2006 Chevrolet Hhr

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. *JB

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE 2006 CHEVROLET HHR LT WAS HAVING BRAKING SYSTEM PROBLEMS. THIS STARTED IN JANUARY 2007 WITH THE BRAKE LIGHT AND LOW BRAKE FLUID LIGHT TURNING ON. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, AND WAS TOLD TO BRING THE VEHICLE, THEY REPLACED THE MASTER CYLINDER, AND THEY REPAIRED THE WIRE HARNESS THAT SHORTED OUT. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED HIM THAT THE WIRE HARNESS FAILED BECAUSE OF A MISTAKE MADE BY THE SERVICE MECHANIC, AND THAT WAS WHY IT HAD TO BE REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE GOT THE VEHICLE BACK AND DROVE IT FOR A WEEK, THEN THE RED BRAKE LIGHT TURNED ON AND A YELLOW LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE ABS. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 02/07/07,AND THEY STILL HAD THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THEY THOUGHT ITWAS DUE TO THE WEATHER, BUT WERE NOT SURE WHAT WAS CAUSING THIS TO HAPPEN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 4100 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 3700.*AK

2006 HHR 2LT WITH 5000+ MILES HAD NEAR MISS WHEN BRAKES FAILED WHILE TRAVELING AT ABOUT 45 MPH, I ATTEMPTED TO GENTLY BRAKE FOR A TRUCK TURNING 6-7 CARS AHEAD OF ME. I HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE THAT REMINDED ME OF PLASTIC GEAR TEETH TURNING THE WRONG DIRECTION. MY PEDAL WOULD NOT DEPRESS AND THE CAR WOULD NOT EVEN SLOW. REFLEXIVELY, I PUMPED THE BRAKE TO SEE IF THE ABS HAD JUST LOCKED UP. THE BRAKE PEDAL FELT LIKE IT WAS LOCKED IN THE UP POSITION. LUCKILY I HAD BEEN ABOUT 6-7 CAR LENGTHS BEHIND AND BY THE TIME I GOT UP IN HIS REAR, MY BRAKE PEDAL RELEASED A LITTLE (STILL WITH RESISTANCE) AND I WAS ABLE TO SLOW ENOUGH NOT TO HIT HIM AS HE TURNED. I HAD TO AVOID HIM BY VEERING TO THE LEFT TO DRIVE AROUND HIM. THE BRAKE SEEMED TO RELEASE SEVERAL SECONDS LATER AFTER COMPLETELY REMOVING MY FOOT FROM THE PEDAL AND COASTING. MY AUTO DEALER SAID THEY TOOK IT FOR A DRIVE AND IT WAS BRAKING FINE. I??M CONCERNED BECAUSE THEY HAVE DISMISSED THIS NEAR COLLISION. ADDITIONAL INFO: OUTDOOR TEMP WAS BELOW 30 IN KY. IS POSSIBLE THERE WAS ICE ON THE ROAD, BUT HAVING LIVED IN BOTH OH AND MI I AM VERY FAMILIAR WITH ICE AND A CAR'S RESPONSE. ABS DID SOUND LIKE IT ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE BEFORE THE GRINDING NOISE, BUT BRAKE PEDAL RESPONSE WAS NOT NORMAL. BRAKES DID NOT LOCK UP AS WITH ICY CONDITIONS. CAR DID NOT SLIDE. SPEED WAS MAINTAINED, DESPITE ATTEMPTING TO DEPRESS BRAKE PEDAL. PEDAL DIDN'T MOVE (LOWER) AS IT DOES WITH NORMAL BRAKING. *JB

THE ANTI LOCK BRAKES ON OUR CHEVY HHR LOCKED UP WHEN ATTEMPTING A NORMAL STOP, AND STAYED IN THE LOCKED POSITION EVEN AFTER FINALLY COMING TO A STOP. IF NOT FOR A TURNING LANE BEING OPEN A COLLISION WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WENT WRONG, BUT I NEED TO POST THIS AND SEE IF OTHERS HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM. *NM

WHILE RIDING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT OF A 2006 CHEVROLET HER FOR A PERIOD OF ABOUT 2 HOURS I RECEIVED 2ND DEGREE BURNS TO POSTERIOR. CHECK OF THE SEAT BY CHEVY DEALER THE NEXT WEEK REPORTED NO PROBLEM WITH THE SEAT HEATER. IT HAS BEEN A MONTH AND I AM STILL RECOVERING FROM THE BURNS AND HAVE HAD MEDICAL TREATMENT TWICE WEEKLY . I HAVE RIDDING OVER 25,000 MILES (MOSTLY IN THE DRIVERS SEAT) AND THE SEAT HEATERS HAVE BEEN ON THE BIGGEST PART OF THE TIME OVER THE PAST YEAR. BUT THIS TWO HOUR STINT CAUSED ME SEVERE BURNS. *NM

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. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH ON A CITY STREET, THERE WAS A CLUNKING NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT FOLLOWED BY THE VEHICLE PULLING TO THE RIGHT SIDE. THE CONTACT MANAGED TO PULL THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE STREET WITHOUT INCIDENT. UPON INITIAL INSPECTION, THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE WAS LYING UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. AFTER BEING TOWED TO THE DEALER, IT WAS DETERMINED THE STEERING KNUCKLE FRACTURED INTO, AND CAUSED THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE TO ROLL UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE WHILE ATTACHED TO THE REMAINING HALF OF THE STEERING KNUCKLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.

AT 5,00 MILES THE SEAL ON THE TRANSMISSION BLEW. CAR TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. SINCE THAT TIME THERE HAS BEEN A NOISE WHEN ACCELERATING. DEALER TRIED REPLACING CATALYTIC CONVERTER, WAS NOT THE PROBLEM. MANUFACTURER NOTIFIED OF ON GOING PROBLEM, THEY SENT A REP WHO SAID THE NOISE WAS A USUAL NOISE. SERVICE MANAGER REQUESTED A SECOND OPINION FROM MANUFACTURE. CAR NOW HAS 14,500 MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR THIS SAME PROBLEM NUMEROUS TIMES. AS OF THIS DATE WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR ANOTHER REP TO LOOK AT IT. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE WAS BROADSIDED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE AND SPUN 360 DEGREES. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. THE DRIVER SUFFERED CHEST AND HEAD INJURIES, AND WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. A POLICE REPORT WAS TAKEN, AND THE VEHICLE WAS DEEMED A TOTAL LOSS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER FOLLOWING THE CRASH. UPDATED 10/31/2006 - *NM

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. *JB