Rear door locking system failure. Door opened suddenly and without warning while driving endangering occupants. The door locking mechanism will not allow the door to remain secure and closed when shut. Online search revealed many similar incidents occurring for other drivers.
2010 Chevrolet HHR: doors won't lock, open or latch
47 of the 516 complaints about the 2010 Chevrolet HHR describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 47
- of this car's complaints
- 9%
- typical repair cost reported
- $400
- typical mileage
- 60,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? 3 service bulletins cover this area of the car. See below
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
aBOUT 3 WEEEKS ago I went to exit my 2010 Chevrolet HHR ls and the drivers door handle broke off in my hand. This caused me to climb over to the passenger side to exit. After wards I realized that I could use the power windows to roll the window down to open door from outside. If in the case of a crash the power windows would not work thus trapping me and all of my occupants in the vehicle. I checked on the hhr owners web site and many owners complain it is a constant problem . Some carry extra in vehicle to combat the problem.
Back passenger side door will not latch closed. Stays unlatched while stationary or in motion. While not latching it does not seal against rain or fumes. Door can open while in motion or while stationary thus allowing passengers or contents to fall out of car.
The door handle is made of plastic and it fails. The plastic cracks and you can't open the door from the inside. Mine broke. What if someone got caught in a flash flood and you lose power to you window. You die. I think this is a safety issue and gm address the same problem with the ssr. They replace the ssr handles with metal. There are 40,000 members on the hhr forum and a lot more cars on road. Please address this issue. It's scary that one pull on you door handle and you can't get out unless you open the window or crawl out the other side.
Passenger inside door handle is made of plastic and cracked. Only way to get out of the car is to open window and use outside door handle. If the window fails you need to exit the driver side. The vehicle was parked.
On april 25,2018, while driving on the freeway rt passenger back door opened, no indicator light came on dash board to show rt back door ajared... On april 19,2018 while driving on city street rt front passenger door opened, no indicator light appeared on dash. Both rt front and back passenger doors opened with in five days apart while driving.I was informed by dealership that the vehicle was old. Cause: faulty latch spring loader a15 body & electrical, 10470c lock, replaced rt front passenger door latch assembly. I purchased it in 2011and the present mileage is 17,000mi. I feel if the hatch door opens while on the freeway and my wheel chair rolls out a fatal accident would occur. I feel the material used in the latch spring loader and door latch assembly is unsafe. Parts should be recalled and replaced by the manufacturer, as well as notifying owner.thank u for your help.
Tl* the contact's son owns a 2010 chevrolet hhr. While attempting to exit the vehicle, the front driver's door latch inadvertently detached without warning. The vehicle was taken to ramey automotive, inc. At (276) 964-2511 (2750 clinch st, richlands, va 24641), but the failure could not be replicated. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. When the contact attempted to exit the vehicle from the front passenger side, the door handle inadvertently detached as well as the rear passenger side door handle. The same dealer was contacted again, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000.
In the last 6 months I have had both front door handles one on the drivers side and one on the passenger side break off. It looks based on my research this is a problem in all hhr vehicles. This is not save not having handles on the inside of the door. I live in michigan and with winter approaching I need to have handles on the inside
Two of the inside door handles have snapped off and had to be replaced. This is a safety hazard. A minor fender bender could jam the doors and the handles be too weak to open the door mechanisms. If a fire, occupants would perish. Recall in order for all vehicles with plastic inside door handles. Updated 09/11/2017
The interior door handles beak off - there have been tons of complaints online about this safety issue. You cannot exit the car from the door the handle has snapped off without either going to a different door or rolling down window and using the outside handle. 2 handles have broke now in the last year.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that the driver's side door would not lock. The dealer diagnosed that the latch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact also stated that the rear passenger door would not lock. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
The plastic, interior door handles are prone to breaking. I replaced front, driver's-side interior door handle approximately 2 years ago. The front, passenger-side door handle is now broken. This is more than an inconvenience; it is a safety issue. To exit the vehicle, it is necessary to either roll down window and open door by pulling exterior door handle, or another occupant of the vehicle must exit the vehicle to open the door from outside. In the event of an emergency, this could result in further injury or death to occupant(s) being unable to quickly exit the vehicle. I don't know how many times this has been reported to the federal safety agency, but there are many such cases that can be found by searching the internet. In fact, it is such a common occurance that dorman manufacturing sells a replacement door handle repair kit for the chevrolet hhr because the original interior door handle is riveted to the interior door panel, and chevrolet/gm would otherwise require entire interior door panel to be replaced at a cost of approximately $400, excluding labor. I paid approximately $45 (shipping included) through amazon for dorman's kit. My vehicle was stationary when interior door handles broke. Normally one would not open doors while vehicle is in motion.
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2010 Chevrolet HHR door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 2010 Chevrolet HHR?
47 of 516 owner complaints about the 2010 Chevrolet HHR (9%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2006.
How much does it cost to fix doors won't lock, open or latch on the 2010 Chevrolet HHR?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $400 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2010 Chevrolet HHR?
There are 0 recalls and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2010 Chevrolet HHR
Power steering loss 76Loss of power 27Airbag light 24Fuel leak 20Stalling 17Steering lock-up 13Engine failure 11Fuel pump 9Fuel smell 9Jerking 8No deployment 7Won't start 7Headlights 6ABS 5Fire or smoke 5Pulling 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2010 Chevrolet HHR?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history