Problems with 2006 Chevrolet HHR ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

My car coolant went from 187 to 216 what cause this. *tr

I recently started getting a dashboard message saying "reduced engine power" and the car loses power and will only get to about 10-15 mph. i was driving at round 45 mph when this happened and the car behind me almost hit me because the car slowed down too fast with no break lights until i hit them. since then it happens randomly a few times a weeks. it doesn't seem to happen while on cruise control so i have been trying to use it as much as i can. i have read forums and this issue and it seems like no one can pin point the exact problem as it can mean a number of different things. i don't have the money to try out all the different fixes for this in hopes that i get the right thing fixed before i spend thousands of dollars. with the number of other people having this problem there should be a recall to at least have the car checked out to pin point the problem free of charge. *tr

This has been an ongoing problem with my 2006 hhr.i replaced solenoids and it stopped for a few years .i am sick of it i called chevy years ago and they wanted me to pay to have it looked at with no guarantees, i already paid a mechanic hundreds and had a readout for them. i almost crashed into a semi truck exiting hwy one morning taking my daughter to school another exciting hwy also i have a list 2013/2014 now i was driving local and in the middle of turning power steering went out yet again. i was relaxed not ready for it...it has been going on off and on for years. i replaced fuse as told and i thought it fixed the problem for a few weeks nothing .i could put down at least 10 dates when i have had close calls with this problem... i have read 1000's of complaints on power steering problems & shifter with 2006 hhr on different sites. why has nothing been done? amazing a big company can get away with this .they wait until a person loses their life before they do anything. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that while driving approximately 30 mph and making a right turn, the power steering warning light illuminated and the steering wheel seized. the contact had to restart the vehicle in order for to resume normal function. the vehicle was taken to the independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the fuse box needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 65,966. ...updated 03-11-15 *bf the consumer stated the part was replaced and there have been no more steering issue. however, the check engine light illuminated intermittently. updated 03/26/15*jb

This is an ongoing safety problem that chevy/gm doesn't care to worry about. my cars steering wheel shakes when i am driving. sometimes to the point of the car to be uncontrollable in addition to this the traction control light goes on along with the engine light. i have brought this in to the dealer every two months and have been told a combination of what the dealers mechanics feel the problem is. i have had steering columns replaced, cam shaft solenoids, bushings, rotors. the list goes on. nothing has fixed the issue. today bringing back to the dealer i am now told that i am lucky to be alive as both control arms in the front are seconds from breaking along with the links that keep the car stable.. the mechanic shared that had i hit a pothole i would have died as the car would have spun out of control and impossible to recover as i would have no way to control the steering wheel. now having two kids, and this being an ongoing problem one would think that chevy/gm would pay for the replacement of their faulty part. i cant afford a new car, and i can no longer afford to pay for gm's mistakes. my car is paid off and now i don't feel safe driving it. to "fix it" and i say this loosely it will cost 1,800 out of my pocket. *tr

I was driving my vehicle on the 401 on ramp (going 35km/hr) it was a rainy day. i randomly and all of a sudden lost power, including my power steering. no lights, no warnings, just gone. i couldn't turn the wheel to continue with the curved on ramp. i'm not that strong and without power steering i couldn't do it as well. as i wasn't able to do much i hit the break after i was already mid air from hitting the curb and going straight. i landed perpendicular on the 401. taking up all of lane 1 and part of lane 2. lucky traffic stopped before hitting my car. this was terrifying. no warning but no power and whack goodbye power steering. *tr

Tl* 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.

Bought car 5/29/2011 was not informed about any after market parts installed or that it was involved in any type of collision. vehicle title record only indicated a recall for airbags was pending. on 6/27/2011 upon leaving residence driving down the street heard loud sound from bottom of car. pulled over to find that the noise came from exhaust pipe somewhere. went to chevrolet dealer learned that it was a crack in the flung connected to the motor and the replacement included the catalytic cnvrt as one piece. they said not a warranty item costs apprx. $700.00 to install. on 1/27/2012 was told by the licensing bureau that the vehicle had a aftermarket exhaust system installed. *tr

Stalls unexpectedly. no obvious reasons or signs. this is the second time, the first time was about 4 months ago. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. while driving approximately 30 mph the power steering locked up and the brake pedal became stiff. the contact stated the vehicle began to shake vigorously and the engine light illuminated on the dashboard. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians stated the engine component wires needed to be re-adjusted because they were loose. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 67,000. updated 05/25/11

Tl* 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.

2006 chevrolet hhr. consumer states several problems with vehicle *tgw the consumer stated his sons vehicle had a severe shimmy in the steering wheel and became progressively worse when the brake was applied. the pads and rotors were replaced twice and the third time the rotors were machined, but the problem continued. there was also a strange noise coming from the front suspension, but the dealer was unable to pinpoint the problem. at 42,000 miles the air condition made a loud screeching noise for 2 minutes, then stopped working. at 68,000 miles, a metal skid plate had fallen from underneath the vehicle. soon after, the exhaust was very loud. the vehicle was taken to the repair shop and the consumer was informed the catalytic converter had cracked. the vehicle lost power and a cylinder had to be replaced, the check engine light would come on and then go off, the temperature gauge did not work, so the air condition only worked if the check engine light was off. the door locks did not work, the radio worked intermittently, the sun visor would fall down at random times. there were times when the vehicle would not start. the consumer stated even with an alignment, new struts, shocks and good tires, the vehicle continually pulled to the right. *jb

Tl* the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. the contact was driving approximately 35 mph when the vehicle began to decelerate independently. there was a strong burning odor and the contact discovered that there was a hole in the engine oil pan. the vehicle was towed to the contact's residence and he contacted the manufacturer. the manufacturer would not provide any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was not available. the current and failure mileage was approximately 50,000.

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. *tr

I have a 2006 chevy hhr that keeps stalling out and jerks forward. it has jerked so hard that i once hit someone in the rear. luckily there was no damage to the other car. i have taken it back to the dealer numerous times and they can never seem to find the cause. what can i do? *tr

I bought my car brand new and sometimes without warning the engine light comes on and you only have a few seconds to pull over before it shuts down. sometimes the light comes on when i'm stopped at a red light and the whole car starts shaking as if you popped the clutch too fast, except this car is an automatic. i have found through trail and error if i start messing with the computer buttons on the steering wheel that changes the information that is displayed on the dash board it will sometimes reset itself and act okay. other times i have to let it sit for over 20 minutes before it will start up again. there is no set time this occurs, sometimes it happens a few times a day and other times it will go a month without happening. it shuts down at various speeds. sometimes i'm going 65 miles and hour and other times i'm going 20 mph. i have brought the car back to the dealer but they told me they can't fix it until they reenact the problem. each time they have had the car they could not reenact the problem, yet they said they can see there is a problem when they read the computer. i paid $20,000 for this car and am scared to drive it. i can't drive on the highway for fear it will shut down again. i have to take the back roads to get around. *tr

2006 new vehicle purchase serviced 8 times for multiple failures related to either electrical/braking/abs/ wheels/emissions/ traction control/computer/power steering and or computer issues/all repaired/and resolved at gm dealer/vehicle can not be driven safely when issue occurs the failed system in question overrides driver last incident failure occurred in heavy traffic resulting in removal from service which took 3 weeks to repair/had the conditions been different this may have resulted in a crash. *tr

2006 chevy hhr stalls when potholes/bumps are hit in the road. car has stalled three times on major highways in the past six months. the first time the car stalled back in june 2009, i took the car to a chevorlet dealer to have the car checked out and they could not determine why the car stalled. the most recent incident happened on tuesday night october 13, 2009. i hit a pothole in the road my car stalled without warning. lucky for me there was no trucks or cars behind me because there was no shoulder on the road. at this point, i am nervous and anxious when i drive my car. *tr

I was driving and the temperature indicator light came on, the alarm sounded and suddenly the temperature is at over 250. i turned on the fan and heat and managed to slowly make it 1/2 miles home. next day i drove 2 blocks into the repair shop and there was not one drop of coolant in the car. apparently the radiator is completely exposed to rocks and other debris in the roadway. i don't recall hitting anything but there is road construction everywhere. this is a dangerous and expensive design flaw. i am still waiting for the ultimate "damage" report but intend to file this complaint, complain to chevrolet and also let my insurance company know and see if i can recover the costs if this means a new radiator and condenser. i have seen this same complaint on all hhr 2006 and newer models as well. it should be a recall and repair issue. *tr

The exhaust cone inside the front flange of the converter assembly broke off causing the stainless steel bellows/vibration damper to crack and leak. the leak and crack continued to grow until i had cause for concern that the whole assembly would fail and fall down to the road below and cause considerable damage or loss of control. i replaced the unit myself at 82k miles after first noticing the problem at the 78k mile mark. *tr

Owner of a 2006 chevy hhr. first time was driving down highway approx. 35-40 mph hit a pothole in normal driving condition on normal road way. car stalled lost engine, brakes and steering. still under warranty. went back to dealer. second time same scenario this time had car towed into dealer. they had car one week said they could not replicate problem therefore there is nothing wrong. contacted gm lodged complaint no action on their part to fix problem. twice to original dealer. after second time told not to bring it back they were no longer doing warranty repairs third incident i was just driving off an apron leaving a parking lot when the engine stalled while entering traffic. called around can't find another dealer willing to look at problem. i called and as soon as they heard the problem they said they would have a tech call me. still waiting. no physical harm done yet. but i have to use the car and am frightened that my child, or myself or a car in my path is going to get hurt. listing date of first assurance. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. the contact smelled a strong odor of fuel in his vehicle. he took his vehicle to a local repair shop and the technician stated that the flex pipe, which connects to the catalytic converter, fractured. as a consequence, carbon monoxide entered the vehicle. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 55,000. updated 3/24/09 *cn updated 03/27/09.*jb

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. while driving approximately 75 mph on normal road conditions, the traction control switch activated. suddenly, the traction control disengaged without assistance. there was no response when the accelerator pedal was depressed. the vehicle began to idle excessively and surged unexpectedly. immediately, the vehicle was driven to an authorized dealer for inspection, but they could not duplicate the failure. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on three separate occasions for identical failures. the repairs consisted of installing a data recorder and replacing the bcm. in addition, the steering column and gear shifter were replaced. the vehicle was not being driven due to the safety risk involved. the failure mileage was 13,456 and current mileage was 15,500.

My coolant gauge on the instrument panel would not work occasionally but would start working again within miles and before i could get it to the dealer. they looked at it the first time and said there was nothing they could do unless it stopped working completely, that they had no way of finding out why it would stop working and then just start working again. it happened the first time at about 15,00 miles and then again about every 5,000 miles further. it stopped working the other day again (everything else worked fine on the panel and no problems with the heat/air, radiator or any other coolant issue) but this time it made the "check engine" light come on also. i called the dealer and they said it was best not to drive it in case the engine would overheat so i had it towed to the shop. they finally diagnosed the problem as the thermostat sticking and charged me the full cost of repairs and towing since the mileage was now at 43,800. i had been having this problem for 30,000 miles but they could never figure out why. the last time it happened, my ac wouldn't work. they said that the ac compressor which costs $1300 to replace is broken but that the problem with the coolant gauge/thermostat had nothing to do with it. it just seems very coincidental that both go out at the same time. my car has had other problems that i've never heard anyone having with a brand new car that is less than 3 years old. i will never recommend anyone by this year/model car. it's dangerous due to the problems that everyone is experiencing and in constant need of repair. my next issue with my car is a noise that comes and goes in the front suspension. again, this problem comes and goes and they can never figure out the problem because it works great when the dealer has it. i would get rid of this car if i could afford to. *tr

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. *tr

We have owned the car for not even two years, and so far we had to fix the suspention, and last week the engine blew. the dealer has had it for almost a week and a half. the cant even explain to me what happend and why. the car only has 35000 miles. i dont even want to know what more problems are coming. i am now stuck with and unsafe and unreliable car. a lemon. *cn

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. *tr

I purchased a new 2006 hhr and it has been a very dependable car until now. i have purchased many new cars and in two years and less than 50,000 miles i have never had any exhaust problems. why have the metal spiral tubing exhaust pipe that come from the manifold to the exhaust system have cracked. the metal spiral tubing appears to be in mint condition, but for some ironic reason it has a break in one of the spirals causing it to have an exhaust leak. i took it to a muffler shop and the gentlemen explained to me that he has been doing exhaust systems for years and he had never seen anything like this. he explained to me that it has to be a defect in the metal. i would attach pictures , but you don't have an attachment option available. can you help me with this situation. *tr

Car has died several different times and has been in the service department 5 different times, and service tech's can't diagnose a problem, nor can they duplicate the problem, so i'm stuck to drive a car that is not safe, dying in the middle of traffic, even on interstate. *jb

We have several defects. after normal braking a couple of times the car and steering wheel begins to shake and shimmy. the more you use the brakes after this starts the more violent the shimmy becomes until we have to stop and let the brakes cool down. the dealership replaced the rotors once but could offer no explanation. we continue to be plagued by this problem but now my extended warranty does not cover brakes and no one knows or owns up to what the problem is. the other issue we have is the exhaust, specifically the header pipe attached to the catalytic converter which cracked at the flex joint. this started back when we first experienced the brake problems, we complained to the service writer that there was a funny smell after driving it for a while, he looked at it when it was up on the rack and said there wasn't anything wrong, as it turned out the smell continued getting worse with time until the exhaust noise became loud enough to identify and the fumes were making us nauseous and giving us headaches. the moon roof started to fall apart so now we are unable to use that, the radio makes a loud popping noise , loud enough to hurt your ears, this was also waved off by the dealership as nothing. to date nothing has been done about these issues. *tr

While driving on the highway (495 beltway near washington, dc) during rush hour my dashboard light indicating a coolant problem came on. i managed to get over to the side of the road. all of the coolant had run out of my car and it was not drivable without risking damage. i did drive it with the temperature reading over 300 degrees until the gauge failed so that i could get it to the dealership. the manual stated that there was a risk of fire if you drive the car with the red indicator warning light on, but i had no choice to get my car away from heavy traffic and to the dealership. according to the dealer the car's radiator and condenser are damaged beyond repair and must be replaced. i did not drive over anything or feel anything collide with my car. i was simply driving when the warning signal sounded and the red indicator light came on. now the dealership and the manufacturer say that there is no defect in the car that would cause this. i have found several other people who indicate having the same problem with this model of car. there is no protective plate under the radiator to prevent rocks or road debris from coming up as a projectile and damaging it. i have asked the manufacturer to fix the car and install some kind of protective plate, but they have refused. i do not feel safe driving a car that is at such risk for radiator damage during normal driving conditions. *jb

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.*ak

Tl*the contact owns a 2006 chevrolet hhr. while driving 20 mph over a hole or dip in the road, the entire vehicle stalled and shut off. the weather was not a factor. the stalling occurred at least three times within one week. the vehicle cannot be restarted once it shut off. there were no warning indicators prior to the failure. the dealer does not know the cause of the failure or the remedy. the failure mileage was 53,000. the consumer stated the vehicle was having several issues with the cam sensor, wheels, a broken hub bearing, bent rotors and an issue with removing the key from the ignition, due to the shift cable not staying secured. the check engine light illuminated, the inside driver door handle would not open the door, the passenger side back would not stay secured. updated 06/25/08

Dt*: the contact stated while driving at various speeds the engine lost all power without warning four times. the vehicle was safely pulled off the road each time. on three occasions the vehicle restarted immediately when it was put into neutral; on the forth occasion the vehicle sat for 45 minutes and then restarted while in park. it was taken to the dealer after each failure. the dealer installed an event data recorder in the vehicle to be manually started in the event of a failure. the edr did record the fourth failure however was unable to duplicate and repair the problem.