Sounds like it might be sway bar "bushing squawk".Other GM cars had this problem and it was cured by installing teflon lined bushings.

 

Happens to my wife 05 Cobalt with 65000 & my 09 HHR LS. The LS only has 5500 miles on it. Makes noise in the 20 degree weather we have been having...

 

I had a '96 Z28 that started doing this back in '06. The rear would squeak or creak when going over bumps, but only in the cold. It eventually progressed to where all four wheels would squeak at any temperature, more or less. I was also told that lubricating bushings would fix this, but I was never able to solve it...

 

Yeah its the sway bar bushings. Ill replace the with some greasable ones when weather warms up.

 

My 2009 HHR with 10000km has the same Problem...it is my first car that make soo bad noises (only when it ist cold Winter Time) at summer no Problems ...but we have not so much bumbs here (Baden-Wuertenberg Germany Stuttgart) When I hear it the first time I think my car break down On regular streets I have no problems with it you hear nothing


Michael

 

I agree with everyone on here that the sway bushings can cause this problem. I had that as an issue but it was more a clunk than a squeek. I also had a squeek issue. My dealer figureed out that the squeek was coming from the recirculating door flap. It had broken and anytime there was a pressure gradiant in the cabin (ie door shutting, breaking, accelerating and going over bumps) it sqeeked. They fixed it and there has been no squeek since. I dont know if this is what you guys are noticing, however, if you have tried everything else and it hasnt worked, why not ask them to check the recirculating door flap.

 

I'm sure we both have the same problem as it is exactly the same symptoms. Sounds like a tire srubbing in the fenderwell...

Where can you get these greasable ones? Anyone have a link to a site to order some?

 

Just happened to see prod's diagram of the culpret bushings-reminds me of my father in laws 89 full size RWD New Yorker. Every winter I had to remove the sway bar bushings and front torsion bar bushings and coat them with Permatex Green brake caliper grease...

 

I also remember working on some older vehicles (high mileage, not HHRs) and found that repairing vehicles the "squeek" (not thumping) was the factory sealed ball joints having grease cake in them due to the ice cold weather. All you needed was a buddy to push up and down on your bumper while you had you head behind the front wheel. Disclaimer: Do Not hop up and down on your HHR bumpers-I did that when "dey made dem cars out o steel"-see old delta 88 in my pics. Solved those problems by replacing the ball joints. Of course old school cheap fix was a needle injector for the grease gun to use in the joint boot, or if you tapped and installed grease fittings. Ahhhhh-my younger days when I was called McGyver

 

I have the exact samething too!!! I figured it was just mine, but I agree that it sounds like a bad strut or spring isolator