This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. While driving 20 mph over a hole or dip in the road, the entire vehicle stalled and shut off. The weather was not a factor. The stalling occurred at least three times within one week. The vehicle cannot be restarted once it shut off. There were no warning indicators prior to the failure. The dealer does not know the cause of the failure or the remedy. The failure mileage was 53,000. The consumer stated the vehicle was having several issues with the cam sensor, wheels, a broken hub bearing, bent rotors and an issue with removing the key from the ignition, due to the shift cable not staying secured. The check engine light illuminated, the inside driver door handle would not open the door, the passenger side back would not stay secured. Updated 06/25/08
My HHR had the rotors turned at less than 12K miles, now at 29K miles it needs it again. We do not drive the vehicle hard and brake fast. It is far from normal wear. Also, no large hills to drive up/down.
When coming to a stop doing 40 or higher the steering wheel vibrates. Had to have the rotor turn again just had them turned at 17,511 miles and now at 25,124 miles that is on 7613 since the first time. It is not my driving either!
Brakes defective have 65,000 miles on 06 unit and brakes and / or rotors worked on 5 separate times brakes worked on Jan 07, May 07, July 07, Oct 07 and Jan 08.
We have a Chevy HHR '06. Had it for about a year and the car started to shake when I put on the brakes. My wife then brought it to the dealership and they said the rotors were warped...instead of putting new rotors on they resurfaced the existing ones...probably cheaper to warranty. We'll, 2-3 months later the car is shaking again and now the car is out of warranty. This is a well documented problem for this make&model. GM needs to have an immediate recall for the 2006 Chevy HHR so they can fix the rotor problem. Me and my family would feel safer on the road.
I've had chronic problems with the front brakes, rotors, alignment and tires on the front end of my 06 Chevy HHR. The vehicle began shaking violently when the brakes are applied. I took the vehicle back to the dealership at 2000 miles and 12000 miles and each time they had to turn the rotors and it seemed to temporarily resolve the problem. Now I'm at 29000 miles, the problem has started again. The dealership says the rotors and front brake pads have to be replaced. I've owned many new vehicles in my life since my father is retired from General Motors, and I've never ever had to replace the brakes or have the rotors turned for that matter. The dealership has tried telling me that the problem is a result of my driving habits and failure to service the calipers. I've had the car in the dealership repeatedly for this and other chronic problems and they've never mention that the calipers need any servicing. Additionally, I'm 40 years old and the car is driven about 3/4 of a mile back and forth to work and not much more. To make matters worse, since my last tire rotation the left front tire has become almost completely bald. This is bizarre because I've been vigilant about rotating my tires every 6000 miles as recommended. The dealership has agreed to replace the rotors at their cost, but this problem needs to be covered and repaired 100% at gms expense. It's a result of poor design. They need to admit that there is a huge problem and pay for the necessary repairs.
Steering wheel shakes left & right when stopping speed 40 miles per hour and up. The 1st time the HHR was in for this problem was 3 months ago 15,550 miles. Dealer said they could not find any thing that it could be the road as I was driving on. Took it in again at 17,500 this time it was the rotors where warped. Dealer machined the rotors.
Steering wheel and front end shaking violently when braking. Brought into dealership @ approx 27,000mi and told rotors needed to be resurfaced because they were warped. Manager said they were warped due to "driving habits", brakes getting wet-then used, and/or hard stops. This has never been the case with any other vehicle I've driven for a comparable amount of time.
Driving home from out of state, applied brakes and steering wheel shuddered violently, with reduced braking ability. Took to dealer, diagnosed warped rotors. The same problem had occurred three months earlier, at 20,000 miles. Vehicle now has 24,000 miles. Rotors were resurfaced both times.
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.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Whittier, CA, USA