2006 Chevrolet HHR. Consumer states several problems with vehicle the consumer stated his sons vehicle had a severe shimmy in the steering wheel and became progressively worse when the brake was applied. The pads and rotors were replaced twice and the third time the rotors were machined, but the problem continued. There was also a strange noise coming from the front suspension, but the dealer was unable to pinpoint the problem. At 42,000 miles the air condition made a loud screeching noise for 2 minutes, then stopped working. At 68,000 miles, a metal skid plate had fallen from underneath the vehicle. Soon after, the exhaust was very loud. The vehicle was taken to the repair shop and the consumer was informed the catalytic converter had cracked. The vehicle lost power and a cylinder had to be replaced, the check engine light would come on and then go off, the temperature gauge did not work, so the air condition only worked if the check engine light was off. The door locks did not work, the radio worked intermittently, the sun visor would fall down at random times. There were times when the vehicle would not start. The consumer stated even with an alignment, new struts, shocks and good tires, the vehicle continually pulled to the right.

- Keller, TX, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact has experienced several failures with the vehicle ever since it was purchased. When exiting the vehicle on the passenger side, the door handle cracked in half and caused the contact to become trapped in the vehicle. She had to exit the vehicle using the driver's side door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and a technician stated that the door handle failure was a common issue. No repairs were made. In addition, when activating the air conditioner or heating unit, a small amount of air comes out of the vents. The contact could not turn down the heat or air because the dials to control the air and heat do not turn and are permanently set to high. She is unable to adjust the settings. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and it was determined that the A/C unit and the switch to adjust the A/C and heating unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred two months later. No additional repairs have been made. The manufacturer advised her to take the vehicle to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but they refused to inspect the vehicle because they did not receive a call from the manufacturer to inspect or make repairs to the vehicle. The failure mileage was 34,083 and current mileage was 75,000. Updated 2/5/09 updated 02/10/09.

- Otklawaha, FL, USA