What a lame copout. No legitimate argument for not doing it.
No more dangerous to their employee and no more liability than opening the hood to do it in front.

In fact, I would argue that they are LESS liable to do damage in the rear section, FAR away from the engine where they CAN mess things up.

 

Even with a new battery, be super obsessive about the terminals. It’s a long way to the motor, which might explain the HHR’s apparent sensitivity to low voltage. I had a very good battery with only two years on it when trouble began. The terminals seemed tight, but I took ‘me both off and cleaned everything, and re-connected with great care. No trouble since.