I have had a 'service traction control' issue for some time now.

We have been to dealers and thrown $$ at the problem, but the problem has never been found and we are out a few hundred dollars so far.
I have a full GM 100,000 warranty and the car is at 60-something thousand miles

I sent an email to General Motors so that they would know that people are having issues with the traction control. I mentioned my incident, and mentioned that I have read others with similar issues.

G.M. actually called me back! I spoke with a 'Service Specialist' for about an hour. Here is what I was told by G.M.:
- G.M. confirmed that we have to pay for diagnostics until an issue is found. But, I was told that if a diagnostic shows that a warranted item needs replacement then you will not have to pay for anything, including the diagnostic.
- If you have a problem and there is a TSB that references your exact problem, and you have a G.M. warranty you can call G.M. and request that the car be diagnosed free of charge. As a result, the 'Service Specialist' told me that if she can find any TSB related to my experience that I she would arrange to take the car to a dealer and have it checked out free.
- Everyone with a 'Service traction control' message needs to contact G.M. if they have a G.M. warranty. The person told me (without prompting them) that if you have an ongoing powertrain issue that is not rectified, some service departments will reject warranty claims if they think that a problem was left to languish. Apparently, if a customer calls G.M. and lets them know they have a chronic drivetrain problem they will be assigned a service request number. Using that number the person at G.M. made a notation that I am trying to get the issue fixed, but that the dealers have not been able to find the problem. I was told that this service number and notation is my guarantee that a warranty claim will not be rejected due to my existing traction control message.

G.M. has provided me with excellent service. I am amazed and appreciative. I think as long as you do not have some unreasonable request, anyone should call G.M. when they have any questions or problems.
The fact that the specialist took the time to cover my butt on the warranty rejection was fantastic.

But, on Saturday the car goes back to where I bought it from. I'm getting a different Chevy. My HHR is a 35-mph brick that I can no longer afford.

 

I am very interested in how you make out. I bought my HHR in December 2005 and have had the problem since September 2006. Since I changed the air filter, my dealer said it could be my fault but checked for codes and kept getting MAP and MAF (I cleaned and eventually replaced both). Since my car was hit directly in the right rear tire, I thought the speed sensor could be bad but that checked out alright. I have switched to a dry filter, thinking the oil fouled the sensor but that did not solve the problem. Mine has gotten progressively worse over time. Originally it just coded if my tires spun (on wet ground or burn out). Then, it would come on if I stepped on the gas too hard. Finally, now it comes on for no apparant reason. I cold be coasting or stopped at a traffic light, when the light will suddenly pop on.



Keep me and everybody else updated.

 

I bought a 2009 hhr 1 LT (15 000 km or aprox. 9 000 mile) on nov 17th 2009 in Quebec. Since dec 12 th. I have ESC ABS light going on and off randomly. Wether Idrive on highway, in the snow or on wet pavement. Somethimes when slowing down, stopped at a traffic light, other times when starting the car, etc. My car is still under ful waranty (2 years left)

Tonight 's gonna be my 5th time at the dealer.

1 st time in the U.S. the dealer told me a wire was loose in the rear right wheel.

2nd times at the dealer of my home town, The tech was suspecting a malfunction in the sensor located in the right rear wheel bearing. but couldn't change it cause at the time, the specs(resistance in ohms) of the sensor were in the correct range stated by GM.

3rd times went back the next day cause the problem reoccurred...they decided to order the rear right wheel bearing (cause the sensor is integrated in it!!)

4th 3 days later, the part is changed. no event occur during those three days prior to the repairs.

Another two days later ESC ans ABS ''alarms'' occur from 1 to 3 times a day!

And today after anther ABS/ ESC alarm the average fuel consumption indicatior start acting almost like the instant fuel consumption indicator. Going up when the speed go up in urban driveng and going down while on cruise control on the highway. The fuel average consumption was never able to reach the 9.8 L /100KM it was showing before the problem occur....

Anyway, going to the dealer right now. I'll keep you informed...Going at this rate, I think I'm going to have to call a GM reprensentative in a near future!!

 

Sadly, we have not made any progress with the HHR.

We took it to a dealer (who had not worked on the car) and tried to use the HHR as a trade-in. The dealer drove the car and the traction control warning came on so they would not take the car in trade at all.

Another dealer offered me a very low sum for the car, stating that any traction control repair would be at least $1000.
(of course I have the GM warranty, so if that's the case then why the hell won't they fix the problem?)

I have decided to just drive the car and ignore the issue until the transmission goes out in February.
Once the transmission goes out in February, and GM service doesn't find any negligence on my part, then I bet the car will get serviced under warranty and the issue will go away.

I'm not paying for a broken car that has a factory 100,000 warranty, and i'm not paying another $100 to find out that GM does not know what the problem is for a 4th time.

 

You SHOULD NOT have to pay for anything as long the warranty is intact. My dealer would not charge for a problem(found yet or not)while the car is under factory warranty. I never heard of such a thing. Good luck.

 

Gm dealer guy got a point...

I never tought of tellin' you this but i've never paid for anything under warranty if the problem was found or not....

Since my visit to my dealer on nov, 24 th, I didn't have issues with the ESC or ABS lights throwin' error codes.... The problem was still comin from right rear wheel. the problem wasn't the sensor in the bearing but the terminal...Anyway, thanks to GM for the brand new bearing in the process!!

 

That gives me hope. Does GM have replacement terminals that can be spliced in? If you recall, my car was hit directly in that area, and when I got the car out of the repair shop I began having the problems. All my dealer did is blame me for changing the air filter, even though that had been on for a long time prior.

 

Definitely sounds like the light is on as a result of the accident damage.There are 2 different connectors listed.One(gray) is about $59,the other(black) is about $7.Since it's part of the accident damage call your insurance company and tell them about it.It should be able to be fixed as an additional item on your original claim and not cost you anything out of your pocket.

 

Thanks Tony. My only concern is that the accident was 2 years ago, although Chevy records should show that the T/C light has been a constant problem since then. Do the plugs need to be spliced in, or is there a connection at each end?

 

Bump to Tony