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 approximately 35 mph in rainy conditions, the steering wheel vibrated when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle also pulled excessively towards the left. The ABS was not operating normally and locked up. There were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. The failure recurred on a separate occasion. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they stated that the rotors overheated. The vehicle was repaired. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 8,900 and current mileage was 11,260.
Within the first 2,000 miles of delivery this car developed a shimmy in the front end of the car. This occurred when decelerating and coasting and when one applied the brake as well. There was also a hesitation in the car at the same time and this may have been related, but that problem eventually disappeared. I did have the tires rebalanced but this did not change the vibration problem and I took the car back to the dealer many times to try to determine the cause of this problem. Every time the service area concentrated on brakes. They re-ground the rotors, replaced brake pads, calipers and sometimes this did improve the situation for perhaps 30 days but within a short period of time the same problem would redevelop. They complained that the tires should be rebalanced again...I did that at the dealership so the service people could not off-load the responsibility of the work. No help. At the most recent service replaced the brakes again, not out of concern for the repetitive problem, but just charged me the normal servicing as a wear item. When I got the car back, again, the shimmy problem was gone...almost. There is still evidence of a minor shimmy in the front end and this is how it always develops. I went back to the dealer and noted that we were taking the car on vacation but that I wanted to document the problem again in the event we had to have service in a remote location. The dealer again serviced the brakes and I left on vacation to san diego. The problem again appeared and we decided to not drive this car back cross-country and it remains in san diego and no use to me whatever. My spouse will not enter the car because she fears the front-end will collapse. I agree with her.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the vehicle vibrates excessively when the brake pedal is depressed. He took the vehicle to the dealer on four occasions and had the brake rotors repaired. Secondly, the air conditioning pump failed and caused numerous failures on various components. He took the vehicle to the dealer and they stated that he had to have major repairs made to the vehicle, including replacement of the brake rotors, calipers, pads, ignition cylinder, shifter, battery, and the air compressor. The repair costs would exceed $2,000. The vehicle has not been repaired. The contact has copies of the vehicle's repair history. The failure mileage was 500 and current mileage was 59,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. At less than 25,000 miles, the brakes would occasionally roll when the brake pedal was depressed. The dealer stated that the rotors did not need to be replaced at that time, but advised the contact to keep an eye out. Currently, the failure has worsened and the contact has scheduled an appointment to see the dealer. The instrument panel lights, which indicate how many miles the vehicle has or how much oil is remaining, illuminate on and off intermittently. Occasionally, when the key is turned in the ignition, the engine turns over but the vehicle does not start. The current mileage was 30,000 and failure mileage was 22,000.
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. While driving 50 mph on a misty day the contact experienced brake failure while attempting to stop the vehicle. The contact began pumping the brakes, but the vehicle remained in motion. The contact veered off the road and the vehicle stopped automatically. This was not the first time the contact's vehicle had brake failure. The vehicle was brought to the dealer on two separate occasions. On one occasion, the dealer filed the rotors down and turned them. The contact has possession of all repair orders. The failure mileage was 2,000. The rotors were surfaced. Updated 05/04/07.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Box Elder, SD, USA