Ya, I can see some sprained/broken fingers happening from trying to pull that off all the time! Mines like a month old and it is IMPOSSIBLE to close with just the bottom handle, only gets the first click, never all the way. Maybe after the rubber seal starts to compress, but until then...

 

You know another thing to consider is that it could be buckling just from opening the hatch from that handle. Either way shouldn't this be a warranty fix since they should have known about this issue and have a warning in the manual or some kind of recall?

 

I close mine by pushing the license plate.

My issue is that I'm only 5'1" and it can be a challenge to reach up and pull down the hatch with the cup/handle chingas.

What has made it easier was having the rear-wiper-deleted--much lighter to pull down.

I just wish it had a handle to grab like the one on my sister's Tahoe. Heck, I wish it had the remote open/close too!

@

 

if you use the handle/hole thingy , i don't think you will buckle any thing except your fingers, therefore it would not be a warantee issue. but , maybe a lawsuit for the broken fingers.

 

I meant the beauty bar handle pressing the button then pulling it open. I even showed my uncle the problem and hes a Manager at a dealership said hes gonna look into it.

 

Great point, I would think if they bend up from closing, they will from opening.
I saw a dk blue metalic lt hhr at 900 n. lake shore dr. today parked in the front spot. looked , and sure enough a crease on the left of the handle.
i got lucky, i don't have marks yet. not sure how to close it best. but i'm gonna be careful.

 

are you saying that pulling it open is causing damage??? that is the only way to open it. i will have to look at mine more closely , since i use it so much. i haven't noticed any damage yet. about the closing - i really can see how someone could get their fingers caught in there.

 

I rented an HHR before ordering my SS to be sure I liked the car itself, and it had those buckles/dents by the plate area so I had prior notice of that being a weak area. I pull the hatch down by the outside bottom edge of the gate itself, and swing it closed from there also. You get some finger smudges on the bottom of the gate, but they wipe off.

I think the steel in the HHR is a bit on the thin side, as when I go thru the touchless car wash, during the time it blows the water off the car I hear the roof buckle down and pop back up! I now hold my hand up to keep it from doing that, fearing it will stay buckled down.

 

Well, at least it's light!

 

It wouldn't even bug me so much but the right side is really bad compared to the left. If both sides was a mild indent then I would shrug it off and worry about later in the cars life. But the right side as I said before looks almost like it got pushed in by something. Even when I show to people they ask "What did you hit?", that's how bad it looks.