Table 1 shows one common unknown or other related problems of the 2009 Chevrolet HHR.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other problems |
Unable to remove the key from the igition. One hour later the car is still running and key is stuck. Disconnected the battery. Its 7pm will have it toaded to dealership in am.
The Hhr won't start. Came out from work and the key won't turn in the ignition and the steering wheel is locked. Everything is locked up. . . . . . . I can't get the car to start.
Ignition problems after starting and cutting off the car several times December 4, 2011, I stopped by the grocery store, reached up to cut the ignition off and the key would only move about 1/4" forward, not causing the car try to crank, as it normally would, and not turning backwards, as if cutting the car off, at all. I tried going the the gears, working the key in each gear, cutting the wheels, again working the key as I turned the wheel, all of which to no avail. As it happened on a Sunday, there were no dealerships or shops open in the area, I had to let my car sit and run for several hours until I could get a mechanic friend over to look at the car. He was unable to get the ignition to cut off or to get the key to move at all, so he took the housing off and found a wiring harness that could be unplugged to cut the ignition off therefore enabling the car to cut off. We also discovered that this can be used to return the car to running in an emergency, if you plug it back in and turn the key slightly as if starting the car, as this is the only direction the key will turn.
After returning home from running errands, I found I could not turn the car off and remove the key from the ignition. Even pushing the gear release button, did not release the key or allow me to turn the vehicle off. The battery & the fuel pump relay had to be disconnected in order to turn the vehicle off. Luckily I was in my driveway and not on the road with my small children. The ignition cylinder had to be replaced. Chevy towed my vehicle to a local dealer "free of charge" however because it happened on a weekend was unable to do anything or find out any informatin to help me out. It wasn't until Monday that a manager was available at the dealership who was willing to help me out with paying for this, due to it being out of the bumper to bumper warranty. Thank you to the dealership, however am unimpressed with chevy for not recognizing an unsafe design flaw (not fluke, flaw).
The vehicle will not shut off when running, key is stuck in the ignition, there is no way to shut the vehicle off. Cannot remove key, vehicle will drive, reverse and park, will not allow vehicle to be shut off. Internet searches shows this to be a common problem with both the Chevrolet cobalt and Hhr, however no recalls have been issued.
Going 35 to 45 mph in a straight line on a cold night with the heater on. A message showing "power steering" on the driver information center. With evey restart the power steering would work for a time and then shut down again after a short time. Dealer diagnosed as a failed electric power steering assist motor. We paid $335. 38 to replace this componant. This vehicle has the same frame, power train, and other major componants as the Chevrolet cobalt and pontiac g5 with the body being the main difference in these vehicles. Chevrolet cobalt and pontiac g5 recall information: make: Chevrolet model: cobalt model year: 2009 manufacturer: general motors corp. Mfr's report date: Mar 01, 2010 NHTSA campaign id number: 10v073000 NHTSA action number: pe10005 component: steering:electric power assist system.
Visiting my daughter. Started to go home. The head lamps would not come on. After 10 or 15 minutes of turning switches, turning motor off and on, nothing worked. So here am I stuck miles away from home and the head lights wont come on. In furstration I slapped the left driver side head light,it came on. So I walked to the other side and gave it a slap,and it came on. We drove the thirty miles home worrying if they would go out again. Got home ok. Now we have to hit both headlights to get them on. The warranty is out and do you know you have to remove the whole front bumper assembly to even get to the head lights. Why would gm allow such design is be on reason. Good luck Hhr owners my wife has already experinced the lock ignition syndrome, when the key wont come out. Why doesnt the NHTSA help us Hhr owners.
The door sensors do not work properly. The sensors to not indicate that the door is not fully closed. The door must be open by at least three inches before the sensor will indicate "door ajar. " so, if the door is closed lightly but not all the way you could end up driving down the highway and have your door come swinging open with no warning. It was discovered by a chevy service department that the reason for this is because of the sensor placement in the crease of the door. If the sensor was placed in the lock then the problem would be fixed. However, the design of the sensor does not allow for it to be moved. This is not a one time problem this is an ongoing issue.
This is a complaint against the Chevrolet Hhr which seems to be prone to not turning off when the key is in the ignition. No matter how hard I tried or what I tried I could not turn the key to shut the car off. My neighbor had to turn the car off by diconnecting something under the hood. The car had to be towed to the dealer. During my research on the internet there seems to be a lot of people having the same problem. Some of them even state that the button on the gear shift that you have to push in to change gears sticks.