2008 CHEVROLET HHR Complaints

WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS UPWARDS OF 45 MPH, THE POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON AND I LOST POWER STEERING. I ALMOST GOT INTO A CRASH AND WAS UNABLE TO SAFELY STEER THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF THE STEERING WAS RETURNED. AND THEN IT WOULD GO OUT AGAIN UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AGAIN. UPON SEARCHING THE INTERNET I SAW THAT 1.3 MILLION VEHICLES WERE RECALLED FOR THE EXACT SAME ISSUE BUT THE CHEVY HHR WAS NOT ONE OF THEM. IT SEEMS TO BE A HAZARDOUS ISSUE ACCORDING TO CHEVY'S RECALL, AND THE HAVE RECEIVED MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS FROM HHR OWNERS AND HAVEN'T RECALLED THIS PART ON THE HHR.*TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET HHR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH AND MAKING A TURN, THERE WAS A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING ASSIST. THE FAILURE RECURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP MODULE WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THEY INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NOT A RECALL RELATED TO THE DEFECT. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,595. UPDATED 10/17/13*LJ

WHILE EXITING THE INTERSTATE YESTERDAY, A "POWER STEERING" WARNING APPEARED ON THE DASH. I HAD TO MAKE A TURN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS HAPPENED AND WAS NEARLY UNABLE TO TURN MY CAR. I PULLED OFF AT THE NEAREST PARKING LOT TO FIND THAT THIS VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE POWER STEERING FLUID AND IS ALL ELECTRIC. I HAD SOMEONE DISCONNECT THE BATTERY TO "RESET" MY CAR AND HAD STEERING BACK. BASED ON THE COMPLAINTS I HAVE THOUROUGLY READ OVER, I KNOW THAT IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE IT GOES OUT AGAIN. I CAN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS ISSUE CONTINUES TO BE IGNORED AND NOT RECALLED DUE TO THE FACT THE COBALT AND ION HAVE BOTH BEEN RECALLED FOR THE SAME ISSUE AND THE HHR HAS THE SAME POWER STEERING PARTS AS THE COBALT. WHEN SOMONE LOSES THEIR LIFE BECAUSE OF A POWER STEERING PROBLEM WILL SOMEONE LISTEN AND ACT ON IT THEN???!!! I HAVE TWO CHILDREN AND I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE THEM ANYWHERE NOW. THIS IS MY ONLY MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION AND DON'T HAVE THE EXTRA $800 OR MORE SITTING AROUND TO REPAIR A PROBLEM THAT IS CHEVROLET'S FAULT. *TT

I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM A LONG TRIP, ABOUT 100 MILES FROM HOME AND MY POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON AND MY STEERING BECAME VERY HARD TO TURN. IF THERE WAS AN ACCIDENT IN THE ROAD I WOULD HAVE HAD A HARD TIME AVOIDING IT. I WENT TO THE GAS STATION AND WHEN I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON THE POWER STEERING SEEMED TO FIX ITSELF. WELL I TOOK OFF DOWN THE ROAD AGAIN AND THE POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME BACK ON AGAIN WITH SAME SCENARIO MENTIONED ABOVE. NOW MY POWER STEERING LIGHT COMES ON SOMETIMES TWICE A DAY EVERYDAY. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER FINALLY TODAY. THE DEALER CALLED ME AND SAID, "GOOD NEWS THIS PART IS COVERED." I SAID GREAT! THEN HE CALLED BACK 30 MINUTES LATER WITH BAD NEWS, HE SAID THAT THE PART WAS COVERED IN CANADA ONLY! WHAT, NOT IN FLORIDA! THIS DOES NOT EVEN MAKE SENSE. LETS JUST SAY AFTER THAT PHONE CALL HE CHARGED ME FOR THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR AT COST. MY TOTAL COST WAS $163.45 (PART #19257875). IF I COULD HAVE DONE IT MYSELF I WOULD HAVE. I JUST SAW THIS PART ON EBAY FOR $82.85 OR BETTER YET, IF IT WAS A RECALL IT COULD HAVE BEEN FREE. AFTER HIS EARLIER PHONE CALL THERE WAS NO WAY I WAS GOING TO LET HIM CHARGE ME ANYTHING MORE. BUT, WHY AGAIN IS THIS PART NOT ON THE RECALL LIST FOR CHEVY HHRS. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. I GUESS WHEN SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS AND SOMEBODY GETS SUED MAYBE THERE WILL BE A RECALL. SAD BUT TRUE. PLEASE RECALL! THANKS. *TR

AS LEAVING WORK AND DRIVING OUT OF THE PARKING LOT MY CAR STIFFENED UP ON THE SLIGHT CURVE, BUT AS I DROVE AND STARTED TO ACCELERATE THE "POWER STEERING" ALERT TURNED ON. I WENT TO MAKE MY FIRST RIGHT TURN AND THE CAR WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN. I PULLED OVER, TO LOOK UP THE NEAREST AUTOZONE AND THANK GOODNESS THERE WAS ONE RIGHT DOWN THE STREET FROM WHERE I WAS AT. I HEADED THERE AND THE LADY HOOKED IT UP TO THE MACHINE TO SEE IF THE CAR WAS SPITTING OUT A CODE - NOPE. WE LOOKED IN THE MANUAL AND SEEN THAT THE ALERT MEANT THE CAR NEEDED TO BE SERVICED IMMEDIATELY. WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS I'M WONDERING WHY THIS ISSUE HASN'T PROMPTED A RECALL. WHAT DOES IT TAKE - DEATH RELATED TO POWER STEERING? YOU HEAR ABOUT PRECAUTION RECALLS TO AVOID ISSUES, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE AN ISSUE THERE IS NO JUSTICE. NO WONDER THESE VEHICLES WERE DISCONTINUED. SHAME ON CHEVY/GM - THIS IS NO ISOLATED INCIDENT. *TR

I WAS ON VACATION DRIVING 25 MPH WHEN THE CAR STARTED CHIMING AND THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I WAS CLOSE THE MY MOTEL SO I DROVE THERE. I TURNED THE CAR OFF LET IT SIT A FEW MINUTES THEN STARTED IT AGAIN AND THE STEERING WAS BACK. I TOOK IT THE DEALER WHEN I GOT BACK HOME AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY DROVE IT AND IT NEVER WENT OUT. IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN UNTIL 2 WEEKS AGO. NOW IT HAPPENS EVERY COUPLE OF MINUTES. I HAVE TO STOP TURN THE CAR OFF THEN BACK ON. IT'S FINE FOR A FEW MINUTES THEN CAR CHIME AND POWER STEERING IS GONE. I HAVE DONE A SEARCH AND HAVE FOUND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE SAME COMPONENTS WERE USED ON CHEVY COBALT AND THEY WERE RECALLED. *TR

WITHOUT ANY WARNING, THE POWER STEERING MOTOR QUIT. THIS RESULTED IN EXTREMELY HEAVY STEERING FOR MY WIFE SO THAT SHE WAS UNABLE TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL AND COASTED TO A STRAIGHT STOP AT THE CURB. SHE WAS LUCKY TO BE ON A COUNTRY ROAD WITH NO OTHER TRAFFIC. WITH OTHER TRAFFIC SHE WOULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT. THIS PROBLEM ON THE CHEVY COBALT MODEL IS UNDER A RECALL. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY IT IS NOT ON THE HHR SINCE ONLY THE BODY OF THE TWO MODELS IS DIFFERENT, ALL THE CHASSIS, SUSPENSION, BRAKES, STEERING AND RUNNING GEAR ARE ALL IDENTICAL, INCLUDING THE POWER STEERING MOTOR (ELECTRIC POWER STEERING). *TR

DRIVING ON FREEWAY AT 55 MPH POWER STEERING INDICATOR CAME ON AND STEERING WAS VERY HARD TO TURN. CONTINUED HOME VERY SLOW AND STEERING THE CAR WAS DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS. POWER STEERING WORKED UPON RESTART. NOW THIS HAPPENS EVERY DAY. I WILL HAVE TO GET IT REPAIRED AND I AM NOT HAPPY AFTER READING ALL OF THE SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THIS STEERING UNIT. WHY HAS THE 2008 HHR NOT BEEN INCLUDED THE PREVIOUS RECALLS? *TR

OUR 2008 CHEVY HHR JUST STARTS TO SHAKE ON THE HIGHWAY ONCE IT HITS 60 MPH TO ABOUT 64 MPH, THEN IT GOES AWAY. THE SHAKING IS REALLY BAD IT MAKES THE WHOLE CAR SHAKE AND MY HANDS BEGAN TO SHAKE PRETTY HARD ON THE STEERING WHEEL. WE'VE REPLACED ALL THE TIRES WITH BRAND NEW GOODYEAR EAGLE GT AND THEM BALANCED AND WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS DONE. BUT THE CAR STILL SHAKES AT THAT SPEED. *TR

I WAS DRIVE AND OUT OF WHERE THE POWER STEERING LINE CAME ON AND THEN WHEN I TRY TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN THE WHEEL WAS VERY HARD TO TURN. MADE ME THINK WHAT COULD HAPPEN IF AM IN THE FREEWAY N HAVE TO DO A TURN. I LOVE MY HHR ITS THE FIRST PROBLEM I HAVE CAME ACROSS. HOWEVER, I HAVE BEEN READING N NOTICED AM NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH PROBLEM. ALL I WANT IS TO FIX IT BEFORE SOMETHING HAPPENS TO ME AND MY FAMILY. *TR