I bought my '06 HHR used in November. It now has 35,930 on it. I have to get it to the dealership but because of scheduling issues I won't make it until it turns over 36,000. I'm freaking out because within the last couple of weeks all hell has broken loose with this car.

Do any of you know if any of these things would be covered under warranty if I can find a way to get the car in before it turns over 36,000??

~ Lighter in the dash...the whole thing is really loose. I'm afraid it will cause electrical problems (the lighter is missing completely but I didn't care as I don't smoke but I can't plug anything into it. I'm afraid I'll rip the housing out when I unplug it)

~ Dome light quit working. We thought it was the bulb but before we took it apart or anything I decided to move the switch to see if perhaps my child had turned it off (for the record, we figured out she can't reach it so she hasn't touched it) When I touched the switch (and I do mean simply came in contact with it, very gently) I heard a twang noise and now the switch is completely useless I think the spring broke.

~ Suddenly, the radio is getting horrible reception. All stations (FM) have static and fade in and out. I haven't heard stuff like that since the days of AM radio where going under a bridge made you lose the signal! WTF is that??

Now for the SCARY stuff that I'm really concerned about.

~ Sometimes when I start the car there is a horrifically loud *POP* through the whole car. My husband says it's the speakers. Sounds electrical. Like the whole car got shocked. WTF is that?????? It does not happen every time and I cannot replicate it on command. It either happens or it doesn't. I've tried numerous experiments. I thought perhaps I had built up a static charge somehow and that's what did it, so I purposely built one up and didn't ground myself before I started it. Nothing happened. It's random. Although my husband swears it has only ever happened to him if the heater was left on when the car was turned off previously. But like I said, I can't replicate it on command.

~ When I park and turn off the car the key will not release from the ignition. I read a thread about it here and I've tried all the advice given (short of taking it to the dealer) Wiggling the steering wheel does nothing. Moving the shifter does nothing. It just mysteriously lets go of it after a few minutes.

~ Anytime I go over even the smallest bump there is a grinding/scraping/squeaking noise under the car. Metal on metal. It's not the car scraping the ground. I think it's a suspension problem.

So, like I said, if I can park it and not put any more miles on it before I can get it in, how much of that would you say is covered under the warranty????

I got my recall notice in the mail today so I've got to get her in for that anyway.

This car has to last me for a LONG time. I'm completely broke and cannot afford to pay for any repairs at all.

 

I would say it should all be covered as long as you get it in before the warranty expires. I even know what some of the issues are. The loud Pop is the speakers; your stereo needs to have an update programmed to it to fix it. The key release is a bad shifter; warranty will cover it too. There have been a few folks with different suspension problems; the warranty will cover that too. You could talk to the dealer and see how stringent the mileage issue will be, but if it were me I would take it in ASAP and just get a rental if I absolutely needed a car.

 

Go ahead and take the car to the dealership tomorrow. The service writer will get the car into the system for all the issues and if they can't get the car in you will still be covered until they can fix it. I was having a similar issue with my old Sonoma. It was needing a transmission overhaul and I was 100 miles from the end of the warranty, but their transmission guy was gone for three weeks from surgery. The service manager simply recorded the mileage that day and said they'd cover it once a new appointment was made. I never tested them on it because I traded the vehicle that day, but you may want to give it a shot.

BTW, those issues have been mentioned on the board before and the repairs have all gone pretty smoothly and held up well over time. It'll be okay.

 

My last car had issues come up at 37,000 and all it took was a call to GM and an explanation that these issues had been going for awhile but I wasn't able to get it in before 36,000 rolled and they contacted the dealer to have him waive the fee and cover it under warranty.

Saved me $380.

 

Thanks everyone! I sent a PM to ChevyMgr and asked him to pop in here if he had time. Just wanted a little inside info about whether taking her tomorrow even if they can't do the work will preserve my warranty coverage.

I have to drive a really long way on Tuesday and that will roll it over. I've tried to reschedule but can't. My family has been ill since about Christmas and I was sick for 3 weeks. Just started feeling human about 2 days ago. It's amazing how fast miles pile on when you're distracted.

 

I had a front end noise that I notice when the weather is cold usually under 50 but the colder it is the more I notice it. When I heard the noise I would feel it through the floor board. I had it in the dealer a few weeks ago and they replaced several parts because they could still hear the noise, it has now warmed up so I may have to wait until next winter to see if it is fixed. I was told not to worry about warranty since it is in the system it will be covered if it is not fixed (not thatthe warranty will run out by winter). I also had the key stuck issue at the very same time so that worked out perfect. If your front end noise is similar to mine at low speed during cold weather tell them to make sure that it is in the system so if it is not fixed you can bring it back in when your warranty is up so that it will still be covered, get it in writing if you think you need to.

 

nss79,
It is markedly worse when it's very cold but I can still hear/feel it when it's warm too.

 

Is there a thread on the boards about this issue? I tried searching for one but came up empty handed.

 

Here it is:https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/problems-service-repairs-42/pop-goes-radio-1159/

 

my 06 2LT has had the speaker POP sound a couple times.
I think if there is an update for the radio to be programmed in to the car, it should be done FREE, as there is nothing the owner could do to cause the problem. If it is a KNOWN GM issue, mileage/age should have nothing to do with whether or not the repair is free.

I would be disgusted with GM if there was a known electrical problem with the car's sound system, and they'd only repair it free if you had a warranty.

I LOVE the HHR...but I am growing very sick of GM's mannerisms.