2008 CHEVROLET HHR Complaints

BOTH KEY FOBS BEGAN WORKING INTERMITTENTLY, FINALLY FAILING COMPLETELY. PROBLEM BEGAN AROUND 38,000 MILEAGE. COMPLETE FAILURE AROUND 40,000 MILEAGE. NOW KEY IN DOOR NO LONGER WORKS (ONLY ONE KEY ENTRY ON ENTIRE CAR) SO TAKING TO DEALER TOMORROW. MILEAGE AROUND 45,000. *TR

REAR DRIVER SIDE DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR FAILED. (DOOR LOCK WOULD NOT RISE AND RELEASE. HAD TO BE MANUALLY PULLED UP.) REPLACED. OK SINCE THEN. 33,300 MILES. CURRENT MILES 44,200. *TR

STARTING APRIL 2011 MY CHEVY HHR HAS BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS WITH ITS POWER STEERING. IT HAS TURNED OFF SEVERAL TIMES WHILE I WAS DRIVING. EACH TIME COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A MAJOR ACCIDENT. I DRIVE A LOT OF WINDING ROADS AND DO NOT FEEL SAFE DOING SO NOW. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY HHR. I HAVE TO PULL OVER AND TURN OFF MY CAR FOR A FEW MINUTE BEFORE I CAN START IT BACK UP AND HAVE THE POWER STEERING WORK. IT IS NOW STARTING TO TURN OFF SEVERAL TIMES IN ONE DAY. I HAVE BEEN READING THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO MANY PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME VEHICLE. I FEAR THIS MAY RESULT IN ACCIDENTS THAT COULD BE AVOIDED IF IT IS RECALLED AND FIXED IN THE HHR. *KB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET HHR. WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT HEARD A CHIME INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE AND THE POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WITH A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO MANEUVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WITH DIFFICULTY TURNING THE STEERING WHEEL. THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED. THE POWER STEERING OPERATED NORMALLY FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF TEN MINUTES. THE FAILURE OCCURRED EIGHT TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 73,000.

I BEGAN TO NOTICE THAT THE POWER STEERING IN MY CAR WOULD INTERMITTENLY FAIL ABOUT THREE OR FOUR MONTHS AGO. THE FIRST INSTANCE WAS WHEN I WAS TURNING MY WHEEL WHILE ENTERING INTO A PARKING LOT. THE CAR MADE A DINGING SOUND, THEN IN THE ODOMETER ARE IT READ "PWER STEERING." IT THEN BECAME EXTREMELY DIFFICUIT TO TURN MY WHEEL. I STOPPED THE CAR, TURNED IT OFF, THEN RESTARTED IT AND THE PROBLEM WENT AWAY. THEN A FEW WEEKS LATER IT HAPPENED AGAIN, BUT WHEN I TURNED IT OFF, STARTED, THEN RESTARTED, IT WENT BACK TO NORMAL JUST AS IT DID BEFORE. THIS CONTINUED ON FOR SEVERAL WEEKS, EACH TIME IT WOULD BE LESS AND LESS TIME BETWEEN INCIDENTS. NOW, I CAN'T EVEN GET TEN FEET OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY BEFORE I LOSE THE POWER STEERING FUNCTION. IT CONTINUES TO FUNCTION NORMALLY WHEN THE CAR IS FIRST STARTED, AND THEN FOR A SHORT DISTANCE, BUT EVERY TIME I DRIVE THE CAR NOW, I HAVE NO USE OF MY POWER STEERING. *TT

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET HHR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHUT OFF DUE TO THE KEY BEING STUCK IN THE IGNITION. IN ORDER TO SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF, THE CONTACT HAD TO ENGAGE THE CLUTCH AND MANUAL SHIFTER UNTIL IT STALLED. THE KEY STILL WOULD NOT REMOVE FROM THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE BATTERY DIED AS A RESULT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

FOR THE THIRD TIME SINCE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE, I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE BRAKE ROTORS TURNED DUE TO WARPING. HAD THE PADS REPLACED WITH LIFETIME PADS LAST YEAR. THE WOBBLE CAUSED BY THIS WARPING CAUSES DANGER TO DRIVER, PASSENGERS, AND OTHERS DUE TO DIFFICULTY IN CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE.

THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING TURNED ITSELF OFF MID TURN CAUSING A DRASTIC UNDERSTEERING LEADING THE VEHICLE INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, UPON RESEARCH I FOUND THAT GM RECALLED THE EXACT SAME STEERING COMPONENTS THAT FAILED IN THE HHR IN OTHER GM VEHICLES BUT NOT THE HHR. IF THIS DOES NOT WARRANT SERIOUS INVESTIGATION WHAT DOES. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED EVERYTHING WAS FINE AS WE WERE DRIVING STRAIGHT, THE PROBLEM OCCURRED WHEN THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING TURNED BACK ON MID-TURN CAUSING MY WIFE TO OVER TURN INTO SOMEONE'S FRONT LAWN, HAD ANYONE BEEN IN THE WAY THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN TRAGIC. WE'VE BEEN LUCKY THIS FAR BUT AS WE ARE A LOW INCOME HOUSEHOLD WE DON'T HAVE THE MEANS TO PAY SOME DEALER TO FIX THIS AS THEY ALL SAY IT'S ON US THE OWNERS TO TAKE CARE OF EVEN THOUGH IT'S THE SAME DEFECTIVE EQUIPMENT THAT WAS IN VEHICLES LIKE THE COBALT AND PONTIACS LINES, WHY HASN'T THERE BEEN A RECALL ISSUED, THIS IS A SEVER DRIVING IMPAIRMENT THAT CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS AND GM DOESN'T SEEM TO CARE DUE TO IT'S AN ACCEPTABLE LOSS! NO LIFE IS AN ACCEPTABLE LOSS, PLEASE ADDRESS THIS ISSUE AS THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS INTO THIS SAME ISSUE IN THE RESEARCH I PREFORMED, BY THE WAY, WHY IS IT GM CANADA ISSUED A RECALL ON THIS PART FOR THE HHR AND NOT THE US BRANCH? OUR HHR IS A 2008 WITH 66000 MILES ON IT AND THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING IS THE ISSUE.

I OWN A 2008 CHEVY HHR LT. LAST YEAR I HAD THE ROTORS AND BRAKES REPLACED BECAUSE OF THE SHAKING IN STEERING WHILE COMING TO A STOP THIS THEN HELPED WITH THE PROBLEM THEN RECENTLY THE SHAKING CAME BACK I COULDN'T BELIEVE THAT MY BRAKES AND ROTORS NEEDED TO BE SERVICED AGAIN. THEN RECENTLY MY POWER STEERING WOULD GO OUT WHILE DRIVING I CHECKED ONLINE AND NOTICED THAT ALOT OF HHR OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS IS A BIG SAFETY ISSUE AND I THINK GMC NEEDS TO BE RESPONSIBLE AND TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM. *TR

I HAD JUST BOUGHT A CHEVY HHR LT THAT HAD 30,000 MILES ON IT FROM THE FORD DEALERSHIP ( THIS WAS A TRADE IN). WHEN I GOT HOME WITH THE CAR, THE FRONT END MADE A JIGGLING SOUND. I TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAD TO REPLACE THE STEERING STABILIZER SHAFT LINK AND STEERING COLUMN , THANK GOD THIS WAS COVERED BY WARRANTY. *TR