Key will not come out of the ignition when in park due to a plastic part in the shifter breaking. This will not allow the shift lock actuator to engage and release the keys. There is an ignition unlocking mechanism under the steering column but that leaves the gear shifter able to move freely from gear at all times, even while driving. This is occurs everyday. The dealer replaces at the owner's expense with the same defective part.

- Gulfport, MS, USA

I pulled my car into the driveway at home and shifted into park and when I attempted to remove the key it would not turn all the way to the removal position. So I moved the shift lever again and noted that the shift button didn't pop out when I put it into park. I knew then that the key would not come out until the vehicle was put into park which the shift lever was not allowing. I took the vehicle straight to my GM dealer service manager who stated that I was the sixth or seventh customer who had had this problem in the last 12 months. The manager called me back and told me that my car was out of warranty and the cost would be $215.04. I was concerned that this was not a recall item since he had done so many in a town of 4500 people and that in my opinion it would put someone in an emergency situation at risk of having their car stolen if the couldn't take their keys out in a large city. I contacted customer service at GM but was told that they couldn't do anything for me, even thought a service bulletin on how to do the repair had been sent to all GM service departments. To me, that sounds like a recall should have been issued. Yes, I paid to have the part replaced, but I still thank it is the manufactures fault and not mine. The recall would have been made before my warranty expired. Also the service manager reported that the Chevrolet cobalt also has this problem.

- Comanche, TX, USA

Consumer wants to know if there is a recall on the front bumper of her 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The consumer stated there was a problem with the gear shift and the door latches began to move up and down. Also, the vehicle started acting erratic while driving. Updated 09/13/10

- Unknown, DC, USA

While driving my 2006 Chevrolet HHR ls traveling at between 25-30 mph the driver information center display flashed "reduced engine power" for about five seconds and then changed to "engine disabled" and immediately shut the car down while I was driving in the middle of the road. I tried to restart the engine and it would not initially start. After several minutes the car did start and the check engine light was on. I proceeded immediately to my service station where they were able to find the check engine code as "PCM memory error" they said the code was something they had never seen before and decided that it was best to clear the code and see if the problem repeated itself. I then took the car for short drive and again the car flashed the same two messages on the dic and then stalled but this time in the middle of a rotary. I was able to push the car off to the side and waited several minutes again before the car would restart. This time at the service station they decided it would be best if I took it to an actual Chevrolet garage since they had never seen such an obd-II error code. This time however after clearing the code it would not drive more than a few yards before stalling out. So, the decision was made to have the car towed after have the car for a few days they decided that it was best to replace the PCM since that seemed to be what was causing the error. The way the car behaved with this PCM error I felt was very dangerous so I contacted Chevrolet customer support on July 21, 2008. The case number is 71-646640348 with Chevrolet. The initial contact person was unable to answer my concerns. Later that afternoon I was called by another individual about the issue and the opinion that I got from her was that "I should have nothing to complain about, GM was repairing the car for free under the epa mandated warranty" she did not understand that my concern was not that the car did have a part fail but how it behaved when such a minor piece of equipment did fail.

- Plymouth, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. While driving 20 mph over a hole or dip in the road, the entire vehicle stalled and shut off. The weather was not a factor. The stalling occurred at least three times within one week. The vehicle cannot be restarted once it shut off. There were no warning indicators prior to the failure. The dealer does not know the cause of the failure or the remedy. The failure mileage was 53,000. The consumer stated the vehicle was having several issues with the cam sensor, wheels, a broken hub bearing, bent rotors and an issue with removing the key from the ignition, due to the shift cable not staying secured. The check engine light illuminated, the inside driver door handle would not open the door, the passenger side back would not stay secured. Updated 06/25/08

- Whittier, CA, USA

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact started the engine to warm up the vehicle. Approximately five minutes later, she attempted to place the vehicle in reverse, but the shifter would not move from park. She waited approximately ten minutes and the failure continued. Approximately 15 minutes later, the gear was able to shift out of park. The contact drove to work and was unable to shut off the vehicle. After several attempts, she was able to remove the key from the ignition; however, the radio was still on and the chime noises remained engaged. The gears were also able to be moved without the key in the ignition. The vehicle has not been repaired and remains in her possession. The VIN, engine size, number of cylinders, and transmission type were unknown. The current and failure mileages were 36,000.

- Capital Heights, MD, USA