Turned the ignition key on to start the car and proceeded to back out of a parking space. I discovered that it seemed unusually difficult to turn the steering wheel. I looked at my instrument dash panel and it displayed that there was a problem with my power steering. I pulled back into my parking stall, turned off my ignition and restarted the car but had the same problem. I next turned off the ignition, moved the key in the ignition keyway a bit and then restarted the car again. This seemed to solve the problem. The "power steering problem" was cleared from the computer read out on the dash panel and I was able to easily steer the car again. Upon further investigation I learned that this particular problem has to do with a faulty electric power steering assist motor installed in many gm vehicles, some of which have already been recalled. This could develop into a very serious situation should this incident happen to occur when one least expects it to, especially while traveling at higher speeds.
2006 Chevrolet HHR steering complaints
Page 8 of 16: complaints 191 to 220 of 458, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Started the car and began to pull out of the drive and the power steering is not working, it had been just fine the day before. The car now steers like a 1960's car with manual steering.
2006 chevrolet hhr. Consumer writes in regards to ignition switch recall notice. *smd the consumer stated the steering wheel and front end were shaking, and there was a noise coming from the vehicle. The technician found a worn out bearing, the steering shaft had an internal failure and the sway bar links were worn. The steering column, intermediate shaft and sway bar links were replaced. Also, it was difficult to shift out of park at times. It was determined a liquid had been spilled in the shifter. Also, the consumer was unable to remove the key from the ignition.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the power steering failure warning message illuminated along with a chiming noise as the power steering assist malfunctioned. The failure caused the steering wheel to become difficult to turn. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified and no solution was offered. The failure mileage was 81,000.
2006 chevrolet hhr. Consumer writes in regards to air bag malfunction. *smd consumer sent additional correspondence. *smd the consumer was involved in an accident in 2010, and the air bag did not deploy. Also, the vehicle stalled and was recalled for ignition and steering problems. *jb updated 04/15/14
We have had several problems with our hhr since we bought it in august of 2007. The first problem occurred just after purchasing it, when we were driving it out on a highway for a first time outing with it, when I noticed the front wheels seemed to be floating back and forth. I slowed down and immediately took it home. We contacted our local dealer, and had the car brought in to be checked out. We were told the front bushings were bad & needed replacing. The dealer replaced the bushings. (under warranty) in september of 2007, we had to replace our cars remote control, even though it was only 1 years old. Our dealer replaced it but we had to pay $81.82 out of our pocket. October 2007, I brought our car into our dealer because it had a rough ride and groaning sounds. The dealer looked at it and said the sound was coming from the steering column. They replaced our steering column under warranty. December of 2007 my wife, mother & I went to a christmas light parade in our town; when we got home I turned off the ignition & when I attempted to remove the key, it would not come out. That monday I called our local dealer & they had us bring in the car on 12/3/07. They reported that there was no power to the inter lock2 and a fuse had brown. They found that a wire harness was pinched under the column cover & repaired the harness (under warranty) january 29,2008 I brought our 2006 hhr into our dealer again complaining about squeaking and popping noise with clunking in left front. They said they heard noise from stabilizer links pivot joint at link tires miss-matched. They replaced both stabilizers links under warranty. Continued on next report
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while driving 35 MPH, the steering wheel became very difficult to turn. The contact indicated that the power steering sensor light illuminated during the incident. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who repaired the failure but no information was available. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 112,500.
Was coming off the interstate on an exit ramp in a curve and the power steering went out!! Almost ran into the concrete side wall of the off-ramp....scared me to death! Took it to local chevrolet dealer and they could find nothing wrong. Continues to do this to this day... Power steering turns off after the car is driven awhile and 'warms up'. Researched this online and seems to be a common problem with hhrs same age as mine. A friend's hhr 2007 did the same thing and it cost her $900+ to get it fixed!!! I wouldn't complain, would just have it fixed, except that from my research, this has happened with many hhrs and cobalts made in 2006!! There should be a recall on this because it could easily have caused me to wreck! I am a single mother of a daughter in college...don't have the $ to fix this repair!
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH, the vehicle stalled with the illumination of the power steering warning light. The vehicle could not be restarted. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer, who stated that the steering column and electric motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the power steering warning lamp illuminated as the power steering assist failed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 180,000.
My power steering just randomly went out. It has continued to do this.
Was driving on hwy 231 in northern alabama at posted speed limit of 65mph, suddenly car made a chime sound and the "power steering" message came on. Unable to steer vehicle safely as the steering seized. Was able to get it to the chevy dealer, but while the 2009-2010 hhr has a recall for this exact problem, it currently does not cover the earlier models even though it is obviously the same problem. Awaiting cost of repair...
Engine shut off first time resulting in minor contact with garage door while pulling into driveway. Shut down 2 more times at low speeds and a 4th time at 50mph in a cement barrier construction zone on a bridge, no road shoulder, due to speed at shut down was able to coast through construction to roadside. Ignition control module was replaced after incident, however shutdowns continued after. Drove car with single key only since ignition control module was replaced, however my vehicle stills shuts down! It has been included in the recall but it still is not safe and I don't believe will be safe after recall repair! I don't want to wait until I kill someone to have the gov, gm, or anyone care, that the cars that are actually shutting down need to be taken off the road and replaced! Please someone help the car owners like me! Help us feel safe again and not as though we are playing russian roulette every time we drive our cars! I am begging someone at this agency to please make them replace our known defective and unsafe cars! My car continues to shutdown after removal of all things on the key! Help! I have 2 small kids and have to keep them safe!
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated when he made a left turn at 35 MPH, the steering wheel seized which made it difficult to control the vehicle. The contact stated that the power steering warning light also illuminated. The contact diagnosed that the power steering motor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 95,000. Updated 06/17/14*lj updated 08/15/2017
Have owned the vehicle since 32k miles, 2nd owner I think. Starting about 1 and 1/2 yr ago the electric power steering (eps) started turning off while driving under any condition. When this happens it is very hard to turn the car. Car must be stopped and engine turned off and on again to reset eps system. This is very dangerous and happens at random.
Traveling on solomon's island rd. In annapolis, md., I heard a chime sound, "power steering" appeared as a lighted warning, and I suddenly had no power steering. I pulled into a shopping center, making a lefthand turn, and it was very difficult to steer. I checked my manual which told me not to keep driving, called my husband who is a former auto tech, and he advised me to start the car again to see if the light came on again. It didn't, so he thought that maybe it was a temporary problem and advised me to drive cautiously, but to pull over if it came on again. I was more than an hour from home (denton, md.) and really didn't want to get stranded at nightfall, so I drove east on route 50, and just before rowe blvd., it came on again, and I pulled off to try to find a safe place to park. It was very difficult to steer, especially making a 90-degree turn. It was getting dark, and I was concerned about parking in a safe place to wait for my husband to meet up with me. So I reasoned that, once I got back on route 50, I would only have to drive straight to get to kent island and meet up with my husband who would drive my car the rest of the way home. I prayed my car wouldn't get stranded on the bay bridge, but it seemed that the power steering was the only issue. My husband drove the rest of the way home safely. We went online to find out if this was an issue with the hhr, and found that there were many owners who reported the same problem. Frankly, we were and are surprised that hhrs older than 2010 have not been recalled. Intermittently, the problem kept occurring with my husband driving my car until I finally got it repaired two weeks later on march 25, 2014. My steering motor had to be replaced for $262.50.
Was driving at lunch & power steering message came on & when I went to turn, I had no power steering.
Unable to remove key from ignition switch. Dealer replaced solenoid in shifter. Very dangerous, please investigate.
Steering I-shaft failure.
Faulty steering column, air bag would not deploy in event of a crash. Replaced under warranty by dealer. Very serious !!!
When the car get to 60-65mph the steering wheel start to vibrate very badly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH and making a turn, there was a sudden loss of power steering with the illumination of the warning indicator. The vehicle was driven with difficulty in turning the steering wheel. The failure recurred seven times. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 62,750.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact was driving 20 MPH when the power steering warning light "power steering displayed on information center, chimes audible as if door is ajar, illuminated as the power steering assist failed and the steering wheel became abnormally resistant. Additionally, the contact mentioned that the keys would fail to eject from the ignition intermittently. The vehicle was taken to a dealer but the failure was unable to be replicated. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 83,594 and the current mileage was 91,000. Updated 5/13/14*cn..!....updated 07/31/14 *bf the consumer stated the incident occurred again, while driving 45 MPH. The vehicle shuddered and vibrated and he lost power steering. The consumer pulled over, shut the vehicle off, and re-started it again, and everything went back to normal, as if nothing happened. The dealer informed the consumer, a power steering was ordered and they would install under warranty. Updated 08/05/14
Power steering randomly keeps turning off.
Power steering has become intermittent. Upon restart it's fine and then goes out periodically between 2 and 30 minutes after each restart. Anyone who needs power steering to drive, not just a convenience, would have a very hard physical time making a 90 degree turn, especially if the steering went out while making the turn.
This incident is identical to the federal safety agency action number : pe10005 which is for the chevrolet cobalt/pontiac g5. My power steering gave out, the driver information center said power steering and there was a chime. The power steering was restored when I restarted the car. This problem has occurred 3 times so far. The first time in the morning after a 20 minute drive, while stopped at a stop sign. Then again in the morning after 20 minutes of driving on a highway at 45 MPH while in a curve. Then again in the evening on straight highway going 65 MPH after only 5 miles of driving. I see this problem was recalled for the above mentioned cars. My hhr is experiencing the same problem, and chevy hhr forums show other hhrs are experiencing this problem along with the saturn ion.
This has happened a few times with this vehicle, usually at speeds in excess of 50 MPH. When being cut off by another vehicle, hitting the brake hard and steering away from the offending vehicle cause the hhr to fishtail and get very squirrelly. It just starts going back and forth in a rocking motion and only settles down by taking my foot off the brake. It feels like the car could easily go into a roll over. I have had it inspected by les schwab and they replaced the struts and shocks, but saw no real problems. This latest incident occurred many months after that work was completed, so that apparently was not part of the problem. It will also occasionally give me a shimmy in the steering wheel when decelerating from a moderate speed. However, that does not occur most of the time... Rotors appear to be fine.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the power steering malfunctioned causing the steering wheel to become hard to maneuver. The contact mentioned that the power steering warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 45,000 and the current mileage was 200,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that when driving at various speeds, the power steering assist would suddenly malfunction making it very difficult to turn the steering wheel. In addition, the vehicle would sporadically stall. The failure was recurring. The vehicle was diagnosed by an independent mechanic but the failure was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Gear shifter pin broke & now won't lock in gear. The key cannot be removed except by removing a cap on the steering column & pressing a release button. Defective gear shifter pin. ------------------------------------- I went home & tried to take my key out but it would not release so since the car would not turn completely off the battery died. I found out on the internet that this has happened to thousands of people. I found out how to remove the plug on the steering column to press the release to take out the key. The gear shifter will not lock so it is easy for it to slip into neutral or out of park & roll away. I don't have the $500 they said it will take to fix it so I have to live with it. I always have to make sure to lock my emergency brake & have to hit the release to take my key out. This is dangerous & so wrong of gm not to recall this when so many have had this problem. This is their defect & not the customers.
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