2009 CHEVROLET HHR Complaints

I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE- 2009 CHEVROLET HHR AND I ATTEMPTED TO PARK IN AN AUTO DEALER PARKING LOT WHEN I WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF! I COULD NOT TURN THE KEY AND I COULD NOT GET THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION SWITCH SO THE VEHICLE JUST CONTINUED RUNNING. I DROVE HOME AND REMOVED THE MAIN FUSE WHICH RESULTED IN THE VEHICLE SHUTTING DOWN.I HAD TO HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A CHEVROLET DEALER WHERE THE SWITCH AND KEY WERE REPLACED AT AN EXPENSE OF ALMOST THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS. PRIOR TO THAT PROBLEM AND EVEN NOW SINCE THE REPAIRS WERE MADE I HAVE TO MANIPULATE THE KEY TO START THE VEHICLE. I CERTAINLY HOPE GM WILL HONOR THIS SITUATION AS I HAD PREVIOUS NIGHTMARISH EXPERIENCE WITH THEM WHEN I OWNED A 1999 MALIBU (REMEMBER THE DEXCOOL CRISIS) AND AFTER SPENDING A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY(OVER $2,000) IN ENGINE/INTAKE/WATER PUMP.THERMOSTAT REPAIRS THE CLASS ACTION RESULTED IN MY GETTING A CHECK FOR $21.00(THAT'S TWENTY ONE). IF THIS SITUATION IS RESOLVED I WOULD SIMPLY LOOK FORWARD TO BEING REIMBURSED FOR THE $291.00 I JUST SPENT AND HAVING THE IGNITION SYSTEM CHECKED THOROUGHLY FOR DEFECTS AND/OR POTENTIAL DANGER. IT IS SO SHAMEFUL THAT THESE AUTO MAKERS AND DEALERS ARE SO[XXX] DISHONEST. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TAKEN THE CAR TO DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES, FOR POWER STEERING FAILURE AS WELL AS THE CAR STALLING.. WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING THAT COULD BE DONE ABOUT THE CAR... WAS SIDE SWIPED ON ROAD ON 03/14/2014... CAR BARELY TAPPED US AND WE LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR DUE TO POWER STEERING ISSUE... RAN INTO THE GUARDRAIL.. CAR WAS TOTALED WHILE THE OTHER CAR (A 2005 TOYOTA PRIUS) DROVE HOME... DRIVER HAD HEAD INJURIES WHILE PASSENGER HAD CONTUSIONS TO HIS RIGHT HAND FROM AIRBAGS. THIS CAR IS A DEATH TRAP WAITING TO HAPPEN.. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS 2009 CHEVROLET HHR. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SPUTTER WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE OCCURRED CONTINUOUSLY OVER A TWO YEAR PERIOD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000.

WHILE DRIVING ALONG AND TRYING TO MERGE ONTO A PARKWAY ENTRANCE I HEARD A WARNING TONE AND MY DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER POWER STEERING. I THEN REALIZED I HAD NO POWER STEERING. FORTUNATELY FOR MYSELF IT WAS AS IF I WERE DRIVING A CAR WITH MANUAL STEERING & WAS NOT A REAL ISSUE FOR MYSELF. WHAT IF IT WERE A SMALL WOMEN WITH CHILDREN IN THE CAR. MAYBE SHE WOULD NOT HAVE THE STRENGTH OR REACTION TO A SITUATION LIKE THAT. THIS PROBLEM STARTED WITH THE CHEVY COBALT. THE HHR IS BUILT ON THE SAME PLATFORM. EARLIER MODELS OF THE COBALT WERE RECALLED BUT THE HHR WAS NOT!!! I WROTE TO YOU PEOPLE LAST YEAR ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THERE ARE PLENTY OF WEBSITES ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS GOOGLE CHEVROLET HHR POWER STEERING PROBLEMS. AS AN AUTOMOTIVE TECHNICIAN I REPLACED THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MYSELF. G.M. TOLD ME IT WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY.MY IGNITION TUMBLER ALSO LOCKED UP ON MY VEHICLE. FORTUNATELY IT WOULD NOT ALLOW ME TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF. I WAS ABLE TO SHUT DOWN THE VEHICLE AND HAD IT TOWED BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY COVERED THAT UNDER WARRANTY. I APPLAUD YOU FOR GOING AFTER THE IGNITION SWITCHES BUT THAT IS ONLY PART OF THE STORY. HOW ARE THEY ALLOWED TO PLAY WITH PEOPLES LIVES LETTING THEM DRIVE WITH DEFECTIVE POWER STEERING. THE ATTORNEY GENERAL NEEDS TO PURSUE THIS ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING IN A PARKING LOT I HEARD A DING, LOOKED DOWN AT THE DASH AND SAW THAT A POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT WAS ON. I TRIED PULLING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND NOTICED THAT I HAD NO POWER STEERING ASSIST AND HAD TO MUSCLE THE CAR OVER. I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE, RESTARTED IT AND EVERYTHING SEEMED OK. THIS ISSUE STARTED HAPPENING EVERY FEW DAYS AFTER THAT, SOMETIMES AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, HAD THIS BEEN A LESS STRONG PERSON LIKE MY WIFE OR AN ELDERLY PERSON SHE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD THE STRENGTH TO STEER THE CAR! AFTER DOING EXTENSIVE RESEARCH I WAS SHOCKED AT WHAT I FOUND. THE HHR IS BUILT ON A CHEVY COBALT CHASSIS, AND THE COBALT HAS A RECALL FOR THIS SAME EXACT ISSUE BUT CHEVY HAD NOT HAD A RECALL ON THE HHR, NOT IS THE US ANYWAY. CANADA HAS FORCED GM TO DO A RECALL ON THE HHR FOR THIS SAME EXACT ISSUE BUT TO DATE IT HAS NOT BEEN DONE IN THE US. THE DEFECTIVE STEERING MOTOR PART NUMBER RECALLED ON THE COBALT WAS THE SAME EXACT PART NUMBER AS THE HHR, SO WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED ON THE HHR? IF YOU'LL READ SOME OF THE HHR FORUMS YOU'LL LEARN THAT MINE WAS NOT AS ISOLATED OCCURRENCE, IT IS VERY COMMON AND SEEMS TO START HAPPENING WHEN THE CARS GET AROUND 50,000 MILES. HAD THIS HAPPENED TO AN ELDER PERSON AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS CHANCES ARE THEY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE, THIS DISABLES THE STEERING! I HAD THIS REPAIRED AT AN ASTRONOMICAL COST OF OVER $800. MY CAR WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY, BUT SURPRISE SURPRISE GM SAID THIS IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE CHASSIS WARRANTY? WHAT, THE STEERING IS NOT A COMPONENT OF THE CHASSIS? THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED, IM SURPRISED SOMEONE'S LIFE HAS NOT ALREADY BEEN LOST OVER THIS ISSUE. PLEASE FORCE GM TO RECALL THIS ISSUE AND REFUND ONES LIKE ME THAT HAVE HAD TO PAY OUT OF OUR POCKETS TO HAVE THIS REPAIRED. *TR

SERVICE AIRBAG LIGHTS KEEPS COMING ON. TOOK IT TO GET LOOKED AT TODAY. THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WAS BAD. IT IS GOING TO COST $1200 TO GET NEW AIRBAG INSTALLED. I DID SOME RESEARCH AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THE 09 HHR. IT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. CONTACTED CHEVY WITH NO RESPONSE. THE CAR WAS NEVER IN AN ACCIDENT OR EVEN BUMPED BY ANYTHING FOR A AIRBAG TO GO BAD. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET HHR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO THE REAR OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUFFERED INJURIES TO THE CHEST AND BOTH LEGS. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AT THE SCENE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 51,300. UPDATED 12/30/14*CN UPDATED 9/25/2015 *JS

HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OUT SUDDENLY WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. HAVE REPLACED THE HEADLIGHTS NUMEROUS TIMES! THIS COULD CAUSE A CRASH! SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVY HHR. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH THE TWO FRONT PASSENGER AND DRIVER SIDE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND CAUSED THE SEAT BELTS TO MALFUNCTION. THE FAILURE CAUSED THE CONTACT TO CRASH INTO A SNOW BANK; HOWEVER, THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED APPROXIMATELY FEBRAURY 19, 2014. . THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BY A TECHNICIAN FROM THE MANUFACTURER; HOWEVER, THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE ANY FAILURE IN THE COMPUTER. THE INSURANCE COMPANY STATED THAT WHEN THEY DIAGNOSED THE FAILURE THE COMPUTER INDICATED THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITHIN THE AIR BAGS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 59,000.

I HAVE NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE RELATIVE TO MY CAR AND FEEL THAT I SHOULD HAVE. WHAT OPTIONS DO I NOW HAVE ? *TR