Lose Power Steering problems of the 2008 Chevrolet HHR

Power steering went out while driving, service esc code came on. Car has done this numerous times over the past year, I have replaced the steering column, the power steering motor, the car ran fine for weeks and today while driving down the road the service esc code came on and I lost power steering.

I was sitting in traffic trying to merge and the power steering light flashed on the dash and I lost my power steering. I got home and shut the car off for a couple of hours and the steering was fine. I drove to the store and as I was pulling into a parking space it happened again,the light on the dash flashed and I lost my power steering. I am very concerned about this because my daughter also drives my vehicle and I do not want this to occur with her. I am questioning if this was part of the life time warranty recall as I have never received any notices.

The vehicle lost power steering assist while driving. There was a chime and an indicator light. Power assist returned after the car was turned off and restarted.

I was driving and my vehicle lost power steering, this is the second time in a year this has happened. The dealership replaced the motor the first time and now they are refusing to replace the steering column when the recall letter clearly states if all components need to be replaced including the steering column than they shall.

I was on the freeway going 65 mph & all of a sudden the power steering light went on &lost power steering immediately! this could have been a very bad accident & was scary. It will cost me $500 or more to get it fixed. Also, at approx. 48,000 miles the back rear door latch broke & would not open, it cost me $125 to replace it as there was no other way to fix this. Beware of your power steering.

Power steering light came on and I lost power steering.

As I was driving down the road, my chevy Hhr suddenly lost its power steering. There was a message on the dashboard that read, "power steering," but otherwise there was no warning. I managed to get home without an incident, but this is a potentially dangerous problem. The power steering was fully functional when I tested it later that same day. I read in the USA today that gm had issued a recall for power steering failure in several of its vehicles including the Hhr, but my local Chevrolet dealership told me that my vehicle was not under recall and that I would have to pay for any repair work. It is too dangerous to drive without getting it fixed, but I think that gm needs to stand by its product.

Vehicle steering wheel became extremely difficult to turn--similar to a vehicle having lost the power steering function. No vehicle warning--feeling, vibration, or sound--was apparent prior to the failure. The Chevrolet Hhr, as well as other Chevrolet models, have been issued a power steering recall; however, the 2008 Hhr model year is not yet included. Calling the phone number from the gm website, the customer service representative could not confirm gm would be issuing a recall for the 2008 model.

Power steering alarm goes off periodically and I lose power steering of my vehicle.

As I was driving on the highway the power steering alarm came on and about a minute after that I lost power steering. My son was with me so he help me steer it off the road. I turned it off and then turned it back on and about 3 minutes the alarm came back on. My son was able to drive the car to the dealership. This could have caused an accident.

I was approaching a business driveway that required me to make a left hand turn, so I braked (at which time there occurred a heavy side-to-side shimmy of the steering wheel, a "clunk" or "pop" from the area of the engine compartment or front suspension, and a chime from the dash) and began the turn into a driveway across lanes of oncoming traffic. The steering became extremely difficult midway through the turn, which caused me to drive partially through a ditch rather than completing my turn safely and entering the driveway fully on the pavement. I then had to park, turn the key to the "off" position and restart in order to reactivate the power steering. We have been experiencing this randomly for several months and have even acquired some minor body and cosmetic damage due to having lost power steering in a curve. When I contacted the dealership, they told me it might be from a faulty ignition switch that is now on order and may take quite awhile to become available. Today, I ran an internet search and found hundreds of mentions of this same problem within my year model, including a number of recalls that seem to affect the electrical power steering of this model and others. However, when I again called the dealership to inquire, they informed me that my VIN is not included in any of the steering recalls, and that I would have to pay them or someone else to make the repairs and attempt to get reimbursed if it ever does become included. The advisor also instructed me to call 1-800-101-0220 to complain, which only gets me a recording stating that the call cannot be completed, which sounds as if it has been disconnected. This is a serious safety issue not only for the drivers and passengers of these cars, but also for other drivers and possibly pedestrians who might find themselves in harm's way when this completely random event occurs.

At any given time I lose my power steering. If I turn the car off and restart it works for awhile but the problem returns. I did see where they issued a recall for 2009 and later but did not include 2008 however they did say that they would honor lifetime warranty on the power steering motor on my car but when I take the car to the dealer they say this VIN number is not under a recall when I tell them it is under a lifetime warranty they look at me like I have two heads. Can you send me anything that I can give to the dealer so they will fix this problem.

The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Hhr. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle intermittently lost power steering and the 'power steering lost' message displayed. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the eps motor would need to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.

The first incident occured as I was slowing to make a turn and a message appeared on the message center that said power steering. Over the course of the next 2 - 3 days I lost power steering in the car approximately 35 - 40 times. We then took the car to a chevy dealer to have the ignition switch work done. They had the car for 1 1/2 months. I didn't have any issues until about 2 weeks after I picked the car up and have continued to have problems with losing power steering as I'm driving down the road. From what I understand, my car seems to be doing the same thing that the 2009 & 2010 Hhr's that are being recalled are doing.

While driving out of my neighborhood the Hhr shut off and I lost power steering & power brakes, forcing me onto the sidewalk. Luckily there was no cars parked along the street or anyone walking on the sidewalk. This has happen twice already within one month. Second time I was just pulling out of the parking lot.

The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Hhr. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 mph, the vehicle lost power steering with the power steering light illuminated. The steering wheel was hard to turn. Vehicle had to be turned off and restarted in order for the vehicle to function properly. The failure occurred six times over a period of a month. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who did not diagnose the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage 82,000.

Lost power steering and simultaneously saw a "power steering" message displayed on the driver's information center. Had a very difficult time steering the car in heavy traffic. Was able to reset the condition by shutting off the car and restarting, but the problem keeps reoccurring with regularity.

On December 3, 2013 while I was driving to work I lost power steering on my 2008 Hhr. I immediately pulled over. When I turn off the car and turn it back on, the power steering will work for a few minute before losing power again. I began to search the internet for a solution. I notice several blogs from Hhr owners having the same problem. I call Hhr customer service to see if there was a recall and I was told there was not. I have gotten an estimate on fixing the problem and was quoted approx. 850 dollars.

While driving at speeds upwards of 45 mph, the power steering light came on and I lost power steering. I almost got into a crash and was unable to safely steer the vehicle. Once the vehicle was turned off the steering was returned. And then it would go out again utnil the vehicle was turned off again. Upon searching the internet I saw that 1. 3 million vehicles were recalled for the exact same issue but the chevy Hhr was not one of them. It seems to be a harzardous issue according to chevy's recall, and the have received multiple complaints from Hhr owners and haven't recalled this part on the Hhr.

2008 Chevrolet Hhr. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle lost power steering while driving. The dealer replaced the power steering motor.

The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Hhr. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 mph, the vehicle lost power steering and the power steering warning light illuminated. As a result, the contact lost control of the vehicle and crashed into a pole. There was no injuries reported. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing, however they could not duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70,000.

I was driving at highway speeds when the power steering light came on and I lost my power steering. Since that time it occurs occasionally but is now more frequent. I was researching the problem online on a Hhr owners forum when I realized that this is a common problem. Those who experienced the same problem all stated that it is sudden and can potentially be dangerous. I have checked my VIN on gm website for recalls and this problem is not listed. What is confusing to me is that the Chevrolet cobalt was listed for this problem and the cobalt and Hhr share the same parts.

The car was like "exhaling" as I was driving on the highway. The next morning after I started my car, I saw the message "power steering". Took it to the chevy dealership on oct 3 and was charged for them to tell me they could not duplicate the problem. On oct 10, it happened again, but I heard a warning signal along with the message. I immediately drove to the dealership again and was told they couldn't get to me until oct 15. I was told that the last time, they found a low voltage and that was all. I'm left wondering what to do if it stops in the middle of the highway and no power steering. I have another appointment on oct 15th(probably for another $120) for them to tell me the same thing. Safety - if I lose the power steering while on the highway, trying to go around curves, I will surely get hit by someone. There's no shoulders on the highway (I-40) that I drive on daily during peak traffic time. Luckily, my car has not done that to me, but it is showing all the warnings. Please help before someone loses their life, including myself. I am about afraid to get on the road because of this problem and of reports that the enginve "fried" on someone else's car.

This car is a safety hazard going down road. I bought it new in 2008. Rotors & brakes are horrible - have to have repaired multiple times. Bearings have went out, replaced & one went out again. I spend approx 1200 dollars a year just to get shaking out of front end, turning rotors & tires. But that isn't really the problem I am reporting: was having trouble with ignition switch - it was recalled - took it to dealer to have it replaced - understand that I was having no problems with car at this time - upon leaving dealers and within 15 miles power steering light comes on & I lose power steering. Now my power steering goes out unexpectedly whenever it decides to. Took back to dealer because I felt this was something they messed up and was told this is just a problem with Hhrs and that power steering motor needs to be replaced. After researching this. . . It is very common with this car, along with brake issues, severe shaking in front, bearings going out and many other problems that I have also had. I realize my car is high mileage, I work as a home health nurse & use this car for work, but I do keep it maintained. I hope that I will be able to get into different car before I get in accident in this one.

Vehicle will show ecs code in dic message center and esc will be disabled. Vehicle will then lose power steering short time later and you will have no power steering. Has been happening since warranty expired at 36,000 miles. It will reset after engine is turned off, however after about 20 minutes of steady driving you will lose power steering.

The first time the power steering failed in my 2008 Hhr, I was driving on the freeway with my wife and daughter out of nowhere there was a warning sound and then the dashboard warning lit up and I had lost all power steering. Luckily, I was able to keep control of the vehicle as there was heavy traffic and I was in the middle of a rather treacherous highway curve with four lanes of traffic. I eventually made way off freeway, turned off vehicle and then started it again. This seemed to do the trick, for a short time. Since this first power steering loss, the same thing has happened at least 7 or 8 times, at various speeds with total power steering loss. This is the only vehicle we have and since we cannot afford another vehicle I am forced to drive this safety hazard. I am worried about losing control and crashing possibly hurting my family and/or others. This has to be fixed, there are too many people driving the same make/model/year with the same problem. It is obviously not a fluke; I am not the only person having this issue.

I began to notice that the power steering in my car would intermittenly fail about three or four months ago. The first instance was when I was turning my wheel while entering into a parking lot. The car made a dinging sound, then in the odometer are it read "pwer steering. " it then became extremely difficuit to turn my wheel. I stopped the car, turned it off, then restarted it and the problem went away. Then a few weeks later it happened again, but when I turned it off, started, then restarted, it went back to normal just as it did before. This continued on for several weeks, each time it would be less and less time between incidents. Now, I can't even get ten feet out of my driveway before I lose the power steering function. It continues to function normally when the car is first started, and then for a short distance, but every time I drive the car now, I have no use of my power steering.

The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Hhr. The contact stated that while attempting to make either a left or right turn, the vehicle would lose all power steering intermittently without warning. Both the dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The failure was not diagnosed nor was the vehicle repaired. The current mileage was 58,000 and the failure mileage was 50,000. The VIN was unavailable.