2007 CHEVROLET HHR Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 CHEVROLET HHR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS MANEUVERED TO THE SHOULDER AND SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE KEY WOULD NOT REMOVE FROM THE IGNITION ONCE THE VEHICLE WAS SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE IGNITION FAILURE. THE MECHANIC DID, HOWEVER, STATE THAT THE POWER STEERING MOTOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

THE INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE ON THE FRONT PASSENGER DOOR HAS BEEN MAKING A "CLICK" NOISE AND DIFFICULT TO OPEN. TODAY A PASSENGER TRIED TO GET OUT AND THE HANDLE REFUSED TO OPEN. DOOR WAS ABLE TO OPEN FROM OUTSIDE. A DOOR THAT DOES NOT PROPERLY OPEN COULD POSE A SAFETY HAZARD SHOULD SOMEONE BE TRAPPED IN THE VEHICLE. *TR

I CONTINUE TO HAVE A DUMMY LIGHT COME ON MY MESSAGE CENTER ON MY DASH SAYING POWER STEERING. I JUST MOVED TO CT FROM LOUSIANA. I THOUGHT BECAUSE THE WEATHER WAS GETTING COLD. I CHECKED THE FLUID AND IT WAS NOT FROZEN OR EMPTY. I JUST HAD TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER FOR A OIL CHANGE AND VEHICLE CHECK AND ALL FLUIDS WERE WHERE THEY SHOULD BE. NO LEAKS. I DID A SEARCH ON THE NET AND FOUND 1000'S OF COMPLAINTS OF THIS SAME ISSUE. ANY NEW THOUGHTS ON WHAT TO DO? *TR

THE POWER STEERING ON MY 2007 CHEVROLET HHR CONSISTENTLY GOES OUT, EVERY TIME I DRIVE. I HAVE TO TURN MY CAR OFF THEN RESTART IT, TO GET THE POWER STEERING TO KICK BACK IN, BUT THEN IT USUALLY JUST GOES OUT AMOUNT 5 MINS LATER. I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR CHEVROLET TO ISSUE A RECALL LIKE THEY DID FOR THE COBALT, BUT NOTHING HAS HAPPENED SO FAR. I'VE SEEN IN VARIOUS ONLINE FORUMS THAT OTHER HHR OWNERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. IT'S EXTREMELY INFURIATING!!! *TR

WHILE COMING TO A STOP TO MAKE EITHER A RIGHT HAND OR LEFT HAND TURN, I HAD THE POWER STEERING STOP WORKING, AND A POWER STEERING MESSAGE ILLUMINATE ON MY DASHBOARD MESSAGE CENTER. THIS HAPPENED 4 SEPARATE TIMES WITHIN A 3 HOUR PERIOD, WHILE USING MY VEHICLE TO MAKE DELIVERIES FOR A LOCAL COMPANY. IN EACH INSTANCE, I WAS ABLE TO PUT VEHICLE IN PARK, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, WAIT A COUPLE OF SECONDS, RESTART THE ENGINE, AND THE POWER STEERING WOULD WORK FOR A SHORT TIME. GM HAS REDUCED PRICE ON THE DEFECTIVE PART IN THE US, BUT, STILL NO RECALL ON THE PROBLEM IN THE US. *KB

TWO DAYS AGO, WHILE DRIVING 25 MPH IN MY PARENTS' RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT, I RECEIVED A "POWER STEERING" ALERT ON MY INFORMATION BAR AND IMMEDIATELY LOST CONTROL OF MY STEERING. I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF MAKING A LEFT TURN AND LUCKILY THERE WAS NO ONE ELSE ON THE STREET AT THE TIME OR I SURELY WOULD HAVE HIT THEM RATHER THAN JUST DRIVING ONTO THE CURB BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL IN ANY EITHER DIRECTION. I WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL ONLY AFTER TURNING THE IGNITION OFF AND RESTARTING. AFTER THE VISIT WITH MY PARENTS, THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT THREE TIMES IN A TWELVE MILE DRIVE HOME. IN TWO DAYS THIS HAS NOW HAPPENED SIX TIMES WITHOUT RHYME OR REASON AT VARYING SPEEDS AND AT DIFFERENT LENGTHS OF DRIVE TIME. I FIRST DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM ON FRIDAY NIGHT AND IMMEDIATELY BEGAN TO RESEARCH THE PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET. I DISCOVERED THAT THE CHEVY COBALT AND CHEVY HHR FROM YEARS 2006-2010 SHARE THE SAME STEERING MOTOR (NOT A PUMP WITH FLUID) AND THEY ARE A KNOWN PROBLEM. APPARENTLY THERE HAS BEEN A RECALL FOR THE COBALT BUT NOT THE HHR? THERE WAS TALK OF A RECALL IN CANADA FOR THE HHR BUT NOT IN THE USA? I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WHEN THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN. I CONTACTED MY DEALERSHIP EARLY ON SATURDAY MORNING. I TOLD HIM WHAT WAS HAPPENING AND HE SAID THAT "THE SERIAL NUMBER ON MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE WAS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR PART REPLACEMENT COVERAGE". HOW ARE SOME COVERED AND NOT OTHERS? I CANNOT DRIVE THE CAR WITHOUT FEAR OF AGAIN LOSING CONTROL IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN, BUT THIS TIME CAUSING A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED IMMEDIATELY. *TR

MY 2007 HHR HAS HAD MULTIPLE INCIDENTS IN THE LAST 3 WEEKS WITH THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATING AND THEN LOSS OF POWER STEERING INSTANTLY. ALMOST MISSED MAKING A TURN OFF THE ROAD BECAUSE STEERING IS NON RESPONSIVE. ONCE YOU TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTART THE CAR, POWER STEERING IS RESTORED; UNFORTUNATELY, THIS ISSUE IS OCCURING MORE FREQUENTLY. INTERNET RESEARCH SHOW NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS WITH THIS EXACT ISSUE, CHEVROLET HAS RECALLED OTHER VEHICLES THAT USE THE SAME PART AND THE 2007 HHR HAS BEEN RECALLED IN CANADA. WHY HASN'T THAT HAPPENED HERE? IS IT GOING TO TAKE A DEATH AND SUBSEQUENT LAWSUIT FOR THEM TO STEP UP AND FIX THIS KNOWN PROBLEM? I AM CALLING MY EXTENDED WARRANTY SERVICE TODAY AND SEE IF THIS IS COVERED. REPAIRS UNFORTUNATELY CAN'T WAIT FOR CHEVROLET TO DO THE RIGHT THING! *TR

AT LOW SPEED WHILE TURNING THE STEERING POPS. CLUNKS AND CATCHES. THIS ALSO HAPPENS AFTER STOPPING WITH THE WHEELS TURNED. WHEN THE TURN HAS BEEN COMPLETED AND THE STEERING RETURNS TO CENTER IT CLUNKS. ASKED THE DEALER IF THIS WAS THE SAME AS THE COLBALT PROBLEM AND I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOT ANY PROBLEMS HE KNEW ABOUT WITH THE HHR STEERING. THIS IS A LOW MILAGE CAR AND SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM. *TT

THE POWER STEERING INDICATOR CAME ON AND THEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT. I TOOK THE CAR TO AN AUTO PARTS STORE, A WORKER THERE SAID THAT CHEVY HAD A RECALL ON THE COBALT FOR THE SAME ISSUE, BUT THERE IS NO RECALL FOR THE CHEVY HHR. THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WITH THIS SAME ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE POWER STEERING LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AND THE WHEEL BECAME VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN AND I ALMOST CRASHED GOING AROUND A CORNER. I STOPPED AT A SAFE LOCATION AND TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. THE POWER STEERING RETURNED ONCE I RESTARTED HOWEVER THIS HAPPENED AGAIN THE FOLLOWING DAY AND TWICE YESTERDAY AND TWICE AGAIN TODAY. I DID AN ON-LINE SEARCH AND SEE THAT MANY OTHER HHR DRIVERS ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE WITH CORRECTING THIS DEFECT BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED. *TR