or jacks that may collapse and cause injury to someone working on a vehicle.
- Air bags that deploy under conditions for which they are not intended to deploy.
- Child safety seats that contain defective safety belts, buckles, or components that create a risk of injury, not only in a vehicle crash but also in non-operational safety of a motor vehicle.
Ok, those all make sense, and in my mind the one about “critical vehicle components” kind of fits the bill—but regardless—doesn’t a car whose engine I cannot shut off seem like not a good thing? Particularly when a replacement part has already been manufactured to correct the known defect? Maybe a full-blown recall is not necessary, but wouldn’t a little postcard in the mail from GM/Chevy be nice? A little “come on down, have some coffee and watch that tv hoisted high in the corner while we fix that little ol’ ignition switch” notice?
But there is nothing. And instead, you’re left with a seemingly out-of-the-blue car problem and then left holding the bag when it comes time to pay for it.
Aside from complaining to GM, your other form of recourse is to report the problem to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Vehicle Safety Hotline, which is operated by the NHTSA. The number is 888-327-4236. Not enough recourse for my liking, but sometimes it’s the squeaky wheels or the grassroots efforts that get the attention…
Let us know if you’ve got a similar story—we’d love to hear about it, and we’re sure others would, too.
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We got the check for $225.00, Monday September 24th. Thank you for your support! Please tell everyone not to give up.
Good news Naomi! And thanks for letting us know–it's great to hear when perseverance pays off. Now for the rest of those Chevy HHR owners…
wondering if anyone has had problems with powersteering going out .Shut the car off and start it again and it works for awhile only to do it again Not knowing when or where it is going to happen.Safety concern WELL YEAH |||
Same problem w/ our 2010 HHR. Happens intermittently. Our Chevy dealer denies any knowledge of this as a problem and wants $140 per hour to "diagnose" the problem.
happened to me a couple month ago and a it turns out, the steering is electric and I found the fuse that was blown, replaced, and so far so good ! cost about $5
My wifes 2009 HHR just had the same problem… key stuck in the ignition in the on position. ok today is December 9th 2012 its sitting at the dealer right now waiting until tomorrow to be serviced since its sunday and im wondering if the recall is real or not for this particular problem ive read that there is one but no specific name or numbers given, anyway ima wait a couple of days and see if they tried to charge me or not
Happened to me just this morning….2010 Chevy HHR. Ignition switch would not turn off…and yes the car was running…couldnt get the key to turn, and motor wouldnt even grind when turning the key forward as to start it. First time happening for me. Fortunatel my neighbor was a mechanic (found out just in time) and he took the fuse under the hood out to stop the motor from running. 5am and having to wait until shop opens…he said it was the ignition switch as well. everything i have read definately calls for a RE-CALL.
Can some one tell me why we bailed GM out?
Hi Howard, Good question!–clearly not to make sure Chevy HHRs would shut off when you wanted 'em to!
I bought my hhr 2007 used. I have since heard the steering wheel squeaking, my front end making noises, the hard pieces on the back of the front seats have come off, the handle on the drives side door has broken off, the dial to move the windows is broke and like all of you the keys get stuck in the ignition. I have bought a piece of crap. There has to be something we can do to get these issues taken care of. It's not normal wear and tear. I am a single lady and I can't afford these repairs. on my salary. I am ready to push forward with all the links below and possible attorney.
Just took my HHR into the shop becasue the check engine light came on and the computer said "traction engaged, slowed engine, check engine…" with 5 other comments shooting across the tiny screen and my car slowed to 20MPH. Was told 15 issues with the car for 23,000 miles prior to the check engine going on because as we alll know…check engine lights never fail to come on…they fixed 4 of the issues at a cost of $1,100. and was told the other problems may have been malfunctions because of the other issues…What? Malfunctiosn? But I might expect to see the other issues soon…Already did the "can't shut off my engine thing". I have yet to see the door handle issue…really…just over 60,000 miles…may be time to get a new car…I've had my car since 2009, drove it off the lot with the 19 miles I put on it…I fee like I definately shouldn't be having costly issues like these.
It's not really a recall, but there is an extended warrantee for ignitions on HHRs from 2007-9, I think, up to 120,000 miles. It's Bulletin #12089A… call your local dealer and see if your model, by VIN#, is covered.
I have a 2011 HHR that only had 6,054 miles on it when I bought it ,although I have also already had the wheel "stick" when I go to start it sometimes, but after a shake on the wheel it will then let me turn the key on and start the car. It hasn't failed to turn off as of yet and no broken door handles, but I have only owned it little over a year. My issue with it just has happened in the last few months and had to be taken to the dealer last week when it just got much worse. I had taken it in for front end alignment and rotation back in September 2012 because I have only owned it since February and didn't know when it was done last so figured it was time before winter. It started riding bumpier so took it back and the dealer "tweaked it" but it still wasn't right..they wouldn't do anything else to it since they said it was corrected. Then in December noticed it would jerk to the left sometimes this got worse so I took it to have it looked at the first part of March.. turns out I had a bad lower ball joint on the left front in a car that has only 11,230 miles on it now. Other mechanic and dealer both thought this was unsual for a vehicle like mine with low miles. The dealer replaced it under warranty, but it still is very bumpy and rough so I took it back…they say they can't find anything else wrong and that I shouldn't expect a Cadillac ride in an HHR and there was nothing else they could do, which throughly ticked me off. Mind you this was the service manager at dealership who said this so I am taking it somewhere else Monday. Anybody else had ball joints go bad in a newer vehicle?
My Daughter owns an 2009 HHR, her power steering just goes out, she is a mother of a 3 year old. I worry about their safety. She is in nursing school and drives a good distance everyday for school. I see how this could cause her to have an accident. I worry everyday that she has to drive her car. I pray for anyone that has to deal with this mother if anything happens to my daugher or grandson due to this issue!!
I have had the ignition switch stick while running. This week the power steering went out while I was driving down the road. My hhr is only a 2010 and I've had major issues with it. I wish I had bought another Ford.
I HATE THIS CAR WHEN I TURN MY IGNITION SOMETIMES IT JUST KEEPS STARTING AND STARTING AND……STARTING FUNNY HUH ALSO MY KEY FOB WONT WORK EVERYTIME IT RAINS MY PASSENGER SUDE FLOOR BOARD FLOODS ALSO WHEN I RUN THE AIR OMG I COULD GO ON AND ON BUT I THINK THAT THIS TELLS IT ALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Upset that I just bought my HHR 2008 and the first weekend trip all the fan blades broke off and was stranded with my children!!!!!! This is crazy!!! Problem after problem with this car!!!! Ugh!!!
i have a 2011 HHR and my fan blade broke for no reason – no accidents or anything. At the shop tonight – waiting to see how much this is going to cost me!
HHRs. Yeah. The other thing is the door locks that break so you can't open the door from the inside or the outside. We're not talking about a door handle breaking, which is another thing that has apparently been going around, but the actual look mechanism. Right now, ours (2006 model) is in the shop where a couple of pretty good mechanics are trying to figure out how to even just get the door open without cutting through something so they can take the thing apart and fix it. Somehow, this strikes me as not particularly good engineering.
I had the same issue with my car. I went to take my kids to the bus stop and I couldnt open the door with my key. So my boys had to walk to the bus stop at 5:30 am in 40 degree weather and my daughter and her 4week old daughter had to stand in the cold and wait for her bus. I ended up call a lock smith and paying $55 to get into my car when I had the keys in my hand.
This is complete bullshit! I have the same issue everyone else is having. My Damn ca r wouldn't turn off. You could take the key out, but its still running. I searched here, and did what y'all did, I pulled out the fuse fr the fuel and disconnected the battery.
I tried calling Chevrolet about it, tried chatting with them online, they keep hanging up or disconnecting. They can't even say they know about the problem and their not doing anything about it. They just rudely hang up. This is ridiculous, I'm furious about this. I'm gonna bring it in tomorrow to service at the local Chevy dealership, hopefully they could shed some light on this situation.
Just had the "stuck in the on position" happen to me tonight…. wonder how much it will cost to fix…. 2009 chevy hhr…. so not happy…
I have a 2007 HHR and the key getting stuck in driving me crazy! I found the button in the steering column that releases the key, but I still feel like Chevrolet should recall this flaw! What if you get stuck at a gas station and the car can't be turned off?! Anyway, I contacted the NHTSA and they tried to put me off. I mentioned how this problem would be dangerous at a gas station and they finally said I could make a complaint! I really feel like they didn't want to do their job. After being on hold FOREVER, I finally got an ODI (office defect investigation) confirmation number. Let all complain and maybe they'll fix it! The squeaky wheel get they oil! 🙂
I have a 2009 H HR that has a problem with the power steering. The power steering goes out on it when driving.I took it into the dealer, they said it would be $1600 to fix it.I have a extended warranty on this vehicle,so I think that this problem should be covered by the warranty that states power steering,and pump are covered.Well this car has a power-steering moter not a pump so the warranty is really no good other than the $1500 that the finance manager pocketed @ the time of the sale.I really enjoy driving my H HR but after reading about all of these issues that it has I think that GM should start taking care of these problems, which to me are safety- Lemon Law issues that have not yet been addressed with this vehicle. I plan on contacting another GM garage to see how they will handle the problem,which to me is mechanical failure,when you are diagnosed with a problem but the power-steering still works intermittently I would think that it might be a electrical ,lead,ECM type problem.Please GM get your shit together on this,and yes don't just stop making the H HR like you did after 2011 get your people to figure out these problems so we can go back to being satisfied customers with a great product that I enjoy driving. I hope to get some replies from someone so I don't get more pissed-off!
I have a 2006 HHR with 276,617 miles. Have had the key problem for years. Found that with engine running move the shifter into gear and then firmly put it back in park. Usually takes a few attempts before it shuts off normall and key comes out. Been a great car for me. Only have replaced tires twice, front wheel bearings twice, front struts once, breaks once. But last night I had to be towed home because the timing chain went out and that sucks but not bad for the miles.
I have a 2010 Chevy HHR and apparently an electrical issue. It started with my inside lights on my dashboard randomly blinking. Then one headlamp went out, the next day after replacing the headlamp, my inside middle dome light went out. Today my window would not roll back up. This is all within 3 weeks span. Gotta be an electrical issue, right? What is my next step? No recall?
i have a 2010 hhr and am having the worst day i can think of…first my key is stuck and the car will not turn off,,,hmmm…that is not good,well it gets better…as i am sitting in the car with aaa they told me to try to unhook the battery so i went to open the door and poof…the handle broke,now what do i do…i am about to park the car on my dealers lot and tell them fix it or keep it.i have a extended warranty but was told the door handle is not covered under the warranty…now i have to wonder if i take the door panel off will that void my warranty…these cars are pretty much a defective piece of crap that nobody wants to place a safety recall on until something bad happens…
We have a 2010 HHR LT. Last night we came home from Church, pulled into the drive way and tried to turn off the car. The key would not budge. We ended up disconnecting the battery because it was late at night and didn't want to spend the night in it. Looking on line to see if there was a recall but ended up on this site. I did call DOT and put in a complaint. Whether it will do any good or not will remain to be seen. By the time they do recall it none of us will have the car anyway.
My 2008 HHR my car shut off but when I went to start the car the key would not turn over at all it's locked can anyone help me
My key gets stuck in the ignition,it leaks on the passengers side,door latch on drivers side does not work and power steering goes off intermittenly.
Just bought my used 2008 HHR LS. Drove the car 30 miles and got a warning message "Acceleration Reduced" then "Engine Disabled". Had to be towed off highway for repair. Got car back two hours later. Drove car 25 miles and got warning light "Engine Power Reduced" then "Engine Disabled". First Chevy I have ever purchased. HELP !!!
When the key sticks in the ignition either stopped or started, turn the wheel clockwise then counterclockwise and should unstick.
Three years ago almost to the date, I bought a 2010. No major problems at all, Just in the shop for the same LITTLE things over and over and over, Again. Like, wouldn't shift. 3 time in the shop and fixed. Passenger window keeps coming of track. (seems like you hit a bump and it goes off track) Well its suppose to go in the shop Monday, Dec. 2nd. Last night I turned the car off took my key out and my door wouldn't open. My grandson got out opened my door and that was it. This morning at 4:30, I went to my car, my remote would not work. I used the key and got in. Turned the switch and NOTHING….. NOW I can't get the key out of the ignition. Nothing I tried works. Just tried the above. Turned the wheel clockwise then counterclockwise. Nothing. There is no power what so ever. The other problem is that the battery is in the back of the car. Nothing unlocks. Can't even unlock either doors or the trunk. Dealership doesn't open till Monday….
Does any one know If Chev or GM even read these blogs to follow up on any of your complaints?
Rosie
I have a 2007 HHR. they ignition cylinder is hard to turn. when you turn the key is only goes back to the auxillary position. then you have to push the button under the steering column to release the key. the key will come out of the iginiton when it is in any position. off, aux. and even running. the shifter will move if the car is turned off. I cannot believe there is not a recall on all HHR's for simular problems.
I have a 2006 HHR and guess what!!! The key gets stuck when the steering wheel locks I can't start my car. When I shut the car off can't get the key out AAANNND The gear shift moves when the car is on and off Oh and my blinker won't shut off automatically. I also replaced both front door handles… they broke within a 2 week span. Thank goodness for the plunger, at least.
I have a 2007 HHR that nearly killed me. There was a crack in the flex pipe axhaust system from just normal wear. (faulty part if you ask me) and I took it in and was quoted $1500.00 to fix it. I am a single mother and couldnt afford the fix at the time. I just delt with the noise. After some time I started noticing that I got very dizzy easy (getting up from laying down I would run into walls), I was tired all the time, my vision started getting blurry, and started getting seizures. I didnt know what was happening to me so I started researching and realized I might have carbon monoxide poisoning. I went in for blood work and it was confirmed that it is exactly what I had. My levels were so high that my doctor said to stay out of my car or I can very well not wake up. I am still feeling horrible as it will take time to get back in good health since the car was slowly killing me. I have noticed that the exhaust has been a problem for a lot of people owning this vehicle. Please be careful if you every notice a noise from any area dont drive your car!!
I have a 2011 Chevy HHR. Three times I have had the same malfunction. When I am driving at about 20 mph The entire vehicle starts shaking and there is a loud pounding noise under the car. When this happens It is as if the vehicle goes into neutral except for the fact that I have no breaks and the accelerator doesn't work. I have to coast to the side of the road. The car continues to idle and the pounding noise stops. The dash lights all light up and it reads service ECS or something like that. Once the car comes to a stop, I can step on the gas and it moves forward just fine until I hit about 15 to 20 mph and it starts in all over again. This has happened to me three times. Once about four months ago, about one month ago abd last week. The first time since it started back up and I after the third try. I didn't take it in because it started back up. The second time it started back up after about five tries and I took it in to the dealers. They could not find the problem so they sent it home with me with an attachment that is supposed to take a picture of something if it should happen again. Well, it happened again, I pushed the button like I was supposed to. I had to have the vehicle towed to the dealer where they read the information that the photo showed and they told me that it is indicating a problem but they cannot find it. I am in a rental car and I cannot afford to keep paying for a rental while my car is supposedly being repaired. I am afraid to drive it and just wait for the same thing to happen again. I am afraid that if they tell me they cannot find the problem and send it home with me again just waiting for the same thing to happen again so that I can take another picture, someone might get hurt since I have no breaks when it happens. When it happens it sounds like someone is using a sledge hammer on the bottom of my car and feels like the bottom of my car will fall onto the ground.. My vehicle is still under warranty. What should I do??
HHR 2009… Car won't shut off… Key came out of ignition. Geez.
I have a 2011 HHR. I recently had an incident where the key was stuck in the ignition of the car as I was on my way to work and the car wouldn't start. I remotely started it twice, opened and shut the doors wiggled the gear shifter, and such in order to try and somehow disengage the stuck ignition. Finally, after about 45 minutes of playing with it, it let loose and I was able to turn the ignition switch and start the car. I wonder if the 2010s or 2011s will be included in the most recent recalls for the defective ignition switch?
Please see my Facebook page GM Recall Survivors
My 2007 HHR has had its share of parts which were defective and after being replaced with genuine GM parts, they only failed again because they were made defective in the first place. GM mechanics and service managers know very well which cars are having the same problems again and again .but recalls cost GM money, i guess it takes enough,Lawsuits ,needless deaths and 7 years tor this data to finally warrant a recall for a simple improved switch ,which as of today they don''t have yet. .So drive your car with great care and your own risk until these concerned folks at GM FIGURE OUT HOW THE HELL TO MAKE A SWITCH Maybe AMERICAN MADE PARTS could solve the problem?.. Ralph Nader exposed the dangers of tthe Corvair many years ago, GM is still the same company, nothin changes, not that the other AUTO COMPANIES have not pulled similar crap over the years. Maybe if the lawyers hit them HARD several times they will learn to pay attention, i doubt it. GM PLEASE learn to behave and take care of customer problems the way you should. FOR SALE my. 2007 hhr wanna buy it? great resale value but I will take a lot less.
I was wonder if anyone has had problem with the camshaft señor on their HHR . I has a 2010 HHR and had some many issue with it. My problem is the camshaft señor.
hey, My mother has a 2006 HHR and we’re just finding out about the ignition switch recall.
1. The switch prevented her from putting the car in park,
2. Prevented her from being able to remove the key and fully shut the car’s electrical system off,
3. Drained her battery because she couldn’t shut it off and ruined her battery,
NOW the dealer wants to charge her for a new battery!
She has had a wreck in the car before repaired by dealer and the airbags NEVER WENT OFF!!!
I would like her to get a new car paid for by Chevy, a new battery, and some money for the time they have robbed her of.
How do we sue Chevy for this?
Well I didn't have a problem with it not shutting off . It shut off on a two lane hi way in the dark. I had no power steering and ended up in a ditch now I have damage to my passenger side back door. My friend came to tow me and the car it started and ran just great. Now he think sim crazy. I don't want to drive it again. Scarred the crap outta me.
Had same problems with my 2008 HHr. Key getting stuck. Key Fob not working-same deal with the dealers-no help. When on line bought new key fob case for $5 swap the insides works better than new .Same with the rotors 21,000 and 39,000. Stop going to the dealers. Had quality rotors installed. now have 77,500 miles with no brake problems. NOW THE ELECTRIC POWER STREEING HAS STOPPED TWICE FOR NO REASON ! Luckly I was driving and not my wife. Will let her drive this car until it is repaired. Stopped and checked fuse- ok. I"ve had this car since Dec. 2008. Getting rid of this car asap. WHERE IS THE RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM. Guess some has to die first !
2007 hhr. Had the recall done. Less then a week later, my gears are out of wack causing my gear to get stuck in park. My locks were unlocking and locking by themselves. GM dealership said it has nothing to do with the recall and brushed my off on the phone and when I went up there. All the mechanics I took my car to said it was on the dealership and to take it back to them. Also, my auto lock pattern was changed and I ask them to return it back. He told me it's in the manual. I didn't change it so why should I have to change it back? I'm taking my car to the dealership in the morning to see what happens.
I have a 2011 HHR. So far, I have had no problem with the car not turning off, but I have had the leakage – water in the front drivers side floor when it rains hard. Now, one of my fan blades just broke off! I see others have had these problems also.
Pop the hood and unscrew the battery. Or pull the relay to the fuel pump. Or any other required system. The car will turn off… then remove cables to battery. Why is this a question?
Fuel pump relay is on the fuse and relay map on the lid of the fuse box. It’s simple reading. Car owners should know this.
I have a 2006 HHR and yesterday went to start my car and the key got stuck in the ignition. The car has no power at ALL and I had to watch a YouTube video to figure out how to remove the key. Furthermore the drivers side door handle broke off several months ago and I constantly have to replace headlights. And there’s even more…. Traction light comes on every now and then as well as the check engine light. It’s just a matter of replacing a fuse for them to turn off but there has to be more if I constantly have to replace fuses. Oh yes and I’ve also had a soaked passenger side floor after a heavy rain. As much as I don’t won’t a car payment, I think its about time to get out of this lemon for safety reasons.
However until then, does anyone have a solution as to how I can get power back to the car?
Did you ever find out how to fix it???!
My headlights went out constantly too which apparently no one knows how to fix except my stepfather who is a mechanic. Traction light came in as well…. And anytime it was under 40 degrees my service airbag light would come on.
i have a 2006 hhr with 221800 miles just had ignition switch changed out from recall. i have opposite of key not being able to be removed my car keeps running after the ignition key is removed. some times i have to lock my car and hope it shuts off before it runs out of gas.
This too happened to me in my 2010 HHR with the key getting stuck in the ignition with the car running-went straight to the dealer and they said it was a recall issue and costed no money…luckily i made it home to find out and drove there just in time before they closed…ALSO recently my drivers side door handle snapped off which is apparently a common problem in the HHR as well…so dangerous!! Unfortunately sounds like we have to drill a hole in the plastic to fix it..i dunno sounds complicated..i really like this car besides all these small issues…are all cars like this nowdays?? Gah anyway..best of luck everyone
In the state of California — and in other jurisdictions — the person who
does the repairs can turn in the salvage title for one that reads “revived salvage. As far as disposing these junk or buying that car, the companies even charge for towing it away from their place. Vehicle once declared salvage can be repaired and used if vital parts of the vehicle have not been damaged by the accident.
I had nothing but problems with my HHR as well. The sun roof net pieces cracked after about one year so I was never able to open it because if you did the whole piece would fling over and you couldn’t shut it, ignition got stuck PLENY of times where my car was left running, oh but then when the battery dies if you jump the car it fries the computer and bam no powers steering…. But that’s IF you can get to te battery because it is in the back of the friggin car WHICH YOU NEED POWER TO GET TO!!!! My raidior cracked from a rock slipping in from under my car which for some reason had absolutely nothing protecting it from this happening, which also broke my thermostat, seat belts were difficult to get off sometimes because they would get stuck, BOTH of my front door handles snapped off!!! Luckily I don’t have to worry about this crap anymore because I totaled my 2006 hhr last Friday, but the best of of all of it is that where my child’s car seat was the latch broke on impact and the whole seat ended up smashing into my front passenger seats back!!! If my boy was in the car there is no doubt in my mind that his face would be completely crushed by the hard plastic back of that seat! Please beware!!!
I am looking for any current or previous owners of hhr’s with intermittent problems for the following, power steering, no power when accelerating, gear slipping, hard gear shifting, all at high or low speeds . I am going into litagation for an accident i could not avoid because of one or more of these issues. If you have experienced any of these problems with your hhr can you please leave details. I intend to take this all the way, to protect hhr owners and recoup any losses for us. the Comments made on this site scare the hell out of me. Blame all of this on lobbyists for the big three and insurance companies. They own us! It’s all about $$$$$ coming and going. If you or someone you know has had an accident because of one or more of these issues and was able to prove it, i would love to hear about it. Thanks everyone, good luck and be careful.