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.
I was going about 35mph when I came upon a curve and my electric power steering malfunctioned and caused me too loose control and crash into an open field. Ive spent most of my day researching and making phone calls. My local dealer tells me that there has been many issues with this but there are currently no recalls on the 2006 HHR.
I was driving with atleast 42 mph coming down from a bridge with a curve road when my power steering shut down. No sign, when I tried to turn my steering wheel for the curve, it wouldn't move. I panicked and almost had an accident because everybody's driving the same speed as me. I had to turn on my hazard sign to notify others I+M having problem with my car. It was difficult to turn..as soon as I reached home, I turned off the engine and after 10 mins turned it on again and it was working fine. Im too scared to drive my car. My work is 12 miles from me and this steering problem happened without a warning.
The car sudden loss of power steering assist is lost, the vehicle can still be steered, however, with greater effort (manual steering). The slower the vehicle is moving, the higher the steering effort. Unless a driver compensates for this additional steering effort, loss of power steering assist may increase the risk of a crash. The power steering assist is lost, a chime will be heard and the message centre will display a power steering warning message. Typically the next time the vehicle is started, the power steering assist will return and the message would no longer be displayed.
Power steering assist motor failed. Reset after shutoff and restart of car. Problem intermittent, occurring sometimes not at all, other times repeatedly (ie 5 times in a three mile drive). Problem always occurred while moving during a variety of speeds (25-75mph) and while decelerating and accelerating. The only circumstance in which it did not occur was standing still or turning. Dealer said short circuit in power steering assist motor was the problem and repaired it quickly. There are not a lot of miles on my vehicle, for a part like this to break and not be related to a defect seems less than realistic. I've read about the same part on Chevy cobalts (the HHR platform) being recalled and many complaints by HHR owners regarding the same issue. Note: When I told the service dept I was using my mechanical breakdown insurance (via geico), they asked what my deductible was ($250); interestingly, when I called to ask about replacing stated part, was told repair was "about $400" but actual repair billing ended up being $218.
- Fullerton, CA, USA
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Vehicle will stall and we will crash or be hit by some one. When the vehicle stalls you loose all power that is power steering, brakes, the ability to maintain control of my vehicle.it began with my key getting stuck in the ignition, would have to try to place in park multiple times to release the key. Found the panel in the steering column and the release button to remove key. Now the gear shift button is stuck in the pressed position, making the car vulnerable to coming out of gear. This is extremely unsafe and costly to fix. Additional personal research has indicated this is a common & known issue with the manufacturer.
Was driving vehicle (Chevy HHR) at highway speed when a warning wassage displayed asyin power steering, a bell started dinging and stering the vehicle became difficult. I was in a curve on a hill. I wasw able to safely get off the highway and turned the car off, checked fuses, found no problem. Restarted the car and it started working again. Had now done this about 15 times after the car warms up or travelded about 20 miles. Has happened to my wife a few times and causes her didiculty in stering the car with her recovery from shoulder surgery. In researching on line and I see this car has been recalled in Canada, and the same parts are used in the Chevy covalt and has recalls for the problem in the us. Why not the Chevy HHR been recalled?
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while reversing from a residential driveway, the power steering assist failed as the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnosis or repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The failure mileage was 56,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the power steering warning lamp illuminated and the steering wheel became very stiff. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 65,000.
The power steering goes out at random intervals. If you turn the car off and turn it back on again, it works just fine. It could be potentially dangerous if it happened in a situation where I was expecting it to work, but it didn't.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while driving 35 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated as the power steering assist failed. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified and they stated that the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The failure mileage was 115,623.
Steering fails when driving. The car is not steerable. Very dangerous to drive. Chevy cobalt has a recall for this problem. HHR is the same platform, same steering components, same manufacture of steering components. GM is suing the manufacture of the power steering units but doesn't recognize a very serious safety issue with the Chevy HHR. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
I was traveling down the highway when the dash panel warning lights all started flashing on and off. When it did this the power steering went out and when I tried to stop the engine revved up and the power brakes didn't feel right. It felt like the vehicle had the old style manual brakes. It has done this several times and when I researched it online I noticed there were several other HHR owners experiencing the same problem. The problem originally started with the traction control light to come on randomly and I would have to disconnect the battery to reset the computer.
Driving at any speed and the power steering light comes on and there is no power steering, hard to steer. Happens numerous times. Turn car off and then back on and it's fine again.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR lt. The contact stated that the power steering assist failed and the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact had to shift into neutral to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered to assist with repair costs. The failure mileage was 15,000. The current mileage was 100,017.
I was on the interstate traveling at approx 60 mph when I heard a ding-ding sound and I looked at my display panel below the speedometer and it said power steering and I realized that I had lost my power steering on my HHR...drove home thinking it was low on power steering fluid, I unloaded groceries and went up to my local advance auto..only to find the car had reset its power steering and all seemed fine. Purchased the ps fluid only to find it did not use ps fluid it is all electrical. It continued on and off intermittently until yesterday (April 7) when the ps alert came on and now stays on...I have no power steering which has caused me to just about hit parked cars...turning a curve on my way to work this morning I just about lost control of the vehicle!! this is a very dangerous situation. Chevrolet seemingly knows about this issue on the Hhrs...a recall on the vehicles are needed immediately to correct this as the potential for a deadly crash is very high. I do not feel safe in my vehicle any more..why were the same parts recalled on other Chevy models and not the HHR?? I simply do not have the necessary funds available to me to fix this issue..the responsibility I think lies with the manufacturer as it is their part that is failing on these vehicles..
I was driving on expressway in slow lane, power steering light came on the dash and I instantly lost power steering. I stopped at next exit, turned off car called husband he said to take it home. I started car, it was fine, no warning on dash, drove fine. I drove a few hundred feet, lost power steering. This went on six times, with me stopping turning off car and restarting before I could get home. I'm a small women and that little car turned into a tank without power steering. I called my dealer he said no recall and it would cost $109 to diagnose and $120- $653 just for parts not labor. I checked on line and there have been thousands of complaints about the same problem. The Chevy cobalt and Pontiac G5 have been recalled and they have the identical electric power steering assist motor. Why haven, T you recalled the HHR? for the first time ever as driver have I felt unsafe in my vehicle. Please address this issue before this turns into unnecessary, preventable tragedies. I pray it is not me!!!!!!
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while driving 65 mph, the power steering warning light illuminated and the power steering malfunctioned. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 105,000.
I was driving to pick my kids up from school when my power steering light came on, so I pulled into a gas station and purchased some power steering fluid but this car doesn't take power steering fluid because its electric power steering. When I turned the car back on the power steering was ok. I was driving back out to the school this morning and my car did the same thing and once I turned it off and back on it has been fine. I called my local dealership and they so no recall as been issued but I have seen a lot of complaints online about this problem. Thank you
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the steering became difficult to turn and the power steering light illuminated. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure and current mileage was 96,278...updated 05/01/13
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Manchester, OH, USA