Brakes Failed problems of the 2008 Chevrolet HHR

Brakes do not work correctly and brake pedal goes to floor after car has been parked for any extended time (overnight, etc. . ) brakes fail to stop vehicle, and there have been 3 barely avoided accidents. Car has been taken to dealership where gm disallowed any further action to be taken due to their technical bulletin saying that the defect is a characteristic of the car.

The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Hhr. The contact stated that whenever she starts the vehicle and drives forward or backwards, there is no braking power. When the brake pedal is depressed, the vehicle continues to move. She must pump the brake pedal with much force in order for the vehicle to stop. On one occasion, the failure caused her to rear-end another vehicle. There were no injuries and the speed was unknown. The vehicle has been taken to the dealer at least four times, but they cannot determine the cause of the failure. The dealer provided her with a brochure to keep in her vehicle in case of a crash, which stated that she has been experiencing brake failure and was not at fault for the crash. The failure mileage was 7,350.

2008 Hhr ss turbo - dealer replaced previous 2008 Hhr ss turbo that had braking issues at 200 mile. This new car has same exact problem. At startup after the car has been sitting for about 10 hours the brakes do not have enough vacuum inorder to work properly. You have to wait about 120 seconds before there enough vacuum to engage the brakes. Until enough vacuum is present the brakes fail to stop the vehicle on any kind of minimal slope. Dealer has upgraded the software per the manufacturer recommendation but the problem still exists. Dealer recommend that the user sit for 60 seconds before removing the vehicle from park. This is unacceptable and a safety hazard. I have tried two separate vehicles that are identical and they both have the same problem. The is a fix for the Saturn sky and pontiac solstice I am told but none for the chevy.

2008 Hhr ss with 200 miles, brakes fail to work at all when car is first started in the mornings. Dealer finds no problem. Anti-lock brakes engage but do not work. Dealer has reprogrammed the computer with the same problem still existing. This is a major defect. Dealer instructed us to drive the vehicle to get fixed. We had it towed.

I have a 2008 Hhr ss, that has a braking problem when first started or has set for approx. 8 hours. I have almost ran out of our parking lot into traffic. I have had it in the dealership twice. First time they reprogrammed the ecm. Problem continues and the second time, I was told that the factory says this is a normal characteristic of the 2. 0 engine and turbo. The dealership gave me a copy of service bulletin and at the end ,it states (do not attempt to repair or replace any parts for what is considered normal operation of the ohb). Bulletin number is 07-05-22-002. The second bulletin number give to me by the dealership is 08-05-22-001. The following optimized hydraulic brake (ohb) #1-ratchet sound coming from the brake system during ohb activation. #2-brake pedal movement or pulsation when ohb is active. #3-increased brake pedal effort under low brake booster vacuum. #4-change in brake pedal effort when ohb is active. #5-frequent brake stops may result in ohb activation. #6-high altitude driving may result in ohb activation. The way I read all this is when ohb activates, you may have braking problems. I have talked to two different people in customer service and all I could get out of them was (this is normal characteristics of the Hhr with turbo). The dealership contacted gm and they say the same thing and there is not a cure for this problem and it is normal for the turbo models. I guess when a few people gets killed they may try to find a fix. My vehicle now has less than 3000 miles and I noticed the problem around 100 or so miles. I have owned 25 gm vehicles in my days and this is the first having normal characteristics for not stopping. If you have an accident and possibly kill someone, how can you explain this to the police, when the police gets in the car and the ohb is not activated and the brake pedal seems normal, you are in trouble and may never prove at that time the brakes honestly did fail. If gm can,t fix the problem they should buy the cars back.