763 of the
4,753 complaints filed about the Chevrolet HHR
are about the electrical system —
16% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2006.
Remedy for campaign 14V047000 was executed defectively, creating an unsafe mechanical failure that destroyed the powertrain. Failure occurred while or shortly before vehicle stalled in heavy traffic. Vehicle would not restart, but ignition switch stuck in start position while attempting restart, causing starter motor to crank continuously until the switch was turned to the off position. It is believed that starter motor was running while engine was running since last successful start about 3 minutes prior to stall, interfering with normal operation of the engine and eventually causing engine to jump timing and sustain catastrophic internal damage. Subsequent GM dealer service visit found that a burr on the new key provided with campaign 14V047000 repair caused ignition switch to bind in start position. Service staff buffed out burr on key which resolved switch binding, but vehicle refused to start. Borehole inspection of engine found damaged valves and pistons, leading to diagnosis of jumped timing. No other work other that diagnosis has been attempted at this point. Estimate to replace engine is $8600
NHTSA complaint #11757032 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the key was stuck in the ignition switch and failed to release. Additionally, the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who confirmed that the key was stuck and needed to be broken, and any damages would be at the owner's expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V171000 (Air Bags, Electrical System). The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
NHTSA complaint #11720216 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V047000 (Air Bags, Electrical System); but the vehicle experienced a failure. The contact stated that the key could not be removed from the ignition switch while the key was in the "OFF" position. In addition, the battery was being drained. The contact stated that the battery was previously replaced several months ago. The contact stated that the key was stuck in the ignition switch. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
NHTSA complaint #11706785 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal clicking sound coming from the vehicle. In addition, the contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag warning light illuminated and occasionally flashed on and off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired due to the cost. The contact had previously received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V047000 (AIR BAGS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM) and the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 199,000.
NHTSA complaint #11673723 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
There is a serious electrical glitch that's in the computer, that causes the car to perform poorly at a slow speed, which cases the steering to become very hard to turn, and maintain lanes while driving. All lights, warnings, and gauges fluctuate back and forth, while the bell inide the car when stared keeps chiming.
NHTSA complaint #11564742 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
while driving the car after a few miles, the door locks start going up and down, the power steering light comes on and is hard to steer, the check engine light comes on, the speedometer stops working and the tach malfunctions. the car surges while moving foward. if you shut the car off it will reset itself. once you start the car again it starts to malfunction again. one gararge owner did some tests but didn't fix the problem
NHTSA complaint #11562300 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and would not properly accelerate. Additionally, the front passenger’s side door would not open while using the interior door latch. The contact stated while using the cigarette lighter, the vehicle shut off, and smoke filled the cabin of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 92,000.
NHTSA complaint #11534867 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Noticed that the cruise control would disengage randomly when activated. I checked the function of the brake lights at night and found that the brake lights would turn themselves on randomly with zero brake input, disengaging the cruise control. In this state, depressing the brake pedal more than around 30-40% would turn the brake lights off, even with the brake pedal fully pressed. Furthermore, with the brake pedal pressed to a moderate level, the cruise control is able to be engaged, even with obvious brake pressure being applied. This defeats the cruise control disengagement feature and the cruise control system will fight against the braking system to maintain speed instead of turning itself off as it seems to rely solely on the brake lights for the automatic disengagement. This issue is quite dangerous as this seems to happen quite often with the brake lights, but I cannot find any sort of consistent scenario that causes these issues to occur.
NHTSA complaint #11530229 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated while exiting the driveway of a restaurant, the steering wheel failed to respond as needed. The contact turned off the vehicle. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to restart. There were unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the alternator and battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to a second independent mechanic who informed the contact that the key was stuck in the ignition switch and the electrical system was burned. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.
NHTSA complaint #11496417 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated while driving at various speeds between 30-65 MPH, the steering wheel became extremely difficult to steer and the vehicle lost electrical power. The contact stated that she would veer to the side of the road or park the vehicle whenever the failure occurred. There was no warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that upon attempting to restart the vehicle and inserting the key in the ignition switch, the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that she continually turned the key in the ignition switch until the vehicle restarted. The contact stated that the failure had been reoccurring increasingly and the vehicle failed to restart after several attempts. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under an NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V171000 (Electrical System) however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.
NHTSA complaint #11494735 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Needless to say, General Motors has dealt with their share of recalls lately and while much of the GM recall news has been devoted to the ignition failures which have forced new CEO Mary Barra to stand before the US Government, this new recall has nothing to do with the ignition cylinder failures. Although the ignition problems can cause a steering issue and some of the vehicles included in the ignition recall are also included in this new recall, this recall pertains specifically to the power steering system. It seems that in the 1.3 million affected vehicles, one or more components of the electric power steering assist system could fail and when that happens, the car will not have the same level of power assist. The General Motors statement announcing this recall is a bit on the vague side in terms of explaining exactly what is causing this loss of power assist, but the automaker has explained that it could be due to a problem with the power steering motor, the steering column assembly, the power steering control unit or a combination of the power steering column and the power steering control unit. Regardless of which of those components fail, it will become much more difficult to steer the car at low speeds, although when driving at higher speeds it may almost be unnoticeable. However, with the increased possibility of accidents, GM isn’t taking any chances so they have made the decision to add these 1.3 million cars to their already lengthy list of recalled models. My 2008 HHR is not listed in any recalls by it's VIN
NHTSA complaint #11474408 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When driving my 2009 HHR the steering wheel shakes & vibrate at different intervals. Usually while slowing down to a stop & sometimes after during high speeds. Recently the noise it made was frightening. I had to use my emergency flashers & drive 50 mi per hr. on the freeway to arrive home safely. I took my car to Mark Chevrolet & reported it on 08/02/2021. The car's mileage was 133344. The car is not an everyday vehicle that is driven often. I received the car on 08/17/2021 after the steering column & shaft were replaced along with resurfacing front brake rotors & rear brake job. On August 18, 2021 while driving on the freeway I went to blow my horn at a hazardous situation & discovered none of the steering wheels controls were working, horn & etc. I immediately returned my car to Mark Chevrolet & reported their negligence & how they had risk my life to release the car without these functions working. They supposedly corrected the problem. On 07/05/2022 I had to return my car to Mark Chevrolet because I was experiencing the identical problem with my steering wheel vibrating & make noise. My cars mileage was only 137641 less than a year later with just 4,297 miles driven. They claimed to have tightened something up in the column & returned my car on 07/12/2022. As I was driving on 07/16/2022 again the steering wheel started vibrating & making strange loud noises. I felt so unsafe & tried to make it home safely driving at a reduced speed. I plan to return the car this week back to Mark Chevrolet and am asking for support to rectify this situation. I understand there was a recall on Chevrolet HHR 2009 Steering Electric Power Assist System. I don't know if this issue is related to that. I never received communication from General Motors stating that my vehicle was affected but apparently there is a problem. Please Help!
NHTSA complaint #11474383 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving the vehicle approximately 45mph, the power steering light came on the dash. While driving straight was not an issue, attempting to pull off the road was difficult. I checked owners manual which told me to take it to a dealer. This in itself was bothersome. I opened the hood and called my mechanic, who told me to check fuses. I replaced the fuse and the vehicle was fine for about 4 weeks, but once again driving 30-35 mph, the light came on the dashboard. I have saved both replaced fuses, I’m wondering after reading other reports whether the fuses are even blown? Either way, this is not a safe situation to be driving any speed without power steering. Mine is a 2007 Chevrolet HHR with approximately 163 k miles
NHTSA complaint #11443504 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that after parking, a popping noise was present coming from inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact discovered flames coming from the interior roof dome lights. The contact used water to extinguish the flames. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 145,853.
NHTSA complaint #11429903 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owned a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that a loud popping sound was heard after exiting the vehicle. The contact turned around and saw fire coming from inside the roof of the vehicle. The fire was coming from the rear interior roof light. The contact was able to put out the fire with water. No police report was filed. There was no injury sustained. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 145,385. The VIN was unavailable.
NHTSA complaint #11426855 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.