Lucky

Ok, I would like to express some of my personal feelings on our GM recall.
I was an auto technician for 18 years. Serving three different Chrysler dealerships
and still hold my master technician certifications. Recalls are not new to the auto industry
many times a manufacture has a TSB about a potential problem for years before it becomes a recall.

Did you know that the dodge caravan has an air bag recall? When it was built someone thought it was a good idea to use the same fuse for the rear wiper and the air bag module.
When the rear wiper failed the air bag was disabled. The supplier of the rear wiper did not do such a good job and the wiper motor failed often.

Did you know that the Chrysler had a recall for the k frames rusting out causing the lower control arm to break loose from the frame?

How about the ford astro van with a towing package that they forgot to put fuse protection in the trailer wiring causing them to catch fire.

You may not heard of any of these but I bet you heard of Toyota accelerating wildly and not able to stop the car and I'm sure you have heard of Firestones tire causing ford explorers to rollover when the tire comes apart without warning.

The first three above where not as well known unless you owned one because the information highway was not as good then. With the power of the internet and the news running with every story they heard, real or not the information highway is just full flowing with information. Some correct some not so much.

Yes we have a safety recall on our hhr,s they have identified the problem and it will be repaired. GM has even informed us what to do in the mean time to continue to drive our cars safely until the repairs are completed. I have read on here that if your still not comfortable with that they will give you a car to drive. ( Please note I have not confirmed this myself )

Really has no one ever broke a power steering belt off or had your car stall out on the road without ending up in a fiery car crash? I know when the key flips off it may turn off the air bag. But how many people continue to drive there cars with the air bag light on until they have the funds to repair it. Again these are just my thoughts on the matter.

My closing thoughts are to advise everyone to take a breath calm down and your car will be repaired and use the advice that GM sent you in the recall letter. We will all get though this and in some time we will all be horrified by some other recall by an auto manufacture that will make the head lines.

whopper

Well said Sir.

mongo

With apologies to any lawyers who are on this board....'


It is the result of being able to sue anyone, any time, for any thing.

Many frivolous lawsuits get thrown out, but not before the plaintiff has had to spend money answering the complaint.

This adds to costs, driving prices up, and creates a panic climate where every little thing gets blown out of proportion.

jczboy

Wait... Ford Astro Van? JUST KIDDING Great write up.

sleeper

X 2

843de

X3

No apologies necessary mongo, Product Liability Attorneys give my profession a black eye.

DreamHHR

I actually own 2 of those recalled GMs: the '07 HHR and an '07 Ion (The Ion is also getting a full recall on the power steering issue). Frankly, I'm not loosing sleep over this; I never had the key move to shut the engine down and we drive a very rough road daily. They are both on their original ignition switch. I'm far more afraid of the unstable behavior of the Ion rear suspension on rough roads than I am of this recall business.

I'll get the switches replaced when the dealer tells me they are ready and when it's convenient for me. My newer car is a '13 Camry; I guess I should watch for unintended accelerations too, but wait; there is currently a recall on it too: something could drip on the airbag control module and disable the airbags. OMG I'm doomed....

Cheers,

Yves

Oldblue

ahh yes the Ford Aero Star, what a fun ride those were, with many electrical issues , the Ford Pinto, and GM pickups with saddle fuel tanks, and just a few days ago the Ford Escape with suspension frame corrosion issues, I still wonder why the Toyota Corolla has a very very similar looking steering wheel and column as our beloved HHR's but hasn't been noted in the news for steering or ignition issues, I still drive my HHR and have had some people ask me if I feel concern , and I ask them why is your car perfect?

mongo

Don't forget to send your kids outside wrapped in bubble wrap and wearing two helmets because ohmygosh, they could fall down or something!!!

kornellred

All of the complaints about ignition switch failures seem to involve Cobalts - at least the ones I have heard about involving serious crashes and fatalities. And, the testimony from investigators say that the failures occurred after hitting a pothole or a bump at highway speeds. If - and only "if" - this has only happened with Cobalts and not with HHR's, Pontiac G5s and Saturn Ions - then maybe the reason for the failures is not the ignition switch itself, but some condition unique to the Cobalt in the steering column that can impart a force on the switch great enough to move the key cylinder from Run to Accessory. Discovering such a condition would probably be close to impossible, so the ignition switch becomes the scapegoat.
Only time will tell if the ignition switch replacement campaign will eradicate the engine shutdown in vehicles equipped with the ostensibly defective original switches.
The "defective' ignition switch in my 2007 HHR LS has been working just fine for the past 7 years, and I cannot get it to fail by going slightly fast over speed bumps with extra weight hanging along with my key fob (which is as far as I will go with my experiment) from the ignition key.

GM has no choice but to arrange for the wholesale replacement of the allegedly defective ignition switches. In this way, it can escape culpability due to any future litigation in the matter. I feel 100 percent safe driving my HHR.