2008 CHEVROLET HHR Complaints

WHILE ON VACATION WE WERE DRIVING IN WASHINGTON DC TRAFFIC DURING MID DAY TRAFFIC CONGESTION, THE POWER STEERING FAILED IN OUR CAR. WE WERE LUCKY AND WERE ABLE TO STRUGGLE TO STEER TO GET OFF TO THE EDGE OF THE HIGHWAY AND SHUT THE CAR OFF. UPON RESTARTING THE POWER STEERING WAS WORKING UNTIL SEVERAL HOURS LATER AGAIN IN BUSY TRAFFIC. THIS HAPPENED 3 MORE TIMES IN NEXT TWO DAYS BEFORE GETTING IT BACK HOME & TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED TO BE A COMPONENT THAT HAS BEEN RECALLED IN OTHER MODELS BUT NOT THIS ONE. I CANNOT UNDERSTATE THE DANGER OF LOSING POWER STEERING IN ANY ROAD CONDITIONS, PUTTING MYSELF, MY FAMILY AND OTHER MOTORISTS IN DANGER.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET HHR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH, THE POWER STEERING MOTOR TURNED OFF INDEPENDENTLY. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE POWER STEERING PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

I HAD JUST PULLED OUT OF A DRIVEWAY. I HEARD A FEW ALERT TONES AND LOOKED AT MY DASH AND THE POWER STEERING MESSAGE WAS DISPLAYED. I ENTERED INTO A ROUNDABOUT AND LEARNED THAT MY POWER STEERING WAS NOT WORKING. LUCKILY I WAS NOT GOING VERY FAST AND WAS ABLE TO MUSCLE THE CAR THROUGH THE TURNS. I HAD A FEW MORE TURNS ON THE WAY HOME. ONCE AT HOME I TURNED THE CAR OFF FOR A FEW MINUTES. UPON RESTARTING IT THE POWER STEERING WAS AGAIN FUNCTIONAL. I AM AFRAID THAT IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AREAS. *TR

POWER STEERING FAILS AFTER VEHICLE IS DRIVEN FOR APPROX 10 MINUTES. NO WARNING, JUST GOES OUT. APPARANTLY CHEVY COBALT USES SAME/SIMALAR ELECTRIC POWER STEERING MOTOR WHICH HAS BEEN RECALLED. UNSURE WHY NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR THE HHR. *TR

THIS CAR IS A SAFETY HAZARD GOING DOWN ROAD. I BOUGHT IT NEW IN 2008. ROTORS & BRAKES ARE HORRIBLE - HAVE TO HAVE REPAIRED MULTIPLE TIMES. BEARINGS HAVE WENT OUT, REPLACED & ONE WENT OUT AGAIN. I SPEND APPROX 1200 DOLLARS A YEAR JUST TO GET SHAKING OUT OF FRONT END, TURNING ROTORS & TIRES. BUT THAT ISN'T REALLY THE PROBLEM I AM REPORTING: WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH IGNITION SWITCH - IT WAS RECALLED - TOOK IT TO DEALER TO HAVE IT REPLACED - UNDERSTAND THAT I WAS HAVING NO PROBLEMS WITH CAR AT THIS TIME - UPON LEAVING DEALERS AND WITHIN 15 MILES POWER STEERING LIGHT COMES ON & I LOSE POWER STEERING. NOW MY POWER STEERING GOES OUT UNEXPECTEDLY WHENEVER IT DECIDES TO. TOOK BACK TO DEALER BECAUSE I FELT THIS WAS SOMETHING THEY MESSED UP AND WAS TOLD THIS IS JUST A PROBLEM WITH HHRS AND THAT POWER STEERING MOTOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS...IT IS VERY COMMON WITH THIS CAR, ALONG WITH BRAKE ISSUES, SEVERE SHAKING IN FRONT, BEARINGS GOING OUT AND MANY OTHER PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE ALSO HAD. I REALIZE MY CAR IS HIGH MILEAGE, I WORK AS A HOME HEALTH NURSE & USE THIS CAR FOR WORK, BUT I DO KEEP IT MAINTAINED. I HOPE THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO GET INTO DIFFERENT CAR BEFORE I GET IN ACCIDENT IN THIS ONE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET HHR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE COMPUTER MONITOR WAS PROVIDING INCORRECT INFORMATION AND THE WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE FAILURE OF THE COMPUTER MONITOR WAS CAUSED BY THE OXYGEN SENSOR. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED UNDER THE VEHICLE WARRANTY HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000, AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

VEHICLE WILL SHOW ECS CODE IN DIC MESSAGE CENTER AND ESC WILL BE DISABLED. VEHICLE WILL THEN LOSE POWER STEERING SHORT TIME LATER AND YOU WILL HAVE NO POWER STEERING. HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE WARRANTY EXPIRED AT 36,000 MILES. IT WILL RESET AFTER ENGINE IS TURNED OFF, HOWEVER AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES OF STEADY DRIVING YOU WILL LOSE POWER STEERING. *TR

WHILE DRIVING, THE POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE BECAME HARD TO STEER. IT DOES THIS ALMOST EVERY TIME WE DRIVE THE VEHICLE, BUT LUCKILY IT HAS NOT YET DONE IT WHILE TURNING A CORNER. WHEN YOU TURN THE VEHICLE OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON, IT WORKS AGAIN. THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR THAT TRIGGERS AN EVENT. IT MAY HAPPEN AFTER 2 MINUTES OF DRIVING, OR 40 MINUTES OF DRIVING, OR IT MAY NOT HAPPEN AT ALL ON ANY ONE PARTICULAR TRIP. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION AND SEEMS TO BE COMMON AMONGST HHR OWNERS. THERE IS CURRENTLY A CANADIAN RECALL ON THIS, BUT NOT HERE IN THE US. THERE IS A GM TSB (231703) REFERENCING THIS, BUT THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE GM TO REPAIR THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *TR

THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON CITY ROADS. IT WILL BRIEFLY COME BACK ON AFTER THE CAR IS SHUT OFF AND RESTARTED, BUT IT GOES OUT AGAIN SHORTLY AFTER THE VEHICLE BEGINS MOVING. MY WARRANTY IS UP AND THE MANUFACTURER HAS REFUSED TO REIMBURSE ME, EITHER FULLY OR PARTIALLY, FOR THE COST OF REPLACEMENT. THERE WAS A CANADIAN RECALL FOR THE SAME MODEL OF CAR, BUT I CANNOT FIND ANY INFORMATION ON THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE POWER STEERING UNITS OF THE US AND CANADIAN MODELS SUCH THAT NOT HAVING A US RECALL WOULD BE JUSTIFIED. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE. IT IS NOT ONLY UNFAIR FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE TO PAY FOR EXPENSIVE REPAIRS FOR A RELATIVELY NEW VEHICLE, IT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY RISK THAT SHOULD BE FIXED BY THE MANUFACTURER. *TR

THIS CAR HAS A SAFETY DEFECT WITH THE STEERING WHEEL ..THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES OUT OF CONTROL ..STARTING AT 50MPH VERY SCARY.. TODAY I WENT ONLINE TO READ AT LEST 20 COMPLAINTS ONLINE ABOUT THE SAME STEERING ISSUE..THIS IS VERY SERIOUS ..PLEASE PROVE ME WRONG..1 COMPLAINT I READ THE MAN STATED THAT HE HAD HIS STEERING WHEEL CHANGED 3 TIMES AND IT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM.. MAJOR DEFECT...PLEASE HELP ME TO RESOLVE THIS MATTER.. YOU CAN USE MY CAR AS AN EXAMPLE TO TEST ..PLEASE ! I AM SCARED TO DRIVE IT ..I HAVE BEEN DRIVING SINCE 1975...ALL MAKE OF CAR.. CHEVY IS MY FAVORITE.. THE HHR IS THE WORST IN SAFETY PERFORMANCE.. IT IS NOT SAFE FOR PEOPLE TO KEEP PASSING THIS BRAND OF CAR AROUND BECAUSE OF THE DEFECT IN THE STEERING.. I HAVE ONLY HAD THIS CAR FOR 3 MONTH IT CAME WITH LOW MILES.. AND ALL OF THE COMPLAINTS I READ TODAY HAD LOW MILEAGE..PEOPLE ARE PASSING THESE CARS OFF BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTIVE STEERING WHICH IS A MAJOR SAFETY DEFECT . HOW DID THIS CAR PASSED SAFETY INSPECTION.. OR WAS IT TESTED FOR SAFETY AT ANY TIME PROVE ME WRONG ?????? FEED BACK PLEASE..... *TR