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.
"power steering" message appeared on the dash board and the power steering functionality failed. Almost caused an accident as it occurred during a tight turn. After car was restarted the problem resolved temporarily, but recurred shortly thereafter and continues to recur with high frequency.
While driving without notice, the power steering stops working and at the same time, the notice that it has pops up on the dash. In order to reset it, I have to stop, turn off the car, and then restart the car. This seems like a big safety concern to me. I am told that it is a sensor that has failed. Is this suppose to be covered by a recall or something that the NHTSA would want to look into?
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated while driving various speeds the power steering would independently disengage. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The manufacturer nor the dealer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
The car hit a bump on the street and power steering alarm went off indicating a loss of that function. When pulled over to the side of the road, and ignition was turned off and back on, the problem resolved. From there on out, this problem would occur at irregular times whether the car hit a bump or not and the same remedy was used: Pull over, turn switch off, turn switch back on and proceed. Within a distance of 32 miles, this averaged about 6 times. Today the dealership called and reported the car was fixed, but when my wife asked about the power steering problem, we were told "if it happens again, just bring it back", which doesn't sound as if that part of the ignition switch was fixed. We did not want to sign off on our car until the entire problem was taken care of. Thank you for any help in this matter.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver as the power steering warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000 and the current mileage was 206,000.
- Capac, MI, USA
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I was driving at highway speeds when the power steering light came on and I lost my power steering. Since that time it occurs occasionally but is now more frequent. I was researching the problem online on a HHR owners forum when I realized that this is a common problem. Those who experienced the same problem all stated that it is sudden and can potentially be dangerous. I have checked my VIN on GM website for recalls and this problem is not listed. What is confusing to me is that the Chevrolet cobalt was listed for this problem and the cobalt and HHR share the same parts.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while traveling at 70 mph when the power steering failed. Once the vehicle was shifted into neutral, the power steering returned to normal. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic, diagnosed the vehicle with a power steering module failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.
I have filed a complaint before when this first happened, now it is happening every single day. Everyday I get into my car my power steering goes out. I've only had this car since Feb 15,2014 and this should not be happening. Why is it that other HHR's have been recalled for the same problem but not this year. This is a big problem who do we need to contact to get this resolved?
My 16 year old daughter was driving. A chime sounded, the power steering quit working and the dash info center said power steering. After turning off and restarting the car, the power steering started working again. This was quite a surprise to a new driver. Local dealer to fix will be more then $600. This should be recalled after seeing all the same issues on the internet with other HHR owners.
I was driving around a curve on the highway, heard a chime and my power steering went out. Then across the dash, power steering popped up. I was in austin rush hour traffic and could not pull over. Once I was able to stop and turn the car off for several minutes, I turned the car back on and steering was fine. Got in to go to work this morning, heard the chime and no power steering. Very difficult to steer with no power steering. This is a major safety issue and should be recalled.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently lost power steering and the 'power steering lost' message displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the eps motor would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000. Updated 07/01/14
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 mph, the power steering assist suddenly malfunctioned and caused the steering wheel to become difficult to turn. The power steering warning light illuminated during the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 31,000.
While driving, multiple times, I would hear a chime, the power steering lights up on dash, then loss of power steering would result. This problem started happening approximately 1 1/2 years ago. This problem is getting more frequent and is extremely dangerous. I took the car to pine belt approximately 1 1/2 weeks ago and was told I needed a power steering pump. I was told if that did not work that I would need a column replacement. This is a $1400 repair that I cannot afford. This is my only vehicle & I use it for both business and personal uses. As an example of how dangerous this situation is, I went on an hour & a half drive yesterday (4/22/14) and the power steering went out 18 times. At one point, I lost control of the car while trying to make a turn and almost ran into a curb. This is an extremely dangerous situation for both myself & to other drivers on the road.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated while driving 50 mph, the power steering warning lamp illuminated and the steering wheel became very hard to maneuver. The contact mentioned that the failure occurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the technician diagnosed that the power assist motor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 63,000. The current mileage was 65,806. Updated 6/17/14 the consumer stated when he turned off the engine and re-started the vehicle, the power steering would resume normal operation.
I have a intermittent power steering failure the same as other Hhrs covered on a recall why is mine not covered. Many people with same year have same problem.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while driving 50 mph, the poser steering warning chime sounded as the power steering warning message displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that the power steering module would need to be replaced. The contact referenced NHTSA campaign id number: 14V153000(steering) however, the recall did not include the HHR model. The manufacture was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 128,000. Updated 6/10/14
Power steering goes out multiple times. The car has to be shut off completely and turned back on again. This happens in earlier year HHR's and Chevy cobalts and has been recalled. This needs to be recalled on 2008 Chevy HHR's as well.
I was leaving work in louisville il and my power steering went out while turning a corner. Luckily the corner wasn't a sharp one. I would have, in fact, hit oncoming traffic if there were any. I would have also hit anyone sitting at the stop sign in their driver door. I was very lucky. I had to get mine fixed in may of last year. I called GM complaining but they wouldn't fix it. I noticed there is a recall for this exact thing for 2009 and 2010's but nothing for 2008's. I wanted you to be aware that 2008's have this same flaw with the electric power steering motor. It kept going in and out until I got it fixed. After the first time I wasn't so surprised and knew to expect it at anytime. The first time was scary though. I can't imagine if it happened to a young driver. I'm 42 and drive well.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Fort Collins, CO, USA