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.
While exiting the interstate yesterday, a "power steering" warning appeared on the dash. I had to make a turn immediately after this happened and was nearly unable to turn my car. I pulled off at the nearest parking lot to find that this vehicle does not have power steering fluid and is all electric. I had someone disconnect the battery to "reset" my car and had steering back. Based on the complaints I have thourougly read over, I know that it is only a matter of time before it goes out again. I can't understand why this issue continues to be ignored and not recalled due to the fact the cobalt and ion have both been recalled for the same issue and the HHR has the same power steering parts as the cobalt. When somone loses their life because of a power steering problem will someone listen and act on it then"?"!!! I have two children and I'm afraid to drive them anywhere now. This is my only means of transportation and don't have the extra $800 or more sitting around to repair a problem that is Chevrolet's fault.
I was driving home from a long trip, about 100 miles from home and my power steering light came on and my steering became very hard to turn. If there was an accident in the road I would have had a hard time avoiding it. I went to the gas station and when I turned the car off and then back on the power steering seemed to fix itself. Well I took off down the road again and the power steering light came back on again with same scenario mentioned above. Now my power steering light comes on sometimes twice a day everyday. I took it to the dealer finally today. The dealer called me and said, "good news this part is covered." I said great! then he called back 30 minutes later with bad news, he said that the part was covered in Canada only! what, not in Florida! this does not even make sense. Lets just say after that phone call he charged me for the electric power steering motor at cost. My total cost was $163.45 (part #19257875). If I could have done it myself I would have. I just saw this part on ebay for $82.85 or better yet, if it was a recall it could have been free. After his earlier phone call there was no way I was going to let him charge me anything more. But, why again is this part not on the recall list for Chevy Hhrs. This is very dangerous. I guess when something bad happens and somebody gets sued maybe there will be a recall. Sad but true. Please recall! thanks.
As leaving work and driving out of the parking lot my car stiffened up on the slight curve, but as I drove and started to accelerate the "power steering" alert turned on. I went to make my first right turn and the car was extremely hard to turn. I pulled over, to look up the nearest autozone and thank goodness there was one right down the street from where I was at. I headed there and the lady hooked it up to the machine to see if the car was spitting out a code - nope. We looked in the manual and seen that the alert meant the car needed to be serviced immediately. With so many complaints I'm wondering why this issue hasn't prompted a recall. What does it take - death related to power steering? you hear about precaution recalls to avoid issues, but when you have an issue there is no justice. No wonder these vehicles were discontinued. Shame on Chevy/GM - this is no isolated incident.
I was on vacation driving 25 mph when the car started chiming and the power steering went out. I was close the my motel so I drove there. I turned the car off let it sit a few minutes then started it again and the steering was back. I took it the dealer when I got back home and the dealership said they drove it and it never went out. It didn't happen again until 2 weeks ago. Now it happens every couple of minutes. I have to stop turn the car off then back on. It's fine for a few minutes then car chime and power steering is gone. I have done a search and have found a lot of people having the same problem. The same components were used on Chevy cobalt and they were recalled.
Without any warning, the power steering motor quit. This resulted in extremely heavy steering for my wife so that she was unable to turn the steering wheel and coasted to a straight stop at the curb. She was lucky to be on a country road with no other traffic. With other traffic she would have had an accident. This problem on the Chevy cobalt model is under a recall. I don't understand why it is not on the HHR since only the body of the two models is different, all the chassis, suspension, brakes, steering and running gear are all identical, including the power steering motor (electric power steering).
- Boylston, MA, USA
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Driving on freeway at 55 mph power steering indicator came on and steering was very hard to turn. Continued home very slow and steering the car was difficult and dangerous. Power steering worked upon restart. Now this happens every day. I will have to get it repaired and I am not happy after reading all of the similar problems with this steering unit. Why has the 2008 HHR not been included the previous recalls?
I was drive and out of where the power steering line came on and then when I try to make a right hand turn the wheel was very hard to turn. Made me think what could happen if am in the freeway N have to do a turn. I love my HHR its the first problem I have came across. However, I have been reading N noticed am not the only one with problem. All I want is to fix it before something happens to me and my family.
Driving my HHR and I hear a dinging noise, power steering message is shown. Power steering is out. It has been three days and now it is doing it every time I start the vehicle and drive no more than a mile. This should be a recall, as the HHR has the same esa as the cobalt that has been recalled for this same issue.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph there was a complete loss of power steering with an illumination of the warning indicator. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road. The vehicle was turned off and resumed normally upon restarting. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was unavailable.
Power steering stopped working while driving. If I turn off the car and restart it, the power steering starts working again for a short time and then goes out again. With all the similar complaints I've been reading, Chevrolet should do a recall before someone gets seriously hurt.
I could be sitting in line at a drive thru, turning slowly, or driving straight and I hear a click, and the "power steering" message displays, and then it becomes extremely difficult to steer. If I shut the car off it goes away. Also a major point is that it seems to be weather sensitive. Last winter it came on only two times and never happened again until about a few days ago when the weather got above 90 degrees here. On those days it is very hard to get rid of it. However, , ironically, on a day that was only 74 degrees it never came on! I am afraid that this will come on while driving down the interstate and I am put into a situation of having to maneuver quickly.. and I am sure that all the other people that have complained about this will agree that moving "quickly" isn't going to happen. Dealer tells me that the steering "module" is the entire steering column.. so repair cost is $900. I have 162,000 highway miles on my car and yes, , it's just an 08. If this part stayed in a faulty mode all the time I would say that it was a maintenance repair that I am liable for, , but with it going on and off and putting my safety at risk.. I feel this should be a manufacturer recall! they are the ones that decided to make this into an electronic component.. and a faulty one at that! do a search on line about "power steering" see how many other HHR owners are having the exact same safety issue with way less miles on their cars. I was shocked and disgusted. I am not feeling the confidence to make Chevy my next purchase. Why do the Chevy cobalts have this recall.. but not HHR owners?
I purchased my 2008 Chevy HHR from a dealership in ky in February 2013, with around 55K miles on it. Due to the amount of miles I also purchased an extended GM power train warranty. Toward the end of may, I was driving on the hi-way coming off an exit, going between 45-55 miles an hour veering to the right, when the power steering in my car went out. The mileage screen flashed power steering and I could hardly steer my car to get off the exit onto another hi-way. I drove my car home and parked it in the driveway. The next morning I got up and started my car, drove it and it was ok. However, the next day the power steering went out again and has every day since then. In the beginning I would turn my car off, wait 1 to 2 minutes, start my car and it would be fine. Starting last month, the power steering goes off every 2 to 5 minutes regardless if I re-start my car or not.... it does not matter if I am trying to make a turn, or driving down a straight road. I can have the ac on, the ac off and the power steering goes out within 2 minutes of me starting my car. I was told in order for my GM power train warranty to be covered, I had to my car to a Chevy service station, which I did on 6/27/2013 and was told that the power train warranty did not cover the power steering electric motor. Since the incident I have been researching this issue, and have read that is a very common occurrence for the HHR's, but GM has done nothing about it. I have also emailed and spoken with a Chevy complaint person and was also told nothing would be done about it. Seems to me this is a safety issue, of the same kind the Chevy cobalts were recalled for... why is nothing being done for the Chevy HHR's with the same issue?
Power steering warning light came on as I was making a left turn from a stop sign. Power steering was gone and I had to struggle to pull my vehicle off the road to a parking lot. I let the vehicle sit for 10 minutes, then I restarted the engine and the issue had disappeared. I am now afraid to drive my vehicle because I see that there are numerous online complaints for the same issue by HHR owners, and that the power steering failure often recurs intermittently and unexpectedly. GM has recalled several vehicles for the same issue with the power steering motor, but has chosen not to recall the HHR. Why not?! since the incident, I feel like I am driving a vehicle of doom and that anytime I get behind the wheel, my family and I could possibly get into an accident! GM should take responsibility for the faulty part and do a recall before there are more injuries! I have driven a vehicle without power steering before, but when it goes off without warning in the middle of traffic, this vehicle is extremely difficult to control! GM should be ashamed! I will not buy a GM vehicle again!
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated while driving approximately 5 mph the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 52,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 mph, there was a loss of power steering with the illumination of the power steering warning indicator. The vehicle was maneuvered to the side of the road where the engine was turned off. Upon restarting, the malfunction persisted which caused difficulty in the contact turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who stated that the power steering motor would need to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 75,500.
As I was rolling up to a stop sign, the "power steering" alert appeared on my instrument panel. Having never experienced this warning before, I didn't know quite what it meant. As I made my left turn into the intersection, I found out! it took all my physical strength to stay within the pavement. Had my wife been driving, she would not have been able to maintain control. The steering failed twice more in the next two days. Fortunately, I avoided collisions both times and had repairs made at the dealership as soon as it opened for business after the 4th of July holiday. As there is no recall for this major safety hazard, the cost to me was $302.66. I understand that this power steering motor is used on other GM cars that have been recalled. The HHR should be included!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Saraland, AL, USA