i have a 2011 HHR Panel. has 70k on it, bought it new July 11. as you might tell, i do alot of driving (avg 200 miles a day)

recently three things have happened and continue to happen that bother me, but not sure implications or if its covered under warranty now.

there are times when stopping that the motor "diesels" and the tach drops almost to zero then kicks back up. happens when a/c is on or off. can do this all day for a day or two then quit for awhile.

transmission at times "kicks" harder when shifting. doesnt do it all the time, but can do this all day.

and finally, the passenger airbag will turn itself on and red seatbelt will light up and eventually ding. i have actually pulled off the side of the road, kill engine and restart it. the light will show "off" then 15 minutes later, start the cycle of turning itself on again and dinging. i have caught it turning itself back off again about 15 minutes later. then 15 minutes turn back on. this is not an every day occurance either.

any ideas or suggestions?

 

just to help everyone out. is it the 2.2 or 2.4 engine?

 

sorry, 2.2

 

The motor surged while stopping with my older (HHR 2.4l)for the 25,000 miles or so I had it...Randomly I would be coming to a stop and the engine would surge a bit...seemed normal I guess

as for the airbag, seatbelt sensors are known to go bad on these platforms...I would check there first..

 

For Swerv0428. Fwiw. 2011 Panels were only available in LS trim w/ 2.2.

The OP's question. Hard to diagnois the running issue on the internet. A ballpark guess, MAF sensor.
You need to start by getting the codes read(computer scan) and see if it has stored any trouble codes. This will give you a place to start. The hard shifting almost sounds like it is going into "limp" mode. If so there should be a code stored.
The passenger seat belt light could be a bad seat occupancy sensor. First make sure there is nothing on the seat to trigger the sensor. Even a small box or such can trigger this. You can also check the wires under the seat and make sure they are firmly plugged in. Also make sure they haven't been cut or pinched by the seat frame.

That's all I got. Hard to diagnois over the internet as I stated. Let us know what you find out.

 

thanks, i'll see if any codes are still there and i'll check the wiring as well. i carry paper work and sometimes small boxes (nothing over 2lbs). but the warning happens even when there is nothing there.

at least i have some places to start.

thanks again.

 

I would check with the dealer to see what might be covered by the power train warranty

 

Me too. The hard shifting indicates that there is something real wrong. Like overheating, or some other sensor is telling the computer that it should limp home (to the dealer). It could be the airbag sensor.

 

sorry dont have thee hhr build memorized.

 

Not calling you out on that. It was just one of the build facts I remembered. Couldn't understand why you could get a regular 2011 HHR in the different trims (except SS), but the panel was only available in LS.