Check Engine Light On Problems of Chevrolet HHR

Check engine light. Reduced engine power. Esc off. This occurred on vehicle startup and while the vehicle was in motion. The vehicle goes into a low power mode and cannot be driven more than five miles per hour.

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My 2011 Hhr has started acting up by throwing out the reduced engine power light, esc light and service traction light. This will happen when in park(when warning up the vehicle) and when im driving. It seems to happen more in cold weather. When it happens it reduces the speed down to 25mph and lurches forward and sounds horrible! I have had this happen when driving down a highway and the interstate (luckily I was in the right lane and able to get the shoulder safely. There is no warning when it is about to happen. It also will do it while stopped waiting for a stop light to change. It will throw on the check engine light and we have checked the codes and changed what it said needed change but that did not work. From what I have looked up it looks like people are having all sorts of issues with this but no one has found a solution. There needs to be a solution because spending hundreds of dollars for it not to fix it is not right.

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I was driving my 07 Chevrolet Hhr @ 45 mph when the dash display blinked then displayed engine power reduced, followed by a substantial reduction of speed. I couldn't accelerate beyond 30 mph, so I pulled off of the road to avoid being hit by the 18 wheeler traveling behind me. I turned the engine off and back on. The check engine light came on and stayed on. I drove 15 miles back home @ a speed of 30 mph. The vehicle refuses to accelerate beyond 30 mph.

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I was driving down the highway and all of a sudden the service airbag warning light came on as well as the warning chime. I purchased the car used in August 2013, and soon after getting it the very same warning came on. I went back to the dealer and they had it sent to a local gm dealer to be fixed. I purchased the car from a Dodge and Subaru dealer and they were not able to do the repair. I was shown the repair paperwork stating that a faulty airbag sensor was replaced. Well just last week the very same thing happened again. The service airbag light comes on then goes off sometimes after only a few seconds. Then another warning light went on stating faulty air pressure sensor. The check engine light is on as well so I'm wondering if there is some type of electrical gremlin in the car. This is extremely frustrating because I like the car but all of these stupid little issues make me want to trade it in, and never buy anything made by gm ever again.

Driving at 70mph on the freeway, between two semi trucks, my car dinged at me and the display said, "engine power reduced. " I did not know what this meant so I immediately started to try and maneuver between the two trucks and pull over. Seconds later, the warning bells happened again and the error message was "engine disengaged. " the car turned itself off! I coasted over to the berm. To be honest, I was so scared, I really don't know if the power steering and brakes were disabled too but with no engine running, I can't imagine how they could be. The yellow check engine light was now on and I tried several times to restart the car with no success, it just acted dead. The electrical systems seemed operative. With cars and trucks zipping by at high speeds, I decided to wait in my car, hoping an emergency vehicle would pass by. After about 10 minutes, I was able to start the car again. The check engine light remained lit and the car acted normally not even acting like it was in limp mode. I warily drove my car to my mechanic. He said the computer gave him limited information. He cleaned the throttle but wasn't sure it worked or not. Imagine my hesitancy to drive on a freeway again, not knowing if it would happen again. A search of internet boards about this problem showed this is designed by gm to happen and happens often! a design feature that shuts off the car at high speeds because of a dirty throttle? this was not a fatal condition of the engine that would cause it to blow up or something but merely a maintenance item. Just shutting off the engine hardly seems like an proportionate response to a dirty throttle. The discussion boards say there are multiple reasons this happens, not just the throttle condition. Please research this design flaw. The idea of letting my wife drive this car quite frankly scares me as it did me that cold winter day.

See all problems of the 2006 Chevrolet HHR 🔎.

The electrical system in the car has shut down and has caused my power steering to go out while I am driving. It dings so I have some notice. But none the less really scary and very hard to turn going 20 mph. My brakes are very hard when this happens. My thermostat/ coolant information is currently displayed as dashes (----) across my dash, making this really difficult to know if it is hot or has run out and my ac is connected to this also so when it decides to work my ac will work. It will turn off and on while driving too. My mph reads my speed going 20 mph over what I am actually driving. My car has completely shut off while driving. The check engine light comes on and off making it more difficult to get codes.

Check engine light came on, all fuel injectors needed replaced. 15,000 later the entire engine needed repaired (separate complaint).

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Hhr. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection where they stated that the number three cylinder had misfired. As a result, the exhaust valve and the exhaust head needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 56,000.

While driving on the highway my service esc light came on along with the road traction picture and my car started jerking and shaking after a few minutes my check engine light came on. My husband thought it was misfiring so he changed out the spark plugs but it is still doing the same thing. The esc light will go off for a few miles but will came back on.

After traveling back and forth from one county to another (approx 130 miles roundtrip) as I exited the fwy the car was driving normal except for I was on empty at this point. I came to a complete stop when light turned green I began to accelerate. Upon acceleration at approx. 10-15mph the car made a hard jerking motion as though it was having a hard time shifting gears however my 06 Hhr is an automatic. At this point I also noticed that the check engine light had now illuminated on the instrument panel. I took the car straight home and did not attempt to drive again for 3-4 days. Then one day I drove it approx 15 miles all was good. I went shopping upon leaving the car still appeared to be normal. Then while on the fwy approx 70mph I noticed the check engine light on again as well as the t/c light (traction control) the car continued to drive "normal" but once I came to a stop on the offramp and began to accelerate the jerking motion happened again. I've noticed that on a few occasions this happens once the gas is on empty. I also noticed on one occasion that once I had put a little over half a tank of gas in as well as a bottle of fuel injector cleaner that the indicator lights shut off as well as the jerking had disappears. We have had the transmission flushed and still the problem persists. Aside from that when you try to remote start the engine once the check engine light has come on the remote start no longer works. You hear the electrical all come on but that's it. Then all of a sudden the other night I attempt to exit my car and the driver door handle snapped right off. My husband contacted the local dealership requesting price for the part and was told $300+. I just found the piece for $63. 00 online. . . Unbelievable! but the handle broke so easily. I didn't pull hard. If I had the door would've at least popped open a lil. But it didn't budge.

The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet Hhr. The contact stated that he had several problems with the vehicle. The failures included the brakes, power steering assist and a foul odor being emitted through the ventilation system. In addition, the driver¿s side door handle cable fractured and the check engine warning light was illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact stated that he took the vehicle to the dealer for the failure of the power steering assist where they advised that the steering rack needed to be replaced. The steering rack was repaired but the failure recurred. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer because the check engine light was illuminated and they advised that the cam shaft sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired but the vehicle began to drive roughly afterward. The vehicle was also taken to the dealer for the brake failure, door handle and the exhaust and the technicians stated that they could not duplicate the brake problem or the foul odor that was coming through the exhaust. In addition, the cable in the door handle needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 32,000.

The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Hhr. The contact stated that the speedometer displayed incorrect readings, the steering wheel would become difficult to turn, and the vehicle would stall. In addition, the check engine light would illuminate on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and they were unable to duplicate the failure because the failure occurred on an intermittent basis. The failure and the current mileages were 43,000.

The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Hhr. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the check engine light illuminated and the vehicle stalled. A message comes across the instrument panel saying motor power reduced; motor shut down. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road and restart the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to a local mechanic and was diagnosed as having a faulty throttle body. The mechanic replaced the throttle body, but, the repair only remedied the stalling temporarily. The vehicle continued to stall so the contact called the manufacturer. The manufacturer informed the contact of a gm recall for the pcm, but her VIN was not included in the recall. The contact stated the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The failure mileage was 99,000.

The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet Hhr. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated intermittently while driving approximately 60 mph and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to a private mechanic and he was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The current mileage was 98,000 and the failure mileage was 97,000. The VIN was unavailable.

My '06 chevy Hhr was running fine for 4 years and then 3 weeks ago the engine light came on and my car stopped and started coasting while I was in the middle of driving it. After that incident, it happened intermittently every other day and now we can't drive it a few miles without it shutting down several times. It always starts right back up but it is extremely dangerous b/c it happened while my husband is driving on the freeway. We are at the point where we don't drive it outside of the neighborhood and we're going to see about getting a new vehicle. I saw online where people were having the same problem. I am going to the dealer next week to have it checked by them but I don't think I should have to pay for this if it is a defect in the vehicle.

The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Hhr. While driving approximately 20 mph in the driveway, the contact heard a loud clanging noise underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the front rotors were resurfaced. The failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer four times for the similar failure; and the drivers side sway bar was replaced. Also, on a separate occasion the technician advised that the front and rear rotors be replaced; yet, they were not replaced when the complaint was filed. The failure mileage was 11,000. Updated 1/25/11 the check engine light illuminated, the outside door handle was peeling, the sway bar and drivers side headlight were replaced. Updated 04/21/11.

I also own a 2008 chevy Hhr lt that is loaded. I purchased this vehicle brand new and currently have 39,000 miles on it. I have had nothing but trouble with this vehicle. I have had all of the following problems and gm replaced some of them. Gm installed a new intermediate steering column, drag links,turned rotors 4 times and right side upper ball joint. After the warranty expired, the brakes once again went to hell in a hand basket. I ordered a set of racing rotors and ceramic brakes, this cured the brake problem. At 37,000 miles, the check engine light came on and I had it checked out and it was the cam sensor. I replaced the sensor and reset the light and it did not fix the problem. I really like the vehicle, but gm needs to do their homework and do more research and development.

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In April 2007 my check engine light came on. I brought it to the dealer to have it checked out and they advised me it was a bad sensor and changed it. This happened several more time over the next few months every time the sensor was changed. Problem persisted again in Jan 08 car is back at the dealer again 5th time for check engine light this time I was advised when doing the diagnostic check they got a code for a miss. The mechanics could not figure out what was causing this code to come up. The dealer contacted chevy's technical help dept and did a thorough diagnostic check to find out that the miss was caused by one of the heads going bad. . . . . . The car had roughly 15,000 miles on it and the motor had to be pulled and repaired. My car ran great for a while after it was repaired. Now 3 months later and 19,300 miles on the car it started sputtering and the check engine light is back on again! I have never had so many issues with any of the 4 other chevy's I have had. I feel this car is a lemon and a danger to drive.

While driving on the freeway the check engine light came on and the speed was reduced to 20. My six month old son was in the car. The dash read, engine power reduced.

I have a 2006 chevy Hhr, I love it but, it has issues 1st I bought it used 15,000 miles. Since then I have had 1. The rear logo replaced 4 times, then, 2. The key get stuck when I turn off the car so I used the plunger and 3. The gear shift moves when the car is off or on. Now, 4. The key won't turn to start the car I have to jiggle it till it works. 5. My power steering goes out randomly, while driving it so I can't turn the 6. -,7. -, and 8. 3 recalls, then, 9. The wheels shakes at 60 mph, I have 10. And 11. Replaced both front door handles with in 2 weeks 12. I hear a loud crackling or static sound from my speakers and the radio is off. Oh and 13. My check engine light won't go off plus 14. Every time I have to change the battery I have to get my remote reprogrammed for the auto start. . . It came with the car. What is going on? there are 14 issues some safety and some cosmetic but, clearly an issue I am only making my voice heard because I just started researching my car. I am a single mother I can't afford to fix the major ignition or gear shift, transmission and electrical car shaking these have been reported in a lot of Hhrs. Please help.