2008 CHEVROLET HHR Complaints

BRAKES DO NOT WORK CORRECTLY AND BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO FLOOR AFTER CAR HAS BEEN PARKED FOR ANY EXTENDED TIME (OVERNIGHT, ETC..) BRAKES FAIL TO STOP VEHICLE, AND THERE HAVE BEEN 3 BARELY AVOIDED ACCIDENTS. CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP WHERE GM DISALLOWED ANY FURTHER ACTION TO BE TAKEN DUE TO THEIR TECHNICAL BULLETIN SAYING THAT THE DEFECT IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAR. *TR

MY 2008 CHEVY HHR SS BRAKES DO NOT HAVE POWER ASSIST ON A COLD START. AFTER THIRTY SECONDS OR MORE THE BRAKES WORK FINE. UNLESS I WAIT FOR THE BRAKES TO WARM UP THERE IS NOT ENOUGH BRAKE POWER TO STOP THE VEHICLE IN A NORMAL MANNER. IT SEEMS TO TAKE TWICE AS LONG TO STOP. WHEN I APPLY THE BRAKES THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND VIBRATES. GM SAYS THIS IS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE AND THAT IS DOES NOT POSE A SAFETY ISSUE. I DISAGREE, IF A DRIVE NEGLECTS TO LET THE BRAKES "WARM UP" HE OR SHE COULD POTENTIALLY RUN A CHILD OVER OR JUST NOT STOP IN TIME TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS ONLY AN ISSUE ON THE SS MODELS. *TR

I HAVE A 2008 HHR SS WITH THE 2.0L TURBO ENGINE THAT IN MY OPINION HAS A SEVERE BRAKE PROBLEM. WHEN THE CAR STARTS UP AFTER BEING LEFT OFF FOR A PERIOD OF TIME THE BRAKES DO NOT APPLY PRESSURE PROPERLY MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO STOP. MOST TIMES THE PROBLEM GOES AWAY AS THE CAR WARMS UP AND IS BEING DRIVEN. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY PROGRAMMED THE VEHICLES COMPUTER AND TOLD ME THAT WAS THE FIX. THEY DESCRIBED THE FIX AS ADJUSTING THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKES TO COMPENSATE FOR THE LOSS OF PRESSURE. THIS ONLY HELPED SLIGHTLY AND NOW WHEN THE ENGINE IS COLD IF I APPLY PRESSURE TO THE BRAKES I CAN FEEL THE ABS PULSATING AND EVEN WITH FULL PRESSURE APPLIED THE CAR JERKS WHEN STOPPED AND EVEN INCHES FORWARD WHEN AT STOP LIGHTS AND STOP SIGNS UNTIL THE CAR HAS WARMED UP FOR AT LEAST A FEW MINUTES. I DO NOT THINK THE "FIX" OF PROGRAMMING THE VEHICLES COMPUTER IS ADEQUATE AND WHEN I CALLED BACK ABOUT THE PROBLEMS AFTER THE DEALERSHIP APPLIED THEIR FIX THEY TOLD ME THAT IS ALL THEY CAN DO. THEY ALSO SAID THEY HAVE HAD MANY REPORTED ISSUES OF DRIVERS OF THE SAME VEHICLE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEMS SO IT APPEARS TO BE WIDE SPREAD ENOUGH TO CONSTITUTE A PERMANENT FIX. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET HHR. WHILE BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT MAXIMUM PRESSURE NEEDED TO BE APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT IT WAS PERFORMING NORMALLY. THE SPEED AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5,198.

CAR HAS HARDLY ANY BRAKES IN THE MORNINGS OR AFTER IT HAS SIT FOR A WHILE. THEY WORK FINE AFTER DRIVING FOR A BIT. THIS IS UNSAFE. WE'VE ALMOST SLID OUT INTO THE STREET BACKING DOWN OUR STEEP DRIVEWAY ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. HAVE BEEN TO DEALERSHIP TWICE, FIRST TIME THEY REPROGRAMMED BRAKE CONTROL MODULE, SECOND TIME THEY SAID IT WAS NORMAL OPERATION, I ABOUT BLEW A GASKET, IS IT NORMAL FOR YOUR BRAKES NOT TO WORK PROPERLY? I AM VERY UNHAPPY WITH THE CAR.*TR

I HAVE A 2008 CHEVY HHR SS TURBO WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IT HAS ONLY ABOUT 1400 MILES ON IT, AND I HAVE HAD IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES FOR THE BRAKES. AFTER SITTING FOR A PERIOD OF TIME, LIKE OVERNIGHT OR WHILE AT WORK FOR 12 HOURS WHEN I FIRST GET INTO THE CAR THE BRAKES DON'T WORK. THEY ARE VERY HARD AND HAVE TO BE PUMPED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THEY WORK. I DONE MY RESEARCH AND CHEVY IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM BUT DON'T HAVE THE FIX AVAILABLE YET. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT I'LL JUST HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT. NOT AN ACCEPTABLE ANSWER. HOPEFULLY I WON'T GET IN A WRECK BECAUSE OF IT. THE DEALERSHIP IS MAKING ME BRING THE RENT A CAR BACK AND MAKING ME DRIVE AN UNSAFE VEHICLE. *TR

I AM HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES ON MY NEW 2008 CHEVROLET HHR/SS. WHEN FIRST APPLYING BRAKES AFTER INITIAL START-UP AND AFTER SITTING LONG ENOUGH FOR VACUUM TO LEAK DOWN. THERE IS AN INCREASED EFFORT TO APPLY AND TRAVEL OF PEDAL IS ALSO INCREASED. PEDAL IS SPONGY AND BOOSTER IS INOPERATIVE UNTIL VACUUM IS RESTORED BY REVVING ENGINE OR DRIVING A SHORT DISTANCE. THIS VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH A TURBO AND VACUUM/BOOST GAUGE. THE INITIAL VACUUM IS DROPPED WHEN APPLYING BRAKE. IT HAS BEEN IN FOR THIS PROBLEM TWICE, LEFT OVERNIGHT BOTH TIMES, AND DUPLICATED BOTH TIMES. THE DEALER REPROGRAMMED COMPUTER PER SERVICE LETTER. THE SECOND TIME THEY SUPPOSEDLY ORDERED A MASTERCYLINDER BUT STILL NO PARTS HAVE BEEN CHANGED, PROBABLY NOT EVEN EXAMINED! NOW THEY TELL ME THIS IS NORMAL OPERATION AND I TELL THEM IT'S NOT! THE DEALER SERVICE MGR. HAS TOLD ME THAT GM KNOWS ABOUT THIS BUT HAVE NO REPAIR AVAILABLE. HE BLAMES IT ON THE TURBO! IT IS SURELY A VACUUM LEAK OR BOOSTER PROBLEM YET THEY SEEM UNABLE TO UNDERSTAND! I HAVE BEEN A MECHANIC FOR 30+ YEARS AND I KNOW THIS IS DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO BE REPAIRED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT! THE DEALER DOESN'T EVEN WANT ME TO BRING IT BACK IN AS THEY SAY "IT CANNOT BE FIXED, IT IS A DESIGN PROBLEM!" *TR

I HAVE A 2008 HHR SS, THAT HAS A BRAKING PROBLEM WHEN FIRST STARTED OR HAS SET FOR APPROX. 8 HOURS. I HAVE ALMOST RAN OUT OF OUR PARKING LOT INTO TRAFFIC. I HAVE HAD IT IN THE DEALERSHIP TWICE. FIRST TIME THEY REPROGRAMMED THE ECM. PROBLEM CONTINUES AND THE SECOND TIME, I WAS TOLD THAT THE FACTORY SAYS THIS IS A NORMAL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE 2.0 ENGINE AND TURBO. THE DEALERSHIP GAVE ME A COPY OF SERVICE BULLETIN AND AT THE END ,IT STATES (DO NOT ATTEMPT TO REPAIR OR REPLACE ANY PARTS FOR WHAT IS CONSIDERED NORMAL OPERATION OF THE OHB). BULLETIN NUMBER IS 07-05-22-002. THE SECOND BULLETIN NUMBER GIVE TO ME BY THE DEALERSHIP IS 08-05-22-001. THE FOLLOWING OPTIMIZED HYDRAULIC BRAKE (OHB) #1-RATCHET SOUND COMING FROM THE BRAKE SYSTEM DURING OHB ACTIVATION. #2-BRAKE PEDAL MOVEMENT OR PULSATION WHEN OHB IS ACTIVE. #3-INCREASED BRAKE PEDAL EFFORT UNDER LOW BRAKE BOOSTER VACUUM. #4-CHANGE IN BRAKE PEDAL EFFORT WHEN OHB IS ACTIVE. #5-FREQUENT BRAKE STOPS MAY RESULT IN OHB ACTIVATION. #6-HIGH ALTITUDE DRIVING MAY RESULT IN OHB ACTIVATION. THE WAY I READ ALL THIS IS WHEN OHB ACTIVATES, YOU MAY HAVE BRAKING PROBLEMS. I HAVE TALKED TO TWO DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE AND ALL I COULD GET OUT OF THEM WAS (THIS IS NORMAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HHR WITH TURBO). THE DEALERSHIP CONTACTED GM AND THEY SAY THE SAME THING AND THERE IS NOT A CURE FOR THIS PROBLEM AND IT IS NORMAL FOR THE TURBO MODELS. I GUESS WHEN A FEW PEOPLE GETS KILLED THEY MAY TRY TO FIND A FIX. MY VEHICLE NOW HAS LESS THAN 3000 MILES AND I NOTICED THE PROBLEM AROUND 100 OR SO MILES. I HAVE OWNED 25 GM VEHICLES IN MY DAYS AND THIS IS THE FIRST HAVING NORMAL CHARACTERISTICS FOR NOT STOPPING. IF YOU HAVE AN ACCIDENT AND POSSIBLY KILL SOMEONE, HOW CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS TO THE POLICE, WHEN THE POLICE GETS IN THE CAR AND THE OHB IS NOT ACTIVATED AND THE BRAKE PEDAL SEEMS NORMAL, YOU ARE IN TROUBLE AND MAY NEVER PROVE AT THAT TIME THE BRAKES HONESTLY DID FAIL. IF GM CAN,T FIX THE PROBLEM THEY SHOULD BUY THE CARS BACK. *TR

WHEN YOU START OUR NEW CHEVROLET HHR SS COLD AND DRIVE OFF TO QUICKLY THE BRAKE PEDAL IS ROCK HARD AND WON'T STOP THE CAR VERY WELL. ISSUE GOES AWAY ONCE THE ENGINE IS WARMED UP. DEALER SAYS NORMAL FOR THIS CAR AND I SAY NO WAY.*TR

2008 HHR SS, ON STARTUP, POWER ASSIST BRAKES DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY FOR 30-90 SECONDS, AFTER WHICH THEY WORK PROPERLY. THIS WAS FIRST IDENTIFIED WHEN I STARTED MY VEHICLE AND BEGAN EXITING MY DRIVEWAY THE OTHER DAY. A DOG RAN IN FRONT OF MY CAR, AND I HAD TO APPLY AN EXCEPTIONAL AMOUNT OF FORCE TO THE BRAKES TO KEEP FROM HITTING THE ANIMAL. AFTER SOME WEB RESEARCH (SEE ESPECIALLY HTTP://WWW.CHEVYHHR.NET/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?T=17740), IT APPEARS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR THE VEHICLE, AND SO I BELIEVE IT IS IMPORTANT THAT YOU INTERVENE ON BEHALF OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO GET GENERAL MOTORS TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE QUICKLY. *TR