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.
My power steering just cuts out for no reason, ,any time it wants to, ,first the chime goes off and than the dash reads ( power steering ) as the steering get hard as a rock to turn, ,,if the vehicle is shut off and restarted the power comes back, ,,sometimes for days sometimes for minutes after 2 trips to the dealer to have this fixed...of course the problem will not happen, ,,with my luck it only happens at night when the dealer is closed, ,and I am not about to leave it outside running all night. This very unsafe because you have no idea when its about to go powerless, ,,on the highway, ,while making a turn in traffic, ,,there is no reason in anyone mind that this should be a recall with all the complaints I have read on this site or is it that someone has to die first before anyone gets up and does something about this.
I was coming home and heard a chime, then the power steering light came on and I lost control of the steering. Could not turn the wheel, I turned off the car and restarted it, worked for a few minutes, long enough so I could park it. I had the car towed to the dealership the next day, they ran diagnostics and repaired it under warranty. I was thankful for that, but I am concerned about other car owners that do not know about the problem and may be driving on the freeway at a much faster speed when the power steering shuts down. There should be a total recall on this defect!
The power steering went out on the car at high or low speeds. You can turn the car off and restart it and the steering comes back, but 15 seconds later it goes out. Canada has a recall on the same issue why do not we. Also the same part is in the Chevy cobalt and that is recalled.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet HHR. While driving approximately 35 mph, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The contact was able to stop the vehicle in a parking area. After inspecting the vehicle and restarting the engine the steering functioned normally. The failure persisted intermittently. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 27,500.
- Bluff City, TN, USA
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I was driving home on a secondary road in the foot hills of North Carolina while it was raining last night when I was going in a curve and suddenly the power steering cut out and I couldn't turn the vehicle properly. I was traveling approx. 35 mph going into the curve at the time of the problem, due to the sudden problem, I had crossed the center line of the road due to the loss of proper steering and the wet roads, even though I applied the brakes and tried to turn. I heard a chime and saw the trouble indicator showing a problem with the power steering. I fortunately didn't have any on coming traffic or anyone behind me at the time or there could have been a serious injury accident. Living in the foot hills of nc with many curves and hills this is a definite safety issue that needs to be corrected with the power steering and HHR vehicles. I was only a mile from home so I drove there and checked to see what was happening. When I restarted the vehicle, the power steering appears to have corrected itself. Checking on line for possible reasons for the problem, I am made aware that the HHR's and other vehicles that use the electric power steering have had similar issues (even recalls) for a while now. I find it unacceptable not to include the HHR vehicle since this is a known issue with this model vehicle. As an individual who works in the safety & health field, I strive to keep incidents from occurring that could lead to fatalities, injuries and or property damage and feel that a recall should be done to prevent the potential loss of life from occurring. I am also a certified defensive driver instructor through the nc safety council for cars and transfer trucks. Responding to vehicle accidents is part of my job and I must emphasize that the issue of steering control on any vehicle should not be debated or sat upon until lives are lost.
I was driving my car to the dollar store and was stopped at the red "left turn" arrow, and all of a sudden, the "power steering" sign flashed on my dashboard and my car made a "ding ding" noise. When the light turned green, I turned left and it was extremely hard for me to turn the wheel. It has been happening since. I will turn the car off, and when I turn the car back on, it drives fine for the first few minutes, and then the "power steering" sign came back on. The "power steering" sign has also appeared when I was making a right turn which caused the wheel to lock up in the middle of a turn. The car jerked and I almost crashed into a black sedan. I have a small child who sits in the back seat. I don't have much money, so I can not afford to pay the dealership to get this issue fixed. I took it to a cheap repair shop, and they could not find the issue. I have been looking online to find what ways I can fix this without it costing me a lot of money. Have not been able to find a solution, so I am currently driving with no "power steering" which can be very dangerous. In addition to my power steering going out, a couple months ago, I went out to my car to get in my car, and put my key in the ignition and turned the car on. Made it to the store, and when I was getting ready to get out of the car, the key would not come out of the ignition. I could not turn it, or anything. The car would not turn off. I had to have aaa disconnect my battery so that my car didn't have to stay running until the dealership opened in the morning. My key had to sit in the ignition over night, someone could have stolen my car. I took it to the dealership the next morning and they had to replace the whole ignition cylinder.
While driving home the other night, the power steering warning came on and I almost veered off the road into a ditch. This has been happening numerous times since then. I have heard that GM has recalled the same eps in the Pontiac G6, why not for the HHR. I have an appointment with my dealer to look into this problem, as it is dangerous on the roads around me (winding and deep ditches).
Driving straight at 55 mph. The power steering failed without warning, about 10 seconds into failure the warning indicator came on. Dealer checked and advised the code indicated the ps motor overheated. Had this happened in a turn or in a panic situation the results could have been deadly.
Driving down the highway at rush house, dashboard ding'd and power steering went out completely. I was lucky I was on a straight road but to make turns to get off the highway to safety was extremely difficult. Brought it to monroe muffler, couldn't even park my HHR as the steering would not work. Very dangerous. Monroe muffler advised to bring it to a dealer because apparently these vehicles are all electronic without any fluids.. if your going to make them electronic then please make them be safer.
Arrived home from grocery shopping and I parked my vehicle. I tried to turn the ignition off and the key would not turn. I pulled the power cable off the fuse box under the hood to shut the vehicle off. I live in a townhouse sub-division and did not want to leave the key in the ignition so I removed the ignition cylinder. I called the dealer where I bought the car and they towed it to their shop. The looked at the vehicle and told me it was under oem warranty and they had it towed to a Chevrolet dealer to have it fixed. The dealership said they would fix the ignition switch under warranty but the housing would have to be replaced at a cost to me. They replaced the parts and the vehicle would not start. The dealership called the next day and said the ECM (engine control module) would not hold its programming and needed to be replaced at my cost. Total repair $1275.
Power steering quit working going down the highway, pulled over shut the car off, restarted worked fine for about 2 day, then went out again, now it goes off all the time. This makes it hard to steer, could cause an accident. Dealer said have to put on computer and find out what was doing it, all charges to me.I have looked online and was told that same steering is in other Chevrolet vehicles that were recalled, not the HHR.
While driving or parked I see the service air bag light come on. It has been going on and off. I haven't read where anyone else has been having this issue yet. But I have had the ignition stuck in the on position. I had to unplug the battery until the next morning. When I could go to the dealership. They fixed the car it was still under warranty at the time of incident. But now I am getting this service air bag light, when it does come on I can't see the mileage nor the temperature gauge. I want to know can this be fixed?
Driving down interstate 30 when power steering light came on. When pulling over noticed power steering not working. Hard to steer in cornering. Been a week not working. Taking to shop tomorrow.
As traveling down the interstate I59 the warning chime sounded and the power steering error showed on the dash. Power steering was lost until auto was shut down and restarted. This is coming and going as the vehicle is driven.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the power steering assist failed and the steering became difficult to turn. The power steering warning light illuminated before the failure occurred. The failure was experienced numerous times and the vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure. A diagnostic was performed which was unable to locate a failure code. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the approximate current mileage was 42,000.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the power steering light illuminated on the instrument panel and the steering wheel seized. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was inspected by a mechanic, who stated that the electronic power assist module was failing. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The failure and current mileages were 15,000.
Driving on interstate doing 65 mph, power steering indicator went off and lost my power steering. Since the first time, it continues to do the same thing, sometimes 1-2/day sometimes too many times to count in one trip. I have to turn the car off and restart for the power steering to work again.
I was driving my vehicle and suddenly dic displayed "power steering", and the steering became very hard to turn. I pulled over, turned off the vehicle and waited for a minute, then I restarted the vehicle & was working fine. Then five minutes after the dic displayed "power steering". now I have to take my car to the mechanic and pay for the repair. It is my understanding that the HHR & Chevrolet cobalt have the same similar power steering system, and a recall for the Chevrolet cobalt has been issued. Why not for the Chevrolet HHR? thanks.
While driving apx. 25mph the warning "ding sound" came on & the display read "power steering". by putting the car in neutral and turning the key off & turning it back on & putting in drive, it temporarily remedies the problem but not for long. Sometimes this has to be done 15-20 times. This is driving in town or interstate, it makes no difference. We purchased the car in July 30, 2011 with 45K miles on it. Eight months later, we started having this problem. I've seen many forums with the same complaint and feel that there definitely needs to be a recall on this model. This is dangerous and sounds like a malfunction from the manufacturer and they should step up and recall. This needs to be investigated immediately!
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Norfolk, VA, USA