Well, the HHR goes into the dealer tomorrow, with this list of issues:

1. @#%#@ headliner rattle
2. Rear wiper stops in the middle of the window
3. Terrible suspension racket in cold weather (grinding noises)
4. Rattle at low speeds from what seems like the steering wheel
5. Surge/stumble at stoplights when partially warmed up (goes away when fully warmed up)
6. Dash ticks/rattles too (I know I know now I'm really getting picky)
7. Might as well also complain about the brake warning light coming on in the really cold weather too.. just did that yesterday.


I really hope they can remedy the first four; the others really don't bother me that much but hey it's under warranty. This is an awful lot of stuff though to have trouble with this soon. It doesn't even have 24K miles on it.

 

Hello! I am sorry to hear about the issues you are having with your ride...hopefully the dealer will fix her up good as new.

Where are you at in Plainfield? I am visiting my brother-in-law today in Plainfield, we are always there on the weekends. It is also an area we are considering for our first home purchase.

Take it easy...

 

We live near Plainfield South high school. These days you should be able to get a nice house for a decent price... assuming you can get a loan and don't have a house to sell yourself.

As for the car, I've had good service in the past from the dealer so my hopes are high that they can handle most of the issues. Just disappointed a bit cause our 02 Grand Prix didn't have these types of issues. Outside of the intake manifold gasket, it really didn't have to go in for anything until trading it in on the HHR.

 

I had the brake warning light issue last winter, they put in a new master cylinder there was a sensor issue. The suspension noise during cold weather I am still trying to get fixed, they replaced the driver strut and it still does it although the noise shifted from the driver to the passenger side so maybe they were both bad.

 

I just got the car back this evening. They were able to verify most of the problems but didn't have the parts in stock. The headliner will have to be repaired by their trim shop. They think that all of the suspension noises are from the steering column so a new one is on order. They think that the brake fluid light is from a faulty sensor built into the reservoir so they have ordered the reservoir too. Finally, they ordered a newswitch for the rear wiper. Hopefully this will resolve most of those issues. As for the intermittant stumble/rough idle they couldn't find anything.

Once the parts are in, they will have me schedule it in for 2 days to allow them to fix the parts they ordered and have the trim shop work on the rattle. I'll have a loaner for the whole time too, so I'm pretty happy with that. We'll just have to see if this fixes the issues.

 

I have noticed a grinding on cold mornings when starting from a dead stop and turning sharply, sounds like it is coming from the front drivers side wheel area.

 

Hope you are able to get all the bugs out...how many miles on your HHR?

You know(preaching to the choir)...sometimes it's the little things that can make the whole picture ugly. Hopefully you'll end up with a big smile when all is said and done.

This isnt a Chevy, or a HHR problem...it is a common occurance with many cars on the road. I know that doesnt make you feel any better, but at least you shouldnt feel like the HHR is not a quality automobile.

I've had several cars, and the last "obsession" is still parked outside...in fact, there are two of them. They have had their fair share if issues, believe me...but as time went on, and things were taken care of, they have turned out to be 2 of the greatest cars i have owned(so far).

everything from Ford's known transmission problems, to high-dollar air suspension issues. Fortunately, as time went on, more and more owners joined message forums like this, and helped me through them...and now I am one of THE most knowledgable owners of that type of car. There is NOTHING on them that I couldnt fix myself with either used, or new parts.

my point is...once these quirks get resolved, you should have your hands on a pretty nice, trouble free car...and if not, then as these HHR's get older, more and more parts will become available, and shops will know exactly how to fix them for the right price, with permanent results.

I fear the day I have to fix something big on the HHR after my warranty expires...but I look forward to the day I can help others resolve the same problems so they can continue to enjoy the car as much as I have, so far.

 

Seems like someone else had something sort of like that, turned out to be a bad hub.

 

I had the problem where the front would "clunk" shifting from park to reverse. They replaced the hub and it resolved the problem.

 

I had that,it turned out to be snow buildup in the wheel well.