when I went to push on the brake, the brake pedal went to the floor... I had No Brakes? This could have been a terrible accident had I been going faster.
Chevrolet HHR brake failure problems
23 of the 3,575 owner complaints about the Chevrolet HHR describe brake failure, most of them for the 2006 model year.
- owner complaints
- 23
- worst model year
- 2006
- typical mileage
- 65,000
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
Power steering loss 3No deployment 2ABS 2Water leak 1Pulling 1Stalling 1Door locks 1Check engine light 1
What owners say
I was approaching a red light on aldi dr. And route 48.when I applied my brakes the pedal went to the floor resulting in running thru the light stopping in the middle of intersection of route 48 after using emergency brake to get stopped.it was a miracle that I didnt cause an accident.I do have a pa. Certified inspection mechanics license.I got out of car and seen brake fluid running out of right front wheel with 4 ways on I backed car off of route 48 into home depot parking lot and checked out what the problem was.I seen the caliber brake hose hanging down towards the ground with fluid running out.I called for a tow truck to take me home.when getting auto home I jacked right front of car up and placed jack stand under car.then removed r-front wheel and seen the that the metal clamp holding the brake hose to the car rusted away ,it was paper thin resulting in the hose blowing off.with ABS and a single master cylinder it was a complete brake failure! I contacted general motors and the were sorry about what happened .I have changed both front brake hoses.the both hoses where under $40.00 dollars.this is the worst brake failure that I have seen in my lifetime! I am in my 60s.I fill that the public needs to no about this before someone gets killed or hurt very bad .I was going about 5 miles an hour when this happened and couldnt stop car.the chevy cobalt and hhr are on the same chassis.I have kept the faulty brake hose if needed in the future.I hope that the people that own these vehicles can be notified somehow. It will be nearly impossible for the majority of people to stop these vehicles without being involved in an accident . Thank you (xxxx) parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
First my airbag system started coming on saying service airbags and the sensors are all new, second the service ESC comes on intermittently causing vehicle to shift extremely hard from 1st gear (automatic tranny) braking system was working fine and all of a sudden the brake pedal goes to the floor no brakes and the fluid is full and the system was working just fine after making gm aware of this their response to it all is the vehicle is out of warranty and there is nothing they can do but this was an issue from date of mfg and gm refuses to fix or correct the ongoing issues all of these things have happened on city streets and highways if the federal safety agency cant help with this issue then I have no where left to turn except either to a morgue or a scrap yard
I was driving around 30 MPH and sped up to pass a car. All of a sudden, the accelerator pedal went to the floor and was stuck there. I couldn't budge it. Luckily, my brakes were strong enough to overpower the accelerator. I stopped the car and shut it off. I was stranded. My mom came down and turned it on again and it was fine. I had her drive me home since I am eight months pregnant. This was a really scary occurance and I am worried it may happen to someone else. I brought the car to the dealer to get it fixed but they couldn't find anything wrong. So here I am with a potentially dangerous vehicle with no knowledge of what may be wrong. In addition, after doing some research I found that others have had the same problem. Some have been in accidents because of it. What is it going to take before this is recalled? A death? I wouldn't recommend anyone buy this car. At least this year of this model.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed as the front of the vehicle shook violently. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the brakes failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the rotors and outer tie rods failed and the rear brake pads needed to be dusted. The vehicle was repaired but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the contact stated that the power steering warning light illuminated and the brakes failed to respond. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was shifted to park in order to stop the vehicle. In addition, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 84,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 chevrolet hhr. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled more than five times, which resulted in two crashes. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after each crash. The first crash occurred when the vehicle stalled and struck the front of another vehicle. The brakes failed to stop the vehicle properly. The contact and passenger sustained minor injuries. The second crash occurred when the vehicle stalled and was crashed into a tree. Police reports were filed for both crashes. The contact sustained minor injuries and the passenger sustained a broken shoulder. Medical attention was received. The vehicle was repaired after both crashes. The contact received a recall notice for the federal safety agency campaign number: 14e021000 (electrical system); however, the parts needed for the repair were unavailable. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage and speed were unknown.
All electronic shut off no brakes no steering wound up in the ditch key would not turn to the off posiposition.
On several occasions while driving the vehicle the electric power steering failed causing my son to have to pull over quickly as it was quite difficult for him to control the car. During one event he also described what seemed to be loss of brakes as he said he had the brake to the floor and was not stopping; he had to use the emergency brake; this occurred at the same time as the power steering loss. He has had several instances where he would try to accelerate without affect.
Vehicle was exiting parkway when loss of braking and steering occurred causing vehicle to collide with guardrail nearly head on. Air bags did not deploy. Major damage to front of vehicle as well as rear of vehicle as it swung around and struck the guardrail a second time with the rear of the vehicle before coming to rest across the roadway.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Chevrolet HHR brake failure
Which Chevrolet HHR years have brake failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2006 (6 complaints), 2007 (5 complaints) and 2009 (5 complaints).
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