The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. When the contact attempted to open the vehicle with the key, the master key opener would not unlock the doors. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and towed the vehicle to the dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure occurred seven other times. The VIN was invalid. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000. Updated 10/29/15 updated 11/22/2017

- Butler, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. When the key was removed from the ignition switch, the door chime activated as if the contact were exiting the vehicle. In addition, the radio remained operable for a short period of time. The failure occurred intermittently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 1,000.

- Bethesda, MD, USA

Pulled in to driveway and went to exit vehicle. The plastic driver's door handle broke off in my hand. This basically left me stuck in the vehicle unless I crawled over the center console or unless I was able to roll down the electric window, pivot in the seat, and reach the outside door handle. Obviously in an accident, or vehicle fire, the extra time needed to exit, if the door handle broke off, is unacceptable. A very basic internet search shows that this is a very common problem with this vehicle model. An inconvenience for a younger driver but this could be a catastrophic failure for an older, less physical driver.

- Seminole, FL, USA

Chevy HHR all models, all years: When exiting my vehicle the drivers door handle snapped. It is made of plastic!! after research I discovered this is an extremely common problem with all models and all years of the Chevy HHR since all interior handles are made from plastic. This is a very expensive part because it requires the replacement of the entire interior door panel. It is a dangerous situation because once the handle has snapped the only means to open the door is to unroll the window and open with the ouside handle or to have another person open the door from the outside - not ideal, especially if one is in an accident or emergency. I believe Chevy should replace all handles with a sturdy, non-breakable metal handle. This would improve safety of this dangerous situation.

- San Diego, CA, USA

I went to open driver side door to get out of my parked car. Door handle would not release the door to open. I have to role done my window (power window) and open door from outside to be able to get out of my car trough the driver side door. Dealer said that whole new door panel is required at a cost of $450 because the handle and trigger is part of the panel. The dealer went on to say that 100S of these panels have had to be replaced because of and engineered defect and GM does not want to cover the problem. This is a safety concern because if I had to get out my car in case of an emergency, the drivers door can not be opened unless the window is rolled down and opened from outside. I would be trapped in the driver seat if unable to get window opened.. GM should be held responsible for their engineered defect..

- Saint Cloud, FL, USA

2009 Chevrolet HHR. Consumer writes in regards to door handle on the passenger side coming off the consumer stated the door handle came off in her hand, when she pulled the handle to open the door. The cost to replace the handle, was $ $334.85.

- Louisville, KY, USA

The door sensors do not work properly. The sensors to not indicate that the door is not fully closed. The door must be open by at least three inches before the sensor will indicate "door ajar." So, if the door is closed lightly but not all the way you could end up driving down the highway and have your door come swinging open with no warning. It was discovered by a Chevy service department that the reason for this is because of the sensor placement in the crease of the door. If the sensor was placed in the lock then the problem would be fixed. However, the design of the sensor does not allow for it to be moved. This is not a one time problem this is an ongoing issue.

- Fort Campbell, KY, USA