Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||||
| 3687 | 10016948 | Clunk noise from front of vehicle during turning maneuver. *sc | 10/18/2005 | ||
| SUSPENSION - AUTOMATIC STABILITY CONTROL (ASC) | |||||
| PI-0100A | 06/01/2011 | 10039485 | Ready | 08/01/2011 | |
| PI-0100A | 06/01/2011 | 10039485 | Gm: 2006-2011 hhr. the electronic stability control light is on with a stored trouble code. the stability control will be inoperative due to the tires or air pressure sensors. *rm | 08/01/2011 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 10/13/2012 | 54000 | 1 | |
| This is an ongoing safety problem that chevy/gm doesn't care to worry about. my cars steering wheel shakes when i am driving. sometimes to the point of the car to be uncontrollable in addition to this the traction control light goes on along with the engine light. i have brought this in to the dealer every two months and have been told a combination of what the dealers mechanics feel the problem is. i have had steering columns replaced, cam shaft solenoids, bushings, rotors. the list goes on. nothing has fixed the issue. today bringing back to the dealer i am now told that i am lucky to be alive as both control arms in the front are seconds from breaking along with the links that keep the car stable.. the mechanic shared that had i hit a pothole i would have died as the car would have spun out of control and impossible to recover as i would have no way to control the steering wheel. now having two kids, and this being an ongoing problem one would think that chevy/gm would pay for the replacement of their faulty part. i cant afford a new car, and i can no longer afford to pay for gm's mistakes. my car is paid off and now i don't feel safe driving it. to fix it and i say this loosely it will cost 1,800 out of my pocket. *tr | |||
| 05/15/2012 | 90150 | ||
| I am a 35 year old mother of 3 and i recently had a dangerous close call while driving my 2006 chevy hhr. i was driving with my children on board and i suddenly lost power steering. i quickly managed to control my vehicle but it was a close call. i took my vehicle to my nearest chevy dealer for inspection. i was told what was the exact problem with the steering column and the estimated cost of repair would be $1600.00. i went home and quickly researched into the problem. i found out that i was not the only owner of a chevy hhr to have this similiar problem. i found out also that the chevy cobalt (which also has the same steering column) has a recall on it but not the chevy hhr. it is only logical that the chevy hhr should have a recall also because the steering column is identical. public safety should be the number one concern. | |||
| 11/30/2011 | 47000 | ||
| It began with my key getting stuck in the ignition, would have to try to place in park multiple times to release the key. found the panel in the steering column and the release button to remove key. now the gear shift button is stuck in the pressed position, making the car vulnerable to coming out of gear. this is extremely unsafe and costly to fix. from listening to service representative at a former dealer, this is a common problem with hhr and cobalts. additional personal research has indicated this is a common and known issue with the manufacturer. this defect is unsafe and should be recalled and fixed by the manufacturer on their dime, not mine. in addition, the rotors knock and have had to be replaced. i had one replaced under warranty, they would not replace both front rotors. now the opposite is knocking and is no longer under warranty. this is also a very common problem with the cars and not something that should have to be replaced on any car with less than 50,000 miles. gm needs to own up to their mistakes and make the necessary recalls. | |||
| 01/01/2011 | 38000 | 3 | |
| 2006 chevrolet hhr. consumer states several problems with vehicle *tgw the consumer stated his sons vehicle had a severe shimmy in the steering wheel and became progressively worse when the brake was applied. the pads and rotors were replaced twice and the third time the rotors were machined, but the problem continued. there was also a strange noise coming from the front suspension, but the dealer was unable to pinpoint the problem. at 42,000 miles the air condition made a loud screeching noise for 2 minutes, then stopped working. at 68,000 miles, a metal skid plate had fallen from underneath the vehicle. soon after, the exhaust was very loud. the vehicle was taken to the repair shop and the consumer was informed the catalytic converter had cracked. the vehicle lost power and a cylinder had to be replaced, the check engine light would come on and then go off, the temperature gauge did not work, so the air condition only worked if the check engine light was off. the door locks did not work, the radio worked intermittently, the sun visor would fall down at random times. there were times when the vehicle would not start. the consumer stated even with an alignment, new struts, shocks and good tires, the vehicle continually pulled to the right. *jb | |||
| 08/19/2010 | 33000 | 1 | 12/01/2006 |
| 2006 chevrolet hhr ls. consumer states that vehicle has worn struts which needed to replaced after only 33,000 miles and dealer has been unable and unwilling to assist with defect *tgw | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 02/10/2010 | 55000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. while driving approximately 65 mph the vehicle began to shake. the failure occurred whenever the vehicle was in operation. the contact experienced the identical failure on forty separate occasions. the vehicle was taken to the authorized dealer for inspection. the technician stated that both front struts required replacement. the vehicle was repaired for the malfunction. the failure mileage was 55,000. the current mileage was 87,000. | |||
| 09/01/2009 | 52000 | 1 | |
| I own a 2006 chevy hhr lt2, it has approx. 52k miles, and a rattle, vibration in the steering column has been occurring at speeds below 45mph. also, the driver side floor is continuing to flood with water, and the heater/ac blower has failed or shorted out. lastly, i have had the brake rotors worked on 4 times by chevy, and they are now once again in need of repair. i recently took my vehicle back to the dealer for the rattle in the steering and the water leak. i found numerous tsb articles for the issues, but the dealer and gm are claiming the tsbs do not exist. the repairs will total more than $1100. i was told the bushings, and tension rods are the problem with my steering, and they would need to be replaced. at 52k miles i find it hard to believe these items would fail.. my major concern is my safety related to the steering as well as any possible electrical issue stemming from the water leak.. i do not understand why gm has not issued a recall for the steering issue as well as for the brake rotors. if you go to any vehicle complaint web site for the hhr you will see 100's of postings related to bad brakes. there are also similar complaints pertaining to the steering. the dealership refused to honor or compromise with regards to performing the repairs for free or for a reduced fee. i contacted gm corporate and filed a complaint. i was told the gm district manager would contact me. i am still waiting. *tr | |||
| 06/12/2009 | 36420 | 1 | |
| 2006 chevy hhr lt 2.4 liter - rattle when going over bumps and vibration when braking. just past 36000 mile warranty. contacted chevy customer service-requested taking vehicle to dealer. dealer states problems with lower control arm, strut stabilizers, brake rotors. dealer waiting on authorization from chevy customer service. chevy customer service says contact them if dealer won't complete repairs under warranty. at present vehicle is still at dealer and no one has contacted me with any type of resolution. note - vehicle rides well and tires show no unusual or uneven wear. *tr | |||
| 04/01/2006 | 1 | ||
| Bought 2006 hhr lt in november 2005, and have had nothing but problems with the front brake rotors and front suspension. had the car back to the dealer when i first noticed problems within 5 months...front brake shimmy/shake...rotors were cut 2 times under warranty, which fixed the problem initially. i thought it odd that rotors would need to be cut with approx. 2000 and 6000 miles on the car...was told it must be our 'driving habits'. i paid for high-end drilled/slotted rotors a year ago (approx. 36000 miles), had them installed by an independent mechanic, who said the rear brakes were so far out of adjustment, he wondered how we stopped the car. problem was ok for about a year, but has since returned...this seems to be a serious design flaw that needs to be addressed. the other problem is with the front suspension, which the dealer never could find anything wrong with since 'day one'. clunking/chuckling noises...they finally found a bad right lower ball joint, which was replaced at no charge...noises continue to this day...48,000 miles. one more strange happening...a/c just quit...temp gauge quit...dealer finally found a defective thermostat gasket...replaced gasket and t-stat...all has been fine since. i am seriously considering unloading this car, as much as i would hate to. the problems never quit, or, for that matter, seem to be able to be fixed. *tr | |||
| 08/15/2007 | 1 | ||
| I bought a 2006 chevrolet hhr i have had several issues some that were fixed under the warranty some that happened right after the warranty expired and now the dealer i bought it from wont even talk to me about the issues cause its out of warranty most of my problems i've noticed and paid for to be fixed out of my pocket have service bulletins on but yet the dealer just keeps telling me im out of warranty and there's nothing they can do i understand being out of warranty but if there are other vehicles the same make an model having the same problems why cant mine be fixed by gm seeing as which im not the only one. my company just bought an hhr that has just a little over 6,000 miles on it and its having alot of the same problems mine is. i've been having these problems for some time now and am just getting aggravated putting so much money into repairs on a car that is not that old and only has 60,000 miles on it and then seeing that there are service bulletins on majority of the problems. im looking for some guidance on this issue. *tr | |||
| 09/29/2008 | 43800 | 1 | |
| My coolant gauge on the instrument panel would not work occasionally but would start working again within miles and before i could get it to the dealer. they looked at it the first time and said there was nothing they could do unless it stopped working completely, that they had no way of finding out why it would stop working and then just start working again. it happened the first time at about 15,00 miles and then again about every 5,000 miles further. it stopped working the other day again (everything else worked fine on the panel and no problems with the heat/air, radiator or any other coolant issue) but this time it made the check engine light come on also. i called the dealer and they said it was best not to drive it in case the engine would overheat so i had it towed to the shop. they finally diagnosed the problem as the thermostat sticking and charged me the full cost of repairs and towing since the mileage was now at 43,800. i had been having this problem for 30,000 miles but they could never figure out why. the last time it happened, my ac wouldn't work. they said that the ac compressor which costs $1300 to replace is broken but that the problem with the coolant gauge/thermostat had nothing to do with it. it just seems very coincidental that both go out at the same time. my car has had other problems that i've never heard anyone having with a brand new car that is less than 3 years old. i will never recommend anyone by this year/model car. it's dangerous due to the problems that everyone is experiencing and in constant need of repair. my next issue with my car is a noise that comes and goes in the front suspension. again, this problem comes and goes and they can never figure out the problem because it works great when the dealer has it. i would get rid of this car if i could afford to. *tr | |||
| 12/10/2005 | 2485 | 1 | |
| Within the first 2,000 miles of delivery this car developed a shimmy in the front end of the car. this occurred when decelerating and coasting and when one applied the brake as well. there was also a hesitation in the car at the same time and this may have been related, but that problem eventually disappeared. i did have the tires rebalanced but this did not change the vibration problem and i took the car back to the dealer many times to try to determine the cause of this problem. every time the service area concentrated on brakes. they re-ground the rotors, replaced brake pads, calipers and sometimes this did improve the situation for perhaps 30 days but within a short period of time the same problem would redevelop. they complained that the tires should be rebalanced again...i did that at the dealership so the service people could not off-load the responsibility of the work. no help. at the most recent service replaced the brakes again, not out of concern for the repetitive problem, but just charged me the normal servicing as a wear item. when i got the car back, again, the shimmy problem was gone...almost. there is still evidence of a minor shimmy in the front end and this is how it always develops. i went back to the dealer and noted that we were taking the car on vacation but that i wanted to document the problem again in the event we had to have service in a remote location. the dealer again serviced the brakes and i left on vacation to san diego. the problem again appeared and we decided to not drive this car back cross-country and it remains in san diego and no use to me whatever. my spouse will not enter the car because she fears the front-end will collapse. i agree with her. *tr | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER ARM | |||
| 08/14/2006 | 6000 | 1 | 01/05/2006 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while attempting to exit a freeway at 55 mph the vehicle went out of control and veered off the road before it was stopped. the contact noticed the front passenger tire was lying on its side. the vehicle was towed to the dealer who determined the front lower control arm needed to be replaced. updated 09/11/06. *jb | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - CONTROL ARM - LOWER BALL JOINT | |||
| 01/17/2008 | 1 | 03/14/2007 | |
| To whom it may concern: on january 17, 2008 i had an accident that was due to a manufacturing defect on my 2006 hhr. i was on my way to drop off my children to daycare. as i was exiting the highway ramp, i hit a guard rail. this situation was very scary and frightful for my kids and me because of the impact. it could | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - STABILIZER BAR | |||
| 10/01/2005 | 30 | 09/26/2005 | |
| **vehicle has a vibration at speeds over 35 mph, has been into four different chevy dealers numerous times they can not find the problem(they have rotated tires many times,balanced tires many times,changed tires and replaced all four tires)..problem still not solved. ** brakes pulsate sometimes and smell like they are burning (they have cleaned and adjusted brakes at least 6 times,plus they have cut rotors twice (they said they are warped, they also cut the rear drums)..problem still not solved. ** vehicle has a klunking noise when you hit a bump (they have replaced steering column, the next time they replaced stablizer pins)..problem still not solved. ** other problems that most have been solved include :* : *: *: *clothes hanger replaced twice**rear wiper replaced never worked properly**leak in the fire wall puddles in car**weather stripping was defective puddles inside doors causing severe wet seatbelts**key stuck in ignition replaced ignition**transmision jumping, gear shift replaced**locks not working had to update computer codes** *tr | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||
| 03/01/2007 | 30000 | 3 | 10/01/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. while driving 20 mph over a hole or dip in the road, the entire vehicle stalled and shut off. the weather was not a factor. the stalling occurred at least three times within one week. the vehicle cannot be restarted once it shut off. there were no warning indicators prior to the failure. the dealer does not know the cause of the failure or the remedy. the failure mileage was 53,000. the consumer stated the vehicle was having several issues with the cam sensor, wheels, a broken hub bearing, bent rotors and an issue with removing the key from the ignition, due to the shift cable not staying secured. the check engine light illuminated, the inside driver door handle would not open the door, the passenger side back would not stay secured. updated 06/25/08 | |||