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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
74,373 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2006 Chevrolet HHR engine problems

engine problem

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2006 Chevrolet HHR Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #18

Jan 012007

HHR 4-cyl

  • 15,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Good day. I'll keep this brief. To be clear, I went to the dealer (autonation usa) with the recall issue shortly after it occurred the first time, and a couple of other times after that. I was told that I was too short, fat, and my knee was knocking the key out of the ignition. My key never fell out of the ignition, but the car did shut off, losing control of all electrical systems while at 70+ mph. Secondly, I have gone in to the dealer for my transmission as well. The car began to slightly jerk at around 60K miles. I was told they didn't notice anything, however, they never checked the transmission, and I was told they could do nothing. When the matter got really bad, the mileage was over 100K, and out of warranty. I have brought it to their attention that I attempted to clear this up prior, and was told they would have to treat it as a new issue. I'll make it easy. When I have had the ignition issues nearly kill my family and myself on more than 30 occurrences, the dealer fixing a small, inexpensive item, because they have been exposed, does little to quell the anger I have regarding the various other issues I have regarding warranty maintenance they could have completed while under warranty, and instead chose to belittle me and now wish to charge me obscene amounts of money to repair. GM should offer to complete the maintenance at no cost considering I have gone to them prior to the close of the warranty and was ridiculed and further, made to have my family's life in danger 30-40 times so they could save some money. Further, I understand it is not legally required for them to do anything, however, doing the right thing goes a long way. I have spoken to GM about the issues a couple of times now only just simply be told they were sorry and I should have the situation diagnosed (needlessly). This is the first I've heard of this website so I'm trying now. Thanks.

- Commerce City, CO, USA

problem #17

Jan 012014

HHR 4-cyl

  • 140,000 miles
Since around the beginning of this year, our heater went out and the coolant system has not worked properly to cool the engine causing the car to go hot after about only driving 5 miles. Not to mention, I can't locate the thermostat housing compartment in the car. It appears that this department has been bypassed. After doing some research on the GM HHR cars, it appears that I am along with many other HHR owners are experiencing the same issue(s) with this particular car having overheating problems. GM really needs to evaluate this problem and recall these cars for repairs.

- Beaumont, TX, USA

problem #16

Oct 102013

HHR

  • 85,000 miles
Engine shut off first time resulting in minor contact with garage door while pulling into driveway. Shut down 2 more times at low speeds and a 4th time at 50mph in a cement barrier construction zone on a bridge, no road shoulder, due to speed at shut down was able to coast through construction to roadside. Ignition control module was replaced after incident, however shutdowns continued after. Drove car with single key only since ignition control module was replaced, however my vehicle stills shuts down! it has been included in the recall but it still is not safe and I don't believe will be safe after recall repair! I don't want to wait until I kill someone to have the gov, GM, or anyone care, that the cars that are actually shutting down need to be taken off the road and replaced! please someone help the car owners like me! help us feel safe again and not as though we are playing russian roulette every time we drive our cars! I am begging someone at this Agency to please make them replace our known defective and unsafe cars! my car continues to shutdown after removal of all things on the key! help! I have 2 small kids and have to keep them safe!

- Somerset , WI, USA

problem #15

Mar 292014

HHR

  • 25,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Engine died today for 6th time while driving. Was driving down interstate at 73mph and engine died almost causing me to be rear ended with my young infant in the car while trying to get to the side of the road to restart it. No replacement parts are available at this time.

- Luverne, MN, USA

problem #14

Sep 162009

HHR 4-cyl

  • 33,568 miles
Left front drive shaft failed while parked in my garage. Car would not move, had to be towed to dealer for warranty repair. This is the first of two drive shaft failures on this HHR. Attention !!! please pay attention to this very dangerous issue !!!

- Fridley, MN, USA

problem #13

Nov 012010

HHR 4-cyl

  • 43,163 miles
Right front drive shaft failed while stopped at a red light. Vehicle unable to move. Very dangerous !!!

- Fridley, MN, USA

problem #12

Jan 152014

HHR

  • 115,788 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated while driving he hit a bump, which caused the security and the tracking control light to illuminate on the dashboard. The vehicle also jerked and stalled. The failure was experienced several times. The the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the camshaft cable was rerouted. However, the tracking and security lights continued to illuminate and the vehicle continued to stall whenever it hit a bump. The manufacturer was made ware of the failure. The failure mileage was 115,788 and the current mileage was 119,661.

- Westwego , LA, USA

problem #11

Mar 032014

HHR 4-cyl

  • 67,800 miles
Drove 1 mile. Turned engine off for 15 min. When restarted car it started shaking, warning message on dash read engine power reduced. Unable to drive more than 30 mph, with car still shaking drove 1 mile to my local mechanic, when mechanic restarted car and conducted dx test and reset code the problem resolved, no further incidents after miles of test driving. Hesitant to drive car any long distance for fear it may happen again and curious if other HHR drivers have had this problem or if there was a silent recall.. would like advice as to how to correct this issue, prevent a recurrence without expensive dealer costs and feel safe driving this vehicle. Please advise. Thank you

- Bloomfield Hills, MI, USA

problem #10

Feb 232013

HHR 4-cyl

  • 104,000 miles
Was snowing got car high centered in driveway could not get ignition to turn off tried off and on for a hour finally frustrated went in home the next morning of course my battery was dead. This happened within the first two weeks of buying the car. Then dealership came out got vehicle started took to shop. I got the car back a week later. Then was driving car and on the weekend on my way to work message on dash says reduced engine power and would not let me go more than 30 mph. The roads were completely dry so road conditions were not the issue. I again called the guy who sold me the car he switch me over to the mechanic who said bring the car in next time it does that otherwise they wont be able to tell what went wrong. Then the next week my front tire was wobbling like it was going to come off and it was not the lug bolts because I checked them so back to the shop again. They said some bolt was loose under the hood to the front end and I should be fine. Then I believe it was a week or two later the ignition locked up on me again and they blamed that on me. I have had the car for a year and owe more than it is worth so cannot trade it in because I owe three times more than it is worth. A month ago again the message came on the dash reduce engine power on my way to work live 11 miles out of town so drove on the shoulder of the road with my flashers on to let other cars by. Among that I had the windshield leek water in my floor on passenger side every time it rained. The dealership had put in a new windshield and didn't get part under the hood back on correctly. I could go on and on but bottom line after buying the car it was in the shop three times before I even got plates for it. I have been really frustrated with the car but not much that I know to do since owe too much on it.

- Mancos, CO, USA

problem #9

Feb 132007

HHR 4-cyl

  • 30,000 miles
I have a 2006 Chevy HHR, I love it but, it has issues 1st I bought it used 15,000 miles. Since then I have had 1. the rear logo replaced 4 times, then, 2.the key get stuck when I turn off the car so I used the plunger and 3. the gear shift moves when the car is off or on. Now, 4. the key won't turn to start the car I have to jiggle it till it works. 5. my power steering goes out randomly, while driving it so I can't turn the 6.-,7.-, and 8.3 recalls, then, 9. the wheels shakes at 60 mph, I have 10. And 11. Replaced both front door handles with in 2 weeks 12. I hear a loud crackling or static sound from my speakers and the radio is off. Oh and 13. My check engine light won't go off plus 14. Every time I have to change the battery I have to get my remote reprogrammed for the auto start... it came with the car. What is going on? there are 14 issues some safety and some cosmetic but, clearly an issue I am only making my voice heard because I just started researching my car. I am a single mother I can't afford to fix the major ignition or gear shift, transmission and electrical car shaking these have been reported in a lot of Hhrs. Please help.

- San Antonio , TX, USA

problem #8

Nov 012012

HHR

  • 70,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

For the last year, the traction control light has stayed on as well as the engine light. Shifting is difficult and I am afraid that it will effect the transmission and that the transmission will eventually be destroyed. There are several websites where other people are having the same problems but to my knowledge GM has not recalled these vehicles for this problem.

- Barbourville, KY, USA

problem #7

May 312013

HHR

  • 56,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the number three cylinder had misfired. As a result, the exhaust valve and the exhaust head needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 56,000.

- Pensacola, FL, USA

problem #6

Apr 182013

HHR 4-cyl

  • miles
Vehicle will stall and we will crash or be hit by some one. When the vehicle stalls you loose all power that is power steering, brakes, the ability to maintain control of my vehicle.it began with my key getting stuck in the ignition, would have to try to place in park multiple times to release the key. Found the panel in the steering column and the release button to remove key. Now the gear shift button is stuck in the pressed position, making the car vulnerable to coming out of gear. This is extremely unsafe and costly to fix. Additional personal research has indicated this is a common & known issue with the manufacturer.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #5

Jan 012007

HHR

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR lt. The contact stated that the power steering assist failed and the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact had to shift into neutral to restart the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and offered to assist with repair costs. The failure mileage was 15,000. The current mileage was 100,017.

- Palmdale, CA, USA

problem #4

Jul 252012

HHR

  • 146,217 miles
I drove my vehicle to New Jersey for vacation but came back to Virginia within two days. Upon my arrival in Virginia, I repacked my bags and headed to charlotte, nc. All the driving that I was doing was highway driving. To New Jersey I drove I-81 North and I-78 East. To charlotte, nc I drove 220 South and I-85 South. After I got off on I-85 South to go back to the hotel on the way up the hill towards the hotel the car stopped moving forward. It would rev up when pushing on the accelerator but would not move forward. The car however would shift gears and go in reverse. I parked the car in a parking lot and had called my insurance company to have the car towed to the local Chevrolet dealership.the dealership determined that the transmission failed but could not give me a determination as to why it failed. Had the transmission failed as I was speeding down I-85 South there would have been a serious accident. Additionally, this morning (August 22nd, 2012) the car would not start. The lights inside the car would come on such as the gauge lights, radio, etc but the engine would not turn over. I had the car towed to the midpoint Chevrolet dealership and it was determined that the starter was bad and thus had to be replaced. Also, the morning of November 24th upon returning to my car from a night out the car would not start again. This time no lights would come on. The only indication that there was at least some power was the indicator light on my car charger. I contacted my insurance company and received a jump start from a local tow service and the vehicle has been running smoothly ever since. This has occurred twice in the last few months but there is no indication as to what may be draining the battery's power. I have had the battery checked twice and on these two occasions and is deemed to still be good.

- Roanoke, VA, USA

problem #3

Jul 042012

HHR 4-cyl

  • 120,000 miles
After traveling back and forth from one county to another (approx 130 miles roundtrip) as I exited the fwy the car was driving normal except for I was on empty at this point. I came to a complete stop when light turned green I began to accelerate. Upon acceleration at approx. 10-15mph the car made a hard jerking motion as though it was having a hard time shifting gears however my 06 HHR is an automatic. At this point I also noticed that the check engine light had now illuminated on the instrument panel. I took the car straight home and did not attempt to drive again for 3-4 days. Then one day I drove it approx 15 miles all was good. I went shopping upon leaving the car still appeared to be normal. Then while on the fwy approx 70mph I noticed the check engine light on again as well as the T/C light (traction control) the car continued to drive "normal" but once I came to a stop on the offramp and began to accelerate the jerking motion happened again. I've noticed that on a few occasions this happens once the gas is on empty. I also noticed on one occasion that once I had put a little over half a tank of gas in as well as a bottle of fuel injector cleaner that the indicator lights shut off as well as the jerking had disappears. We have had the transmission flushed and still the problem persists. Aside from that when you try to remote start the engine once the check engine light has come on the remote start no longer works. You hear the electrical all come on but that's it. Then all of a sudden the other night I attempt to exit my car and the driver door handle snapped right off. My husband contacted the local dealership requesting price for the part and was told $300+. I just found the piece for $63 online...unbelievable! but the handle broke so easily. I didn't pull hard. If I had the door would've at least popped open a lil. But it didn't budge.

- Garden Grove, CA, USA

problem #2

Jul 142011

HHR 4-cyl

  • 63,000 miles
Whenever it rains the passenger side leaks from the counsel the carpet always gets soaked... a lot of people have this problem... another known issue is the cam position sensor a lot of people have this problem now having issues with the bearings in my front wheels which seems to be another known issue others are having as well.

- Colorado Springs, CO, USA

problem #1

Sep 022011

HHR

  • 119,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated while driving 50 mph, the vehicle stalled, immediately after the check engine warning lamp illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the coil pack was defective and needed to be replaced. The remedy failed to repair the problem. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 119,000 and the current mileage was 135,000.

- Fort Worth , TX, USA

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