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.
2006 Chevrolet HHR steering complaints
Page 12 of 16: complaints 311 to 340 of 458, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Starting back in august, now pretty much every time we drive the car, the power steering goes out. It makes it very difficult to turn the wheel, seemingly harder than if we had no power steering at all. While driving straight this is not really a safety issue, but if the power steering were out and we needed to avoid an accident, it would be nearly impossible. You used to be able to turn the car off, wait 30 seconds-1 minute, and turn the car back on, and it would be fine the rest of the trip. Now, you can turn it off/back on, but the power steering goes out again in just a few minutes. From what I have seen online, there was a recall on the chevy cobalt (which has the same steering setup) and in canada.
Power steering went inop while driving, made steering very hard. Could have caused an accident if this happened while turning.
Power steering appear on data screen on dash and then had no power steering thru the turn. Pulled over and turned off car/restarted car / power steering wasn't on dash/ drive car up to about 30 MPH and no power steering again and light was on/ had been driving car about a half hour before this happen with no indication it would happen/ in order to have power steering at a light and make a turn/ I have to shut car off for a few seconds,make the turn and light comes on again/ the disturbing part of this is system will give you power steering until you start to drive it.
I was traveling down tyrone blvd. In saint petersburg florida...as I approached the intersection of tyrone and 9th attempting a left hand turn, the power steering indicator light came on. The power steering failed and I came with in inches of hitting a power pole. This not only could have caused injury to me but to others as I had to stop suddenly aborting the turn. When I finally made it home...10 miles away...I went on the internet only to find many similar and just as disturbing incidents on this matter. One I find extremely disturbing is that in canada, this situation has been recalled, but in the us, the cobalt has been recalled but not the hhr. The power steering modules are exactly the same....part numbers everything....so I guess what I want to know is , why hasn't this problem been addressed in concern to the hhr? Shame on gmc as they are well aware of the problem. Is it going to take someone getting killed? This problem need to be resolved.....yesterday.
While I was driving up a small hill I heard the warning dings and suddenly the power steering message showed up and I no longer had control of the steering. I was able to get off the road. I turned off the car and waited a minute, turned it back on and all was well again. After researching on aboutautomobiles.com I find 112 similar incidents all happening at the 70-80,000 mile mark. My concern is that there should be a warning to all used car hhr purchases. If the power steering goes out on the hairpin turns in my community you are as good as dead at almost any speed. Plus there would be no proof it was the steering because it corrects itself after the car is turned off. It would appear as a "lost control" incident only. I will be taking my car to the gm dealer in sullivan mo (west brothers) asap for servicing.
My wife had a cobalt and the power steering was going out. Eventually there was a recall. My hhr is doing the exact same thing now.the power steering goes out and it lists "power steering" across the dash. I took it to the mechanic and they stated it will have to be fixed at the dealer. Gm has yet to issue a recall on the hhr's but many consumers have experienced the same issues. I hope by filing this complaint I can be part of the solution to get gm to issue this pending recall.
My son was driving my car on the parkway at about 55 MPH. He said there was a beeping sound, the driver information center showed power steering. At that time he noticed he had no power steering. He drove off the exit and pulled into a gas station. He shut off the engine, waited a few minutes and restarted the car. He then had power steering again. He related the incident to me and told me that although the power steering was out he could still steer the car. I was on long island after a death in the family and could not have it checked out right away. A few days later I was driving the car and the same thing happened to me. I am a sixty year old woman and not as strong as my son. I was able to turn the corner and then pull over to the side of the road where I turned the car off waited a few minutes and restarted the car and drove to my destination, which was about a mile. I spoke to my husband who works for a chevrolet dealer, who then spoke to the mechanic who takes care of my car. He looked it up and found a tsb on this problem. A few days later I drove my mom to a store which was about 15 or 20 miles away. We were just about there when the steering went out again. I was able to drive into the parking lot, but parking was very difficult. I also had to drive the car 20 miles back to my moms house. We were told that this is not a safety issue, but I disagree. It may not be hard for a man to steer the vehicle with no power steering, but from a womans point of view, it is a safety issue. I understand there is a recall on this vehicle in canada and on cobalts and pontiac g4s and g6s in the USA. The car was fixed today, but because I was away from my usual mechanic(at the dealership where my husband works), it cost me almost $400.00 to have it fixed. Please take this into consideration when deciding what is a safety issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while traveling 35 MPH, the power steering failed. The power steering warning light illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 71,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that the steering failed. The power steering light illuminated before the failure occurred and the steering wheel was hard to turn. The vehicle had been turned off for a moment to have the steering return to normal function. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 74,000 and the current mileage was 74,300.
Just turning into driveway and power steering went out. Warning light came on and chimed. Could barely turn the steering wheel. Glad it did not happen on highway with grandkids in car earlier in week while driving cross-country doing up to 75 MPH. Scary enough with little control on my own property because I about missed the driveway and hit curb! Researching this problem am keenly aware that this is common among hhr owners. Why no recall? If I had known about this I would have never put my family at risk in this vehicle by driving cross country on vacations. Steering, brakes and excessive acceleration mechanical issues are paramount to safety on the roadways!
I was driving on interstate 195 in nj & highspeed & power steering went out & whole dic instruments went haywire car started bucking & almost lost control of vehicle & went into other lane with on coming tractor trailer there. I pulled over & shut car off waited 5 mins & all was fine,I thoughtstrange so I continued & it did same thing 2 days later going 45 MPH. Dealer cant solve it but its happening to lots of hhr on hhr forums. There all complaining about electronic power steering motor is bad & cost is over $500 to repair, however the pontiac & chevy cobalt which have same frame & parts as hhr are all being recalled but nothing about the hhr??? How is this possible when the cobalt & hhr are same car but different body & made by gm. I know & see alot of older folks drive these hhr & I'm 6' 250 lbs & was able to handle this to safety but these older folks wont be so lucky. Its extremely dangerous to drive when the power steering goes out when your doing 70 on an interstate with everyone doing same speed & sometimes faster. Something must be done from gm to correct this problem when 100-1000 are experiencing same problem & that the cobalt has been recalled but not the hhr & its the same exact car. I hope it gets resolved before someone gets killed or badly injured, concerned hhr owner.
During the cold months of the year, spring I have no problem with the steering. During the hotter months of the year my power steering notification on my dash board comes up and I have no power steering. I have to turn the car off to reset the steering motor. Regardless of how fast I drive the indicator comes on and I have to turn the car off numbers of times to reset the steering motor. It's becoming more and more frequent, I bought the car used and would like to get the electric steering motor replaced. I understand that there are recalls pending on this vehicle in canada as well as chevy cobalts in the u.s. Have the same problem. The cobalts are getting fixed at no charge to the customer, but the hhr has not been included in the recall for a defective part. I strongly believe this a serious safety issue.
I was driving in our local zoo parking lot. With people crossing and my power steering went out. A message came up on the console saying "power steering". I stopped the car and shut it off checked the fuse. I t was not blown started the car and it worked again. I then drove for a few days with no issue. It has now happened 5 times at all speed ranges from 0 miles an hour up to 65 MPH. It dose not require any turning of the steering wheel. The chevy cobalt was recalled for the same issue and there are a lot of complaints about this on forums.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that the steering wheel failed and became hard to turn. The power steering warning light illuminated after the failure occurred. The failure was experienced several times. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle should be taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 120,000 and the current mileage was 140,000.
While attempting to park, the power steering suddenly went out again; this time causing me to back into a small pole. Now I have a gaping hole in my bumper. This is ridiculous. Now I see they may have issued a recall for this exact issue with this vehicle, but in canada (however, I've yet to find that notice). Also, they constantly having issues with steering on other chevy/gm vehicles. Something needs to be done, before someone really gets hurt. Previous post: for the past few months now I've had continuous problems with my power steering. While driving my info panel will beep and read "power steering," then the power steering goes out. If I turn off the ignition then restart the car, everything works fine for a few moments (sometimes longer) then it happens again. I see that there was recall issued for this exact reason for the chevy cobalt (which has the same power steering motor as the hhr), but no recall has been issued for the hhr. I see there are alot of complaints about this. Any assistance would be great!
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while driving approximately 55 MPH, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. After restarting the vehicle, the power steering resumed its normal function. The failure occurred constantly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for a diagnostic test. The technician stated that the power steering module would have to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000. Updated 08/28/12*lj the consumer stated the power steering stops working at any given time, it is difficult to make turns, and the steering wheel is difficult to maneuver. Updated 09/05/2012
Chevy hhr sudden loss of electric power steering. Gm has a recall in canada? But not in us?
The vehicle's power steering system stopped working abruptly while the vehicle was in motion. The vehicle was occupied by a mother and two small children at the time. The steering system can only be reset by turning the vehicle off and then back on. It has happened numerous times since the initial incident. Today, july 23, 2012, the steering system abruptly stopped working eight times in approximately a twenty minute time span. This is a serious safety problem that apparently gm is aware of. They have noted it in vehicles that use the identical steering system, yet have failed to address the issue on the hhr.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the power steering failure light illuminated and the vehicle lost power steering function, making it very hard to control. The vehicle was taken to a personal mechanic for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the power steering module, motor, and arm would need to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileages were 120,000.
I was driving along and my power steering failed, as I was rounding a curve on a major highway. I was traveling between 55 and 60 miles per hour. As I was rounding a curve, my power steering failed, causing me to nearly lose control of the vehicle. Gm is very aware that they built hhr's with defective power steering motors. If you start a google search for it "hhr p", it will fill in the suggestions with "hhr power steering motor/issues/failure/etc". There are forums full of people who have had to pay to replace their ps motors, but should not have. We should not have to pay to replace a major safety component on our vehicles that general motors knows in fact is bad. The reason I know that gm is aware that there is a problem, is because they've recalled nearly every other car equipped with the same electric power steering set up. My mother received a recall notification on her malibu. As did another lady I know that has a malibu, someone I know with a g6 got the letter, and 2 cobalt/g5 owners I know, also received recall letters. So gm is very very very aware that they have built potentially unsafe vehicles that could cause injury, but they do not care!!! After contacting them, their cs rep from india or philippines told me that gm is not aware of the problem, and I would have to pay to have it diagnosed, pay for the repairs, and that gm 'might' help me with the cost. Sorry, but I don't have 400 dollars to pay someone to "diagnose" a known issue and replace the part that they know is bad!!! I found the part on gmpartsdirect.com, ordered and replaced it myself. Sitting at nearly 140k (about double the miles I had when I replaced it) and still turning fine. Noticed that the new ps motor's gm part number was different. Also indicating, they knew there was a problem, redesigned the part, thus it having a new part number. Stop letting gm get away with this crime!!!
For the past few months now I've had continuous problems with my power steering. While driving my info panel will beep and read "power steering," then the power steering goes out. If I turn off the ignition then restart the car, everything works fine for a few moments (sometimes longer) then it happens again. I see that there was recall issued for this exact reason for the chevy cobalt (which has the same power steering motor as the hhr), but no recall has been issued for the hhr. I see there are alot of complaints about this. Any assistance would be great!
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while driving 55 MPH, the steering failed. The steering wheel seized and was difficult to turn. The power steering light illuminated while the failure occurred. The failure was experienced several times. The steering returned to normal function after the engine was turned off for a moment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where a diagnostic test was performed, which located the failure at the power steering motor. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 59,000.
The power steering warning light illuminated and the power steering failed. The steering wheel became hard to turn. The failure was experienced several times. The engine had to be shut off for several minutes before the power steering assist would restart. During one instance I was in the middle of turning onto a four lane highway when it went out almost causing a crash.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. While driving approximately 35 MPH the power steering warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The steering became difficult to maneuver. The contact stopped the vehicle and after restarting, the vehicle regained steering functions. The failure continued intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.
As I was driving home on I-40, I lost power steering, the power steering light came on, and the steering was extremely hard to control, and turning was almost impossible to maneuver safely. The exit ramp was especially bad. Making it especially unsafe was I had my young grandchildren with me. I find it hard to believe there isn't a recall on this issue, as I am finding hundreds of similar complaints on the 2006 hhr power steering that are very similar, this made driving very hazardous, almost impossible, until it could be repaired.
When I come to a stop, there is a rattling sound and makes the stop increasingly bumpy. It is coming from the driver's side quarter panel. Sounds like a steering column issue just as a mechanic told me.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that the power steering failed as the power steering warning light illuminated. The steering wheel became hard to turn. The failure was experienced several times. The engine had to be shut off for several moments before the power steering assist would reset. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed or repairs. The failure and the current mileage was 37,600.
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.
While driving on I-55 the power steering went out and made the car almost lunge into a guard rail. The problem persisted intermittently making the vehicle dangerous to handle at slow speeds. Research on this issue turned up massive reports of the power steering motor failing. This has resulted in a recall in canada on the hhrs. In the us the chevrolet cobalt had the same issue and was recalled. The hhr and cobalt use the same power steering motor. Please help before someone is seriously hurt or killed by this obvious defect.
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