Problems with 2009 Chevrolet HHR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Ignition cylinder will not release the key. ignition release spring works (moves freely) yet will not release the key. i had to remove the fuel pump fuse to turn off the car and, since the key was frozen in the on position, disconnect the battery. i was informed that the 'key stuck' issue was addressed under the chevy service bulletin (09-02-35-005b, feb 4, 2010) yet not on recall list. was there a recall on this problem? *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that the instrument panel lights would illuminate intermittently. additionally, the contact was crashed into from the rear by another vehicle, causing the contact to crash into a guard rail. the contact was taken to a hospital for treatment of mild whiplash and bruising to the chest. the vehicle was previously serviced under nhtsa campaign numbers: 14v171000 (electrical system), 14v171000 (electrical system), and 14v047000 (air bags , electrical system) but did not prevent the failures from recurring. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 51,000.

Drove hhr today, and when i went to turn off ignition, i could not turn the car off. had to disconnect the battery, and pull a fuse. taking car in tomorrow for repair. there was a mechanic in the lot i was in, who stated this is not the first time he has seen this problem on hhr ignition problem. stated it is a tumbler issue, and chevy is aware of this. *tr

My air bag service indicator light turns on intermittently. at least 5 times in the past year, no accidents, no problem seen with air bags by service dept at dealer. ???? .the safety lock on the drivers side controls for all passenger windows does not lock the window operation. braking system problem in the past 6 months. ive returned to the mechanic 4 times had my brake pads changed, rotors turned, rotors resurfaced , only to have the same problem.....steering wheel shuddering bad when applying the brake. the rotors overheat and warp, but i will drive only 2 blocks and it happens. don't think that is enough to overheat the rotors. *js

While driving in a parking lot i heard a ding, looked down at the dash and saw that a power steering warning light was on. i tried pulling into a parking space and noticed that i had no power steering assist and had to muscle the car over. i turned off the engine, restarted it and everything seemed ok. this issue started happening every few days after that, sometimes at highway speed. this is a very dangerous situation, had this been a less strong person like my wife or an elderly person she would not have had the strength to steer the car! after doing extensive research i was shocked at what i found. the hhr is built on a chevy cobalt chassis, and the cobalt has a recall for this same exact issue but chevy had not had a recall on the hhr, not is the us anyway. canada has forced gm to do a recall on the hhr for this same exact issue but to date it has not been done in the us. the defective steering motor part number recalled on the cobalt was the same exact part number as the hhr, so why has this not been addressed on the hhr? if you'll read some of the hhr forums you'll learn that mine was not as isolated occurrence, it is very common and seems to start happening when the cars get around 50,000 miles. had this happened to an elder person at highway speeds chances are they would not have been able to control the vehicle, this disables the steering! i had this repaired at an astronomical cost of over $800. my car was still under warranty, but surprise surprise gm said this is not covered under the chassis warranty? what, the steering is not a component of the chassis? this issue needs to be addressed, im surprised someone's life has not already been lost over this issue. please force gm to recall this issue and refund ones like me that have had to pay out of our pockets to have this repaired. *tr

While driving the 2009 chevy hhr back from work, without warning, the electric power steering stopped and a warning message came up on the dic. once ignition was shut off the problem cleared temporarily. over the past 24 hours the power steering has continued to exhibit the same erratic behavior. *tr

Car would not turn off. key would not turn. eventually pulled fuse and got car to stop. took to dealer next recalls came out later and i took it in three times to get recall things fixed. i still have same problems as other owners with my electrical system, the dic giving false information such as no air pressure in one of the tires, the abs and traction need repair etc. steering wheel almost always shakes when brake pedal is pushed and sometimes seems like it is driving under its own control. i have loved the car since i bought it with less than 9,000 miles on it in december 2010, but i drive my handicapped husband and elderly mother to many doctor appointments and cannot handle the anxiety of being an accident waiting to happen all the time. there is already the feeling of helplessness in car accidents without one driving a car that can't be controlled at all times. and these things happen out of the blue without warning. it isn't like you have even a feeling that something may be going out or that a problem is beginning. it's just boom, here's the situation, handle it! i, at all times, must keep my mind on the fact that my brakes, steering, transmission and/or electrical system may fail as i am driving down the street. this does not make for a calm driving experience. nervousness and high anxiety is not a condition that anyone should be in when handling a potentially deadly weapon in and around other people, animals and vehicles. all these other owners can't be wrong, maybe gmc should just recall the whole car and let us get one we don't have to be afraid of causing an accident, so we can concentrate on our own and other people's driving to prevent them..

Headlights will go out suddenly while driving down the highway. have replaced the headlights numerous times! this could cause a crash! something needs to be done! *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that the engine stalled numerous times while driving at various speeds. the vehicle was taken to the mechanic, who performed a diagnostic and located the failure at the ignition switch. the ignition switch was replaced. the manufacturer advised the contact that the vehicle was not included in nhtsa campaign number 14v047000 (electrical system). the vin was not available. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000 and the approximate current mileage was 50,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that after a long drive, the vehicle started to have a very strange smell and the contact felt sick. the contact took the vehicle to a private mechanic where it was found that the battery and battery tube was leaking and the fluid had breached the interior of the vehicle. the vehicle had not been repaired. the failure and current mileages were 38,000. *tr

I turned the key and started my car and then i couldn't turn it off. i could take the key out but it wouldn't shut off > i see that there are many problems online like this but i don't see a recall. this is going to cost me almost $ 500.00. *tr

In april 2013 our service air bag light on the passenger side started coming on and off at varied times. there was no rhyme or reason for when it went on or off. our dealer stated that if the service air bag light was off at the time of an accident, the air bags would not deploy (scared us into the repair).the car was just out of our extended warranty period of 4 yr 48000 miles. so we would need to pay for the repair. the repair was a connector module and total cost was 264.59 for the repair. after it was repaired i started finding all kinds of similar issues with chevy cars and trucks, including various years of the hhr. i contacted gm but they refused to cover this repair stating they knew of no issues regarding a service air bag light coming on and off. this was obvious a lie since it's all over the internet and chevy has recalled some cars and trucks for the same exact problem. i feel that we can't be sure if the air bag would work during a crash it is a safety issue and should be repaired at no cost. the cost of the repair for the actual work done is highway robbery - parts were 17.28 the rest of labor! gm needs to take care of this issue and recall the cars - or at the least, repair for free when the issue arises. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that the key would not turn the vehicle off. the contact removed the battery and the vehicle still did not turn off. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the ignition switch needed to be replaced. the failure mileage and current mileages was 66,000. *tr

When i pulled into my driveway i could not shut my car off. it would not turn and i could not get the key out. i had to drive it to the dealer, thankfully they were still open for the day, to have it fixed. i ended up paying about $100 to have the ignition cylinder re-keyed. *tr

Air bag needs service warning light came on intermittently over several months! scan diagnosed a problem with a connector (part# 013580234) was defective. cost to repair $231.01 06/14/2013 *tr

While driving at various speeds the power steering goes out making the difficult to control. i did research only to find that many other hhr owners experienced the same issue and several other chevy models were recalled for the same issue. the chevy dealer verified that the issue i was having (failure of the power steering motor) was the same issue seen in many other chevy models. chevy would not fix it and washed their hands of it. this has happened at various speeds. restarting the car temporarily fixes it. *tr

I pulled in my driveway and put the car in park and could not turn off the key. i tried to everything, steering wheel, key, shifter, brakes, etc and i could not turn the car off or get the key out. i had to pull a fuse to get the car to shut down. this problem is similar, if not exactly, the same of other complaints on this type car. i will probably have to have it towed and repaired by a dealer at great expense. not good for gm. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that the key became lodged in the ignition switch, preventing the engine from being turned off. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the manufacturer was contacted and advised the contact that the problem was caused by an electrical failure. the manufacturer referred the contact to the dealer to have the repairs performed. the failure mileage was 43,000.

Buyers beware: on saturday evening we put the hhr into park and went to turn off the key and the key got stuck in the ignition. tried several times to reput the car into gear and turn they key but it was permanently stuck in the on position. had to wind up pulling a fuse out of the engine to cut off the car. just took it to the dealership and they are refusing to acknowledge a problem and are forcing us to pay hundreds of dollars to get the car fixed. they are also blaming us for pulling the fuse and it causing an indicator light to come on. *tr

We own a chevrolet hhr which loses power steering almost immediately after turning the car on. we have had many many problems with this car since the beginning. mainly steering column problems and power steering issues. we almost got into an accident while taking a right at low speed because of how hard the ''power'' (not) steering was. this has to be fixed now!!! it's been a well known problem since the beginning of the hhr line up. how come this issue has been partially recognized and taken care of on some vehicles with the exact part numbers?? cobalt, g5?, anyone?. please research this problem. *tr

Key stuck in the iginition car still running. key release doesn't work. car was left running all night. *tr

I received a power steering failure message on the dash at the same time that i lost power steering while going home from dropping off my child at daycare. i drove home without the power steering, when i shut off the car and restarted it i had power steering again. this power steering failure has happened multiple times on the highway, residential neighborhoods and in parking lots; in total about 10-15 incidents in the last month. *tr

Like others, there were some warning beeps and the message appeared on the dash "power steering". then the power steering went out. once i cut the car off and back on, i had power steering back. this seems very similar to the reason for the recall on the cobalt and s5. happened again on 7/26 and 7/27. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that the key was stuck in the ignition, which prevented him from shutting the vehicle off. the contact stated that in order to shut off the vehicle, he had to pull a fuse and disconnect the battery. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and current mileages were 67,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that the key would not remove from the ignition and the vehicle would not shut off. the contact had to pull fuses and disconnect the battery in order to shut the vehicle off. the vehicle had not been inspected to determine the cause of failure. the vin was not available. the failure and current mileages were 51,000.

While driving in rain wiper's stopped working after playing with switch and stopping pulling over in a safe place when traffic would let me i turned car key switch off and back on twice and they started working again after dealing with this more then one time drove car to a dealer after two days they tell me the main fuse box has a short in it and will need to be replaced i have a bumper to bumper extended coverage after talking with the dealer they are telling me this is not covered in warranty they also called the dealer were i bought it and they looked it up and said the same fuse box not covered so it will cost me over $600.00 to fix car i fill this is a safety relative item and should be covered ? if a short in this fuse box stopped wipers could it start a fire as well. *tr

When i put my chevrolet hhr into park and proceeded to turn the car off, the ignition switch was stuck in the on position and i was unable to turn the ignition to the off position while the car was still running. i had to disconnect the battery cable and remove a fuse to get the vehicle to turn off completely, and am having to take it to the dealership tomorrow for a repair. *tr

My car would not turn off. the key is stuck in the ignition in the on position and will not turn to the off position. was told, without even getting past the above description " it's an hhr isn't it" by person on the phone from chevrolet dealership. we were told by the chevrolet dealership to pull fuse in engine and drive it over tomorrow since the garage is closed it being sunday. called dealership back to notify would bring car over now due to issues with transportation for monday.... ended up having to have it towed because it was unsafe to drive since when turned on it keeps sputtering as though miss firing and sounds as if it is going to stall.... *js

Tl* the contact owns a owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that the key would not release from the ignition, therefore the engine could not be shut off. the contact had to disconnect the battery wires and the fuel pump fuse to shut the engine off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that the failure was located at the ignition lock cylinder. the dealer replaced the ignition lock cylinder. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. the vin information was not available. the failure and the current mileages were 60,000.

I have two issues going on with my hhr. last evening i pull into my driveway and my key would not turn off engine and release. i have read hundreds of complaints with the same issues while i was trying to research how to turn off my car. my car ran in my driveway for 2 hours wasting gas until we figured out how to turn off car. the manual states that you can push a tumbler and turn the key to release it. the manual is not clear on what the tumbler is but the only movable piece inside steering wheel base did not help to release the key. we finally figured out how to pull the fuse to shut down the entire car. the dealership was closing around the time i started calling and their option to come leave the car without other transportation was not a good option for me with kids. once fuse was out the car is sitting in my driveway with the key in it which is causing a whole other level of stress for me. i have to put fuse back in this morning and take to dealership to get my car fixed. from other complaints the fix should be the same. i don't understand if this is such a big issue why there is no recall on this. i also would like to know will we as loyal customers get a refund when they actually do decide to recall this apparent defective car. my other issue is the air bag light pops on for unspecified periods of time and says it needs serviced. it can go off for days and weeks at a time and then decide to pop back on. i have also been reading about this issue in the complaints and wondering why there is no recall on this issue as well. *tr

After parking in the drive way around 11:30 pm the ignition key would not turn off. i tried to use the release plunger but ended up removing the lower steering column cover and forcing it over the key. then i pulled the wire harness off which shut off the engine. i was able to start the car by putting the wire back on and twisting the key. the dealer said the key was bent and charged me $400 to replace the switch. they obviously used pliers to remove the key. while in their waiting room i read an article in a march issue of motor magazine that said this is a common problem for several cars including hhr's and they are not sure why. i feel this should have been on recall and not be charged to us. the keys may be too soft or it was a manufacturers defect in the first place. *tr

I pulled into the gas station to get gas. i could not shut the car off nor remove the key. my 2009 cobalt had the same problem and was fixed due to a vehicle recall. however, my 2009 hhr had no recall on it even though it uses the exact same defective parts as the cobalt did. i am also concerned about the steering on the hhr since it shares the exact same mechanicals as the cobalt. the cobalt had a recall due to steering, however the hhr did not. a search for complaints on=line yielded many results. it appears that the hhr's are having the exact same problems yet the consumers are left with paying for the repairs. my gm dealer confirmed that the hhr uses the exact same faulty parts as the cobalt and he could not explain why the hhr was not covered in the recall either. he stated that they have had to fix just as many hhr's as they have cobalts... the only difference is that cobalt owners do not have to pay any out-of-pocket expenses and hhr owners do. this is ridiculous. *tr

2009 chevrolet hhr. consumer states key was stuck in the on position *tgw the consumer stated the only way for his wife to shut the vehicle off, was to take her foot off the gas and let the clutch out while it was still in gear. the consumer had to disconnect the battery in order to prevent it from going dead and possibly damaging the electrical system. the next day, the consumer took the vehicle to the dealership, where he was informed, he was not the only person to bring their vehicle in for a defective ignition key cylinder. *jb

Last night our 2009 hhr would not turn off, and the key was stuck in the ignition. after looking at all the correspondence online related to this problem, we tried everything to shut the car off. we attempted to depress the solenoid switch behind the square covering in the bottom of the steering column, disconnected the battery, and ended up pulling the fuel fuse. we were in a hospital garage, and placed in a compromising position with theft, and not knowing if the car was actually engaged in "park." it was saturday night, and of course, it will be looked at by the chevy dealer monday morning. i truly hope this will be covered by a recall. *tr

I pulled my chevy hhr, 2009 into my driveway, and the car would not turn off. the key was stuck in the ignition while it was still running. i had to pop my clutch (manual transmission) to get my car to stop running. i turned everything that i could off, tried to lock the doors, however the driver's side would not lock. had it towed to the garage the next morning...they replaced the ignition switch, charged me $300.00 plus, and said chevy may not cover it. (mileage 63,000 mls) *kb

The key is stuck in the ignition. the release button under the steering wheel does not release the keys. fuses were taken out and the negative battery cable was disconnected to shut off the car. the dealer advised that this is a common problem and the ignition lock cylinder needs to be replaced. the dealer advised that repair would not be covered as the vehicle is well outside of the 36,000 mile warranty. the manufacturer was notified and also advised that the repair would not be covered. the vehicle has not been repaired. *js

2009 chevy hhr - key stuck in ignition with engine running. had to pull negative battery cable and ignition fuse to shut car off. called dealer and they told me to bring it in. reconnected battery cable and replaced fuse and car started up so i could drive to dealer. chevy dealer stated ignition lock syl binding, removed and replaced cyl. i had to pay $300+ to have this fixed and since this is a known issue with hhr's, i feel gm should definitely do a recall as this is a serious safety issue. also the service air bag light comes on randomly and can stay on the entire trip or go back out in a few minutes,only to come back on a few minutes later. *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact was unable to turn the key in the ignition. the vehicle was towed to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated the ignition housing and ignition switch had to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 55,000. updated 04/19/12*lj the consumer stated the repairs cost $450. updated 04/25/12

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that the ignition switch failed. the engine could not be turned off and the key would not eject from the ignition. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the ignition tumbler. the dealer informed the contact that there were no recalls for the failure. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 32,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that when inserting the key in the ignition, it would not turn. the vehicle was later towed to the dealer where they advised her that the ignition cylinder needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. the failure and current mileages were approximately 79,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that the key became stuck in the ignition and the vehicle could not be turned off. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was advised that the fuses would need to be disconnected in order to turn the vehicle off. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure and the current mileage was 60,000. updated 04/11/12*lj the consumer stated the ignition switch was replaced. updated 04/23/12. *jb

Key stuck in ignition after parking. could not turn car off and could not remove key from ignition. more specifically, pulled into driveway, put vehicle in park and could not turn off vehicle or remove key from ignition switch opening. the key was stuck in the ignition and i could not pull it out of the ignition switch. had to drive the car to the dealership where they removed gas pump fuse and car stopped running. dealership today (1-15-2012) confirms there was a failure in the ignition switch and it needs to be replaced. i have a chevy cobalt 2009 which has a recall on the ignition switch for this exact problem. these are basically the same kinds of car and so there should also be a recall on the hhr ignition switch, but apparently there is not one. dealership says there is no recall on the hhr ignition switch, but there is on the cobalt ignition switch. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that the key could not be removed from the ignition. on a later date, the key could not be turned in order to start the engine. the vehicle was towed to a private mechanic where the mechanic found that the tumblers failed in the ignition. the manufacturer was not contacted. the vehicle was repaired. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage is 53,000. updated 02/15/12*lj updated 02/22/12

I put the transmission into park and attempted to turn off the car and remove the key to go into a store. i could not turn the ignition switch to off or remove the key. i drove the car home and parked. i could still not turn the ignition switch to off or remove the key. numerous attempts of putting car into reverse, or drive and into park did not solve the problem. the key was trapped in the ignition switch! called onstar and was forwarded to customer service; tow truck was called. tow truck delivered car to dealership with engine still running. problem diagnosed in ignition key cylinder which was replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 chevrolet hhr. the contact stated that the vehicle would not shut off and the key would not remove from the ignition. the contact disconnected the fuel pump in order to shut off the vehicle. the failure recurred whenever the contact operated the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that the ignition switch failed. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 60,000.

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. *tr

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 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. *tr

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 information 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). *tr

I have a 2009 chevy hhr ,which is having the same problems that caused a recall on the chevy cobalt,the pontiac g6 ,g5 .the chevy malibu. my power steering system fails in the middle of a turn , the led read out says power steering and then it completely goes out , i have to either turn the vehicle off and re start it or remove the fuse that is in the electrical fuse box and put it back in,this only corrects the problem temporarily ,(this is so dangerous ,as i might be in the middle of a curve on wet/icy roads and have the steering go out on me) there are numerous threads on line in reference to this issue with the hhr and gm has not done a recall for it in this model, this vehicle has the same steering components as the ones that have been recalled, one of the hazards possible is a fire. i feel this issue should be addressed in all of gm's vehicles with the same faulty parts not just the ones listed, they know these parts are in these cars and have chosen to ignore all complaints to repair the issue , the parts cost the public between $150.00 and $200.00 not including the hour of labor to fix the issue , why should the consumer be required to foot the bill for something that is clearly gm's fault, i have grand children that are in my car at any given time and i should not have to worry about my car catching on fire or the steering going out while i am in a turn on a wet or icy road ! *tr

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. *tr