tiggercross59

Hello, my name is nancy. i have a 2009 hhr automatic. I live in a small town, so small that the local parts store doesn't have a code reader, and the nearest dealership is almost 50 miles away. i am disabled and live alone. the only help i can seem to get is from my son. he seems to be car savvy, in fact i don't ever remember him running into a problem that he ever took his own car to a shop for. he is very willing to help with my hhr, but he is stumped on this one. he said that the "car is too new, mom, it could be anything" being on disability, i simply don't have the money to take my car to the dealership, let alone a shop. can anyone help me isolate the problem so that my son can take care of it? It sputters, and has a very rough idle, but off-idle, it runs just fine. when idling and in drive, with my foot on the brake is when its the worst, it seems to want to just stall out its misfiring so bad. After a look through the forum, this seems to be a relatively common problem, but i haven't found a common answer. has anyone isolated the cause, and perhaps a cure for this issue? any help would be greatly appreciated for this gramma!!

LawDog88

Welcome from a fellow Michigander. Sorry to hear of your problems. I wish I had an answer for you on this, but I am sure someone will be along shortly who can better help you.

donbrew

Just guessing, is the Check Engine Light on? The one on the dashboard shaped like an engine. If it is you MUST find a way to get the codes read, sorry.

Has anyone changed or checked the air filter recently. They may have forgotten to connect the MAF back up.

843de

to the forum Nancy.

I'll second Don's comments above, even if the CEL hasn't illuminated, it would be a good idea to head to your local Advance, Autozone, Napa, etc. Once there have them "pull the codes", if any trouble codes are present, they'll provide you with the code numbers are generalized descriptions of what may be going on.

Post the code numbers up here, say P0013 as an example, we'll know what it means and be able to provide some guidance for you.

Lucky

Welcome to the site I agree with the above got to get the codes read. Then we can help point you in the right direction.

Is the rough idle always there or is it just there sometimes?

ChevroletCustomerService

Good Evening Nancy,

I'm sorry to hear of your vehicle concerns. I am not properly trained to offer technical advice, but I will be glad to take a further look into this for you. Please send us a private message including your full contact information, VIN, and current mileage. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Kristen A.
Chevrolet Customer Care

alldane

Same problem started with my '09 LS on the way to work today. 29,800 on the odometer. No CEL...yet. I hope you get your codes. I gotta do the same. Until you get it fixed, try coasting to red lights in neutral and put it in drive when traffic starts to move. That way, you wont have to suffer the lurching and the shaking will be less.

whopper

the original poster never came back after 03/06, but good tip anyways.

alldane

I forgot to check the date before I posted. lol
Good news...when I started my car to drive home, the engine stumbled for a second, smoothed out and is running normal again.