Engine Shut Off Without Warning problems of the 2006 Chevrolet HHR

While I was driving down the road I got a message saying "engine power reduced" and then "engine disabled" and my car shut off. I tried starting it a few times and it wouldn't even turn over. After a few minutes it started back up.

While driving vehicle the engine shut off while traveling down 3 lanes of traffic. ( del prado east ) was able to roll down window hit flashers and warn other drivers of stalled engine, steering wheel and brakes still worked; battery power still intact was able to coast into a left hand turning lane with rear end still out blocking traffic horns blaring !. Tried to start engine 3 x's it still had battery power so was able to put car in park and step on brake to start as is required. After 3rd try the engine came to life. I crossed over 3 lanes of on coming traffic and it shut off again was able to get it started again after several tries, pulled into cape coral hos parking lot. And took back road to my home, vehicle shut off again same process , after 4 tries it started and was able to get home, time was 5:43 pm called roger dean chev. Service dept closed. 3 times this happened. Took to service dept on Monday 08/25/14 . Diag internal failure dtc code po601 ecm, part replaced 1 gty/ 1259917 / module 3. 670 part $ 670. 00 labor $ 249. 88 . Told this is just a failure but not a worry enough to be a recall, and like any computer it can crash ie no big deal ! a home computer doesn't crash in traffic like a car does. I beg to differ if I had not been an experienced driver I'm not too sure how the outcome would of been, and grateful that my 18 year old grandchild wasn't behind the wheel, the out come could of been tragic ! was told by service dept I could get a new car if I was worried about driving it. What the -------- that doesn't change the fact the internal failure happened.

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 barriered 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!.

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Hhr. The contact stated that the battery died without warning. The battery was replaced, but the vehicle could not be started. The engine shut down warning light was also illuminated. The contact spoke with the manufacturer in regards to the failure and the manufacturer advised that the engine would need to be reset. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 55,000.

2006 Hhr - 50,164 miles - engine and dash shut off while driving with normal highway/weather conditions and speeds of 65+ mph after hitting bumps/transition points of pavement in the road. These bumps are pavement that sometimes buckle in the summer. The car would still have steering and brakes, but no dash lights or turn signals. No dummy lights illuminated, no warnings came on. The hazards worked fine and the radio was still on. The car would restart on the shoulder of the tollway but he first incident caused the transmission to shift hard and almost shut the car off when coming to a stop. The car was driven to its destination and shut off. Upon the next restart which was approximately an hour later, the car shifted fine. The local chevy dealer took the Hhr in and performed many diagnostic tests and checked numerous electrical connectors and all was fine. The very next week, during a pouring rain, the car again shut off after going over a bump on the tollway. Again, no dash lights came on, the dash shut completely off, the engine shut off, and the wipers stopped, all while traveling at highway speeds in a thunderstorm. The car was again pulled safely to the side of the road and restarted. A mile or two down the road, the same thing happened again. The car was again pulled to the side of the road in rush hour traffic and during a thunderstorm! the car was once again restarted and able to get off the tollway. Calls were placed to two different Chevrolet dealers in the area - one had no power because of the storm, and the others service department had just closed. The rest of the drive home was done on secondary roads at slower speeds and plenty of shoulders to pull off onto. This car is driven daily 60+ miles on the illinois tollway.