2008 CHEVROLET HHR Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET HHR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 5 MPH, THE POWER STEERING ASSIST SUDDENLY MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE STEERING WHEEL TO BECOME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED DURING THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 31,000.

WHILE DRIVING, MULTIPLE TIMES, I WOULD HEAR A CHIME, THE POWER STEERING LIGHTS UP ON DASH, THEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING WOULD RESULT. THIS PROBLEM STARTED HAPPENING APPROXIMATELY 1 1/2 YEARS AGO. THIS PROBLEM IS GETTING MORE FREQUENT AND IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. I TOOK THE CAR TO PINE BELT APPROXIMATELY 1 1/2 WEEKS AGO AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED A POWER STEERING PUMP. I WAS TOLD IF THAT DID NOT WORK THAT I WOULD NEED A COLUMN REPLACEMENT. THIS IS A $1400 REPAIR THAT I CANNOT AFFORD. THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE & I USE IT FOR BOTH BUSINESS AND PERSONAL USES. AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW DANGEROUS THIS SITUATION IS, I WENT ON AN HOUR & A HALF DRIVE YESTERDAY (4/22/14) AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT 18 TIMES. AT ONE POINT, I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR WHILE TRYING TO MAKE A TURN AND ALMOST RAN INTO A CURB. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR BOTH MYSELF & TO OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, MULTIPLE TIMES, I WOULD HEAR A CHIME, THE POWER STEERING LIGHTS UP ON DASH, THEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING WOULD RESULT. THIS PROBLEM STARTED HAPPENING APPROXIMATELY 1 1/2 YEARS AGO. THIS PROBLEM IS GETTING MORE FREQUENT AND IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. I TOOK THE CAR TO PINE BELT APPROXIMATELY 1 1/2 WEEKS AGO AND WAS TOLD I NEEDED A POWER STEERING PUMP. I WAS TOLD IF THAT DID NOT WORK THAT I WOULD NEED A COLUMN REPLACEMENT. THIS IS A $1400 REPAIR THAT I CANNOT AFFORD. THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE & I USE IT FOR BOTH BUSINESS AND PERSONAL USES. AS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW DANGEROUS THIS SITUATION IS, I WENT ON AN HOUR & A HALF DRIVE YESTERDAY (4/22/14) AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT 18 TIMES. AT ONE POINT, I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR WHILE TRYING TO MAKE A TURN AND ALMOST RAN INTO A CURB. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR BOTH MYSELF & TO OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. *TR

SINCE WE GOT THE HHR 3 YEARS AGO WE HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE ROTORS 5 DIFFERENT TIMES BECAUSE THEY BECOME WARPED. THE NEW ONES ONLY LAST A MONTH, MAYBE A 1,000 MILES OF WEAR BEFORE THE BRAKES START TO BECOME WARPED AGAIN. TWO MONTHS AGO BEFORE I COULD GET IT INTO THE SHOP TO REPLACE THE ROTORS I STEPPED ON THE BRAKE DOING ABOUT 5 MPH WHEN I HEARD A GRINDING NOISE. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT THE SHOP, 50 MILES AWAY, TO FIND OUT THAT A BRAKE PAD WAS COMPLETELY MISSING!!! APPARENTLY THE WARPED ROTOR UNEVEN SURFACE JERKED THE BRAKE PAD OUT OF ITS SETTING AND THAT IS WHY IT WAS MISSING. THE MECHANIC HAD TO DO A COMPLETE BRAKE (FRONT) JOB USING THE BEST ROTORS ON THE MARKET 2 MONTHS AGO AND IN LESS THAN 1 MONTH, WITH NO HEAVY BRAKING, THE BRAKES ARE ONCE AGAIN SHOWING SIGNS THAT THE ROTORS ARE WARPED---STEPPING ON THE BRAKES IT IS JERKING ONCE AGAIN, AND NOW THEY ARE ALMOST AS BAD AS THEY WERE WHEN I TOOK THEM IN TO GET REPAIRED. IT IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION ESPECIALLY REALIZING THE POSSIBILITY OF ANOTHER BRAKE PAD COMING OFF WHEN I STEP ON THE BRAKE. I HAVE READ ONLINE SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE COMPLAINING OF THIS SAME PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THESE CARS BEFORE SOMETHING HORRIBLE HAPPENS TO THE OCCUPANTS RIDING IN THESE CARS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET HHR. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE POWER STEERING WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME VERY HARD TO MANEUVER. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE POWER ASSIST MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 65,806. UPDATED 6/17/14*CN THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN HE TURNED OFF THE ENGINE AND RE-STARTED THE VEHICLE, THE POWER STEERING WOULD RESUME NORMAL OPERATION.

I HAVE A INTERMITTENT POWER STEERING FAILURE THE SAME AS OTHER HHRS COVERED ON A RECALL WHY IS MINE NOT COVERED. MANY PEOPLE WITH SAME YEAR HAVE SAME PROBLEM. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET HHR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE POSER STEERING WARNING CHIME SOUNDED AS THE POWER STEERING WARNING MESSAGE DISPLAYED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 14V153000(STEERING) HOWEVER, THE RECALL DID NOT INCLUDE THE HHR MODEL. THE MANUFACTURE WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 128,000. UPDATED 6/10/14*CN

POWER STEERING GOES OUT MULTIPLE TIMES. THE CAR HAS TO BE SHUT OFF COMPLETELY AND TURNED BACK ON AGAIN. THIS HAPPENS IN EARLIER YEAR HHR'S AND CHEVY COBALTS AND HAS BEEN RECALLED. THIS NEEDS TO BE RECALLED ON 2008 CHEVY HHR'S AS WELL. *TR

I WAS LEAVING WORK IN LOUISVILLE IL AND MY POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE TURNING A CORNER. LUCKILY THE CORNER WASN'T A SHARP ONE. I WOULD HAVE, IN FACT, HIT ONCOMING TRAFFIC IF THERE WERE ANY. I WOULD HAVE ALSO HIT ANYONE SITTING AT THE STOP SIGN IN THEIR DRIVER DOOR. I WAS VERY LUCKY. I HAD TO GET MINE FIXED IN MAY OF LAST YEAR. I CALLED GM COMPLAINING BUT THEY WOULDN'T FIX IT. I NOTICED THERE IS A RECALL FOR THIS EXACT THING FOR 2009 AND 2010'S BUT NOTHING FOR 2008'S. I WANTED YOU TO BE AWARE THAT 2008'S HAVE THIS SAME FLAW WITH THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR. IT KEPT GOING IN AND OUT UNTIL I GOT IT FIXED. AFTER THE FIRST TIME I WASN'T SO SURPRISED AND KNEW TO EXPECT IT AT ANYTIME. THE FIRST TIME WAS SCARY THOUGH. I CAN'T IMAGINE IF IT HAPPENED TO A YOUNG DRIVER. I'M 42 AND DRIVE WELL. *TR

ON DECEMBER 3, 2013 WHILE I WAS DRIVING TO WORK I LOST POWER STEERING ON MY 2008 HHR. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER. WHEN I TURN OFF THE CAR AND TURN IT BACK ON, THE POWER STEERING WILL WORK FOR A FEW MINUTE BEFORE LOSING POWER AGAIN. I BEGAN TO SEARCH THE INTERNET FOR A SOLUTION. I NOTICE SEVERAL BLOGS FROM HHR OWNERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. I CALL HHR CUSTOMER SERVICE TO SEE IF THERE WAS A RECALL AND I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOT. I HAVE GOTTEN AN ESTIMATE ON FIXING THE PROBLEM AND WAS QUOTED APPROX. 850 DOLLARS. *TR