Initially, I had intermittent problems with my 2006 chevy hhr. The key switch wouldn't turn all the way off to release the key. I took it to the dealership while it was under warranty, and they informed me that they "couldn't make it do it" (for which they have a record). After about a year-and-a half of this intermittent problem, my key would not come out of the ignition at all. I was out of town, staying at a hotel and had to leave the key in the ignition overnight. I read my owners manual and found the hidden release button in the steering column. I took it back to the dealership, and because I am out of warranty, I have to pay for this repair that is due to poor craftsmanship. After researching this to see if was recalled, I have uncovered numerous chevrolet hhr owners that have experienced the same problem, and it is a faulty shift linkage. This item needs to be on the recall list.
2006 Chevrolet HHR electrical complaints
Page 8 of 9: complaints 191 to 220 of 222, newest first, as owners wrote them.
2006 chevy hhr continues to have power steering go out during operation. This could be very dangerous under certain conditions. After reading several blogs, it appears that the cause is a defect in the eps (electrical power steering). It employs the body control module (bcm), power steering control module (pscm), torque module and various other systems. The system becomes corrupted and causes intermittent power steering failure. As stated above, if the system fails during certain driving conditions, (I.e. Driving in curving, mountainous terrain) and system fails, this could cause very difficult steering and a traffic crash.
I need your help, 1st,computer broke,then 2nd gear shift, then 3rd sunroof, then 4th back door won't open-son can't get out, then 5th power steering, tried to replace power steering with a used one that we could afford,, now car is locked and won't crank, did what mechanic said to reprogram and it still doesn't work, gm replaced 1st computer, I paid for gears , tried to get gm to fix electric steering, said they would buy parts but not labor >1000, right before we tried to replace the power steering the crank started hanging, 06 chevrolet hhr-no car, help, its so broke, hurt myself trying to drive it, and have been trying to get fixed for over 2 months, its a bomb, now I have no car to drive. Gm states its over mileage, thought I bought all warranties, dealer went out of business, palm bay chevrolet, fl, I need some help, multiple times have all but crashed related to can't hardly steer it, turn it, I think I've broke my shoulder with this thing. Now I catch a ride with 4 years to pay left on this car, help! Its a hazard, I don't have goliaths strength any more!
First the gear shift would not come out of park without having to basically yank the handle with all of my strength. Then about two days later the keys would not come out of the ignition. In looking into this issue on other sites it has been stated that this is a common issue when any moisture (ex from a spill of cleaning) gets into the gear shifter. For this reason the dealership has installed a "temporary fix" being a quick release switch located under the steering wheel. I have looked for this switch since reading about it online and have not yet been able to locate it.
Fan stopped working and will not blow out heat. I took it to the dealer and they said it was an electrical problem with the blower motor. The car is 2 years old and I don't understand why an electrical problem would not be a manufacturing problem. The dealer will fix it for $527.00. I don't have that kind of money and I don't think this is a problem I should have to pay for. Why would a 2 year old car have an electrical problem. For sure it is a safety hazard. Besides that I live in illinois and cannot drive in the winter without a heater. I would like for this problem to be covered by the manufacturer.
I bought the 2006 hhr in march 2007, in july I had the stabilizer links replaced, then in december I had to have the steering column replaced, in october 2008 I needed to have the struts replaced & now a week later I have to have the strut mounts replaced. Not only that, I had a leak from the heater case that leaked into my passenger side, I had the radio replaced & also my front & back bumper is loose which the dealer told me on the phone that is probably clips that have broken off. I was told because I live in michigan, that the struts went bad sooner than anticipated. Also, although I had a car fax report on this car, this car has been in an accident that no one knew about. I am not very pleased with this car & its a shame to make a car payment on a car that I don't even like anymore due to the problems. I was told they would give me $9000.0 as trade in, but I had 13000 on it, so how do you get out of a car that you think should be recalled? I have been checking into the lemon law & I understand as long as you purchase the used car with the factory warranty still active, it's covered under the lemon law. But since the dealer wont do anything about it, I doubt gm will. I was told to wait till after the election, for the economy to get better, that doesn't mean they will reasonably get me out from under this junk of a car!
I own an 2006 chevrolet hhr-- the instrument panel lights up when you start up but soon it goes out. I can not see the speed at which I am going. My dealer tells me many owners complain about this and there is nothing they know to fix it. This is really a safety concern. Find out why this happens.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. At less than 25,000 miles, the brakes would occasionally roll when the brake pedal was depressed. The dealer stated that the rotors did not need to be replaced at that time, but advised the contact to keep an eye out. Currently, the failure has worsened and the contact has scheduled an appointment to see the dealer. The instrument panel lights, which indicate how many miles the vehicle has or how much oil is remaining, illuminate on and off intermittently. Occasionally, when the key is turned in the ignition, the engine turns over but the vehicle does not start. The current mileage was 30,000 and failure mileage was 22,000.
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
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. On may 14, 2008, after driving for 30 minutes, the contact was unable to remove the key from the ignition when she arrived home. Approximately two hours later, she left home and when she returned, she slammed on the brakes and placed the vehicle into park. She was then able to remove the key at that time. Later that night, she drove to work and could not remove the key from the ignition again once she arrived. Since that time, she is still unable to remove the key and can shift gears without starting the vehicle. The dealer has not yet been notified. The current mileage was 48,764 and failure mileage was 48,761.
Received safety recall notice in mail 04-05-08. Tried to call dealer on saturday, but get through. Talked to a rep in the service dept at londoff chevrolet. Per rep they did not have the parts to fix the problem. He advised me to call back in a week. Called 04-11-08 and got an appointment to have the roof-rail air bag installed in order to conform to motor vehicle safety standard 201 for my hhr. I was given an appointment for friday, 04-18-08 at 10:00am to find out that supposedly they just installed the last one and didn't have the parts available for my vehicle. I spoke to another csr in the service dept. He didn't know how this happened but stated that enterprise had brought some hhr 's in and they had fixed them. I am upset that they would install the air bag in enterprise cars and not at least keep the one for my scheduled appointment. How dangerous is this safety recall? *tr the consumer stated the vehicle broke down within the first six months of ownership. The consumer stated the vehicle has lost power steering on two occasions. The speedometer was erratic and the vehicle would suddenly lunge forward while driving.. When the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer, they stated it was a wiring problem. Updated ivoq 08/12/10 updated ivoq 08/31/10
2006 chevy hhr broken inside drivers door handle. Consumer states that she must roll down the window and use the outside handle to exit the vehicle. *kb the consumer also stated the power steering failed and a fuse burned out.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact started the engine to warm up the vehicle. Approximately five minutes later, she attempted to place the vehicle in reverse, but the shifter would not move from park. She waited approximately ten minutes and the failure continued. Approximately 15 minutes later, the gear was able to shift out of park. The contact drove to work and was unable to shut off the vehicle. After several attempts, she was able to remove the key from the ignition; however, the radio was still on and the chime noises remained engaged. The gears were also able to be moved without the key in the ignition. The vehicle has not been repaired and remains in her possession. The VIN, engine size, number of cylinders, and transmission type were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 36,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact could not remove the key from the ignition. She stated that the vehicle did not seem to properly shift into park. The vehicle has not been to the dealer or repaired. The VIN and engine size were unknown. The current mileage was 32,000 and failure mileage was 31,000.
The car has stalled as a result of the key moving from the run to the accessory position when driving over a large bump. No damage occurred from the bump, but the ignition is loose enough that the key moved and the car stalled.
I am leasing a 2006 chevy hhr. My husband was driving on the expressway when we hit a pot hole and my car died at 70mph! My husband steve put the car into neutral and it started without hesitation and we carried on. Very scary as you lose your power in steering, etc... I called the dealership that day and took it for a look over. They could not duplicate the problem and said the car seemed fine so there was no more they could do? On a recent trip to ky we again hit a pot hole on the expressway and again my car died. We were able to restart it and carried on. I belong to a website that is for hhr owners and I soon discovered I was not the only one having this problem. Some people have this problem without hitting a pot hole or bump of any kind!! A man who had this happen said when he hit the pot hole and his car died he noticed when he went to restart the car that his key has slipped to the "acc" position. He suggested we test our keys by putting them in the ignition and playing around with them. I was interested in trying this as this is a very dangerous issue! I started my car and to my horror discovered that with no pressure I can turn my car off. I only have 4 keys and my remote on my key ring so it is not due to weight of my keyring. I can grab my hanging remote, and other keys (I only held one key) and with no pressure I can turn my car off. I am calling my dealership first thing tomorrow morning b/c I want a key cylinder in place that does not allow for my key to turn with bumps in the road. This is an extremely dangerous problem and since I am not the only one dealing with this issue I am wondering why no letters are being sent. This is most certainly a failure on design and or faulty parts which is a liability if and when it causes death and or serious injury. I look forward to hearing from you so that this matter for all owners with this issue can be resolved. Sincerely, stephanie rogers
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. While driving through a car wash, the engine and traction control light illuminated and allowed the contact to remove the key from the ignition. As a result, the vehicle lost total power. He notified general motors and aaa to jump start the vehicle. The owner's manual stated that this may occur if one were to drive through a puddle of water. It also stated that the engine may stall and cause the electrical system to collect water and moisture. General motors stated that the failure was a manufacturer defect, but they did not know how to correct the failure. The dealer and manufacturer advised him to drive around in order to dry off the electrical system. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 15,000 and current mileage was 20,000. Updated 02-06-08.
Three times previously and again in the past week for the 4th time my 2006 chevrolet hhr has been taken in to the dealers service department for the same problem-- which I believe is a very dangerous problem and which the service department can not identify. My 2006 hhr has the propensity to "turn itself off" while being driven on roads or highways. This tends to occur when crossing over small potholes, bumps or joints in the road. The first 2 times that the auto was taken in to service department they said no problem could be identified. The third time, in december 2006, they stated that there was a problem with a "ground" wire and they said that they had fixed the problem. However in the past months intermittently the car has again had episodes of "turning itself off" and these episodes have been increasing in frequency and have become extremely scary. On 11/22/07 while being driven on divided superhighways at speeds 55-65 MPH, approximately 10 times after crossing over joints in the roadway or small potholes or bumps in the road the car totally turned itself off. The electrical system seemed to fail with headlights and dashboard lights going off, radio going off, and engine turning off completely). Luckily no one crashed into the car while it had turned itself off on the busy superhighway-- even though the car was still gliding forward on the highway without power. The car was taken 11/23/07 again (for the 4 the time in the past 2 years) to fitzgerald auto mall in frederick, maryland to try to have them fix the problem. Today the service manager reported no problem with the car could be identified. I believe that this vehicle unsafe to drive since it unpredictably turns itself off. I believe there is some as yet unidentified electrical system problem that is very dangerous in this vehicle, and it is just a miracle that no one has been killed yet.
I have had several issues with my hhr since purchased in september 2005. First incident was the lock on the hatch broke after only owning the car for a few months. Next was with the brakes. At first I noticed a noise when I applied my brakes it sounded like something was loose. This nose would come and go. After a few months I started to notice a slight vibration in my steering wheel when braking a few days later that vibration turned to violent shaking and resistance when braking. I took it to the dealer who informed me the rotors were warped and needed to be repaired. This was roughly around 13000 mi. The dealer did repair the rotors under warranty and didn't give me the "it's normal wear & tear" mumbo. Next is the check engine light keeps coming on. It will stay on for a few days and then go off. This has happened 3 times already and the dealer has replaced the sensor each time. Now we are up to the 4th time as it came back on again yesterday. I have also had issues with the radio. The radio has had power to it and no volume. This happened 3-4 times b/4 I took it to the dealer who had to reset & reprogram something on the radio.
The outside temperature gauge consistently "sticky" or reads inaccurate outside temperature. Only after driving an average of 45mph for at least 3 or 4 minutes will the gauge update. Typical city driving never allows for the 45mph average and thus gauge continually sticks at the morning colder temperature. Only after 2 hours will the gauge update properly so if running errands less than 2 hours and not driving freeway the gauge never updates and sticks at the low morning temperature.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that the front driver side air bag deployed without warning while his spouse was driving. She sustained minor injuries. The dealer stated that the wiring short circuited in the steering harness and caused the failure. The VIN, engine size, and speed were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 27,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The vehicle shut off after it was driven two miles. The vehicle would not restart. When the key was turned in the ignition, the vehicle attempted to restart. There were no warning indicator lights. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they replaced the starter. However, the failure continues. The dealer was unable to determine how to repair the failure. The failure speed was unknown. The current mileage was 18,860 and failure mileage was 9,000.
The outside temp indicator stopped working. The dealer replaced a "body control module" this caused the cruise control to stop working. 1 "electronic control module" was installed. Problem still existed. A second ECM was installed and the cruise once again works, however now my driving lights no longer work. It will be returned to the dealer for a time to try to get all the electronics to work as they should.
2006 chev. Hhr with a problem with ignition key that gets stuck in the ignition**cc
2006 hhr lt. History of ABS/brake/front end component failures and electronic malfunctions since purchase in winter of 2005. When applying brakes steering wheel shook hard from l to r and brakes grabbed/released. Dealer found rotors warped at less than 10k miles. Warranty repair/resurface. Problems continued: ABS engaged on dry pavement under 10 MPH but would not engage at road speeds with brakes heavily applied. At same time, pedal went to floor. Ase certified gm mechanics told me this was impossible - until service manager test drove and concluded pedal goes to floor; car is unsafe to drive. Claim opened/resolved with gm. Dealer found defective wheel hub assembly (left) that caused ABS failure below 8k miles. (no accident) next failure occurred in the right wheel hub assembly and an accident resulted. Gm and the dealer claim no defect but only error code is right front ABS failure with prior 7 pages history of ABS/brake/electronic problems (submitted to ins company and gm and in possession of the dealer). This failure resulted in an accident with substantial damage to the wheels/rims/undercarriage of the vehicle. Gm and the dealer concluded - without bench testing the right wheel hub assembly - that there was no defect; however, the only error code recorded is an ABS failure (claim opened with gm). Gm and dealer have called to see how the vehicle is doing - I declined to commit saying that I would be making a determination as to the vehicle's performance shortly. Good thing - the steering wheel shakes from left to right on application of the brakes and the brakes pulse as if the wheels are no longer round (grab and release). These are the same symptoms that occurred when the rotors when out of spec. It is my suspicion that the rotors have again gone out of spec and that the ABS/braking component failures are continuing with this vehicle. I am about to take the car to an independent mechanic for evaluation.
Key locks in the ignition and will not release, it took repeated attemps at first of cycling the key off and on to get it to release after a week or two the proplem became worse to the point of the the shifter had to be cycled from park to low and back several times before the key would lock and release from the steering collum, after a few days this didn't work,the problem then was mentioned to the dealer and they said it was "common" with this modey of hhr. Had I not been a mechanic the vehicle would be stuck were ever the problem occured, I temperally fixed the problem by going under the steering collum and pulling a cover off about a inch down from the steering wheel and pushing the rod to the left about a quarter of an inch to get the key to lock and release the key where the vehicle can be driven and locked to prevent theft.
One day the radio would not change stations, I used the control on the steering wheel and radio turned up all the way and would not turn down until I pulled over and shut the car off. Took the car to dealer they tested and ordered a new radio. Not installed yet. A few days later the interior lights got real dim and would not get brighter unless I turned the auto lights off. This happened several times. About a week later,went out to start the car it would not start and the key got stuck in the ignition, called roadside assistance they jumped it and took it to dealer who said it was a loose ground. The radio quit working all together. Two days later it would not start again so I jumped it and it started. The radio started working as I was driving down the road. Four days later car would not start and we called roadside assistance again. They came and jumped it and towed it to dealer again where it is now.
2006 chevy hhr shuts off while driving.
After 7500 miles, hhr is demonstrating starter/ignition problems. As opposed to new vehicle, it now takes between 3-7 seconds or more, to get vehicle to start. Initially, vehicle started immediately with key and remote starter. This problem is intermittent but chronic. A vehicle should not take this much cranking to start.
(1) none, it just stopped working. (2) outside air temperature indicator does not work, temperature stays the same for several days. It might change to the correct temperature or just change a few degrees when it feels like it. (3) dealer replaced outside air temperature sensor. It worked ok for 4 days. Stopped working again.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2006 Chevrolet HHR?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history