The I hate my HHR Rant Thread
 

WELL AFTER 19 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP - I HAVE LET GO OF MY LS , WHY ?? REPLACED STEERING COLUMN AT THE 6 MONTH MARK THEN THE BRAKES , ROTORS WENT BOTH STRUTS SHOT [ LEAKING] AND SERVICE AIR BAG LIGHT , NOT TO MENTION FAULTY TURN SIGNAL CANCEL SWITH AND DEFORMED BADGE - ONE THING I CAN SAY IS THE CHEVY DEALER - CARFAGNO CHEVY HAS DONE EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO KEEP ME IN THIS CAR - THE OWNER HIMSELF FIXED BOTH STRUTS AND TURNED ROTORS AT NO CHARGE - YES I DRIVE A HELLUVE ALOT ,ABOUT 1700 MILES A MONTH BUT COME ON ALL THIS IN UNDER 43,500 MILES NAHHHH- I REALLY WAS HOPING FOR A BETTER BUILD - I BEEN ON THE PHONE WITH GM ABOUT 7 TIMES , THEY STAE ITS THE NATURE IF THE BEAST ! ONCE AGAIN THE DEALER HERE IN NORRISTOWN PA WAS TERIFFIC - CANT SAY TO MUCH FOR GOVERMENT MOTORS - I JUST GOT A NEW 2010 SENTRA - TOOK A 857 LOSS ON MY HHR - DONT BUY SOMETHING BECUASE IT LOOKS COOL - OH YEAH THAT STEERING COLUMN ISSUE CAME BACK IN A BAD WAY - MY IDEA OF BUYING A NEW CAR IS NOT HAVING TO TAKE IT TO THE SERVICE DEPT 6 TIMES IN 19 MONTHS !! SHAME ON GM - THANX GANG GODSPEED :bow: OH YEAH THAT DARN CLUNKING UP FRONT IS ENUFF TO MAKE A MADMAN INSANE - THAT DROVE ME NUTS - I LOOKED INTO THE LEMON LAW - BUT I NEEDED MORE CRAPOLA TO GO WRONG , I WAS NOT TO WAIT FOR THAT MISERY - THE WORST PART IS I JUST PUT 4 NEW TIRES ON IT - UGG - ONCE AGAIN IF YOU ARE IN THE PHILLY AREA , IT WOULD PAY TO SEE FRANK AT CARFAGNO CHEVY, THIS GUY IS A REAL STAND UP INDIVIDUAL - I GUESS YA GET WHAT YA PAY FOR WHEN IT COMES TO GM - just my rant - i should have listened to my service tech in the beginin . nice forum here - good bunch - i will be in touch - god bless to all

I have a 2000 corvette with 60,000 miles on it with no issues,so I would say GM is not all that bad

76,000 on my 06...Nothing.......
Oh, yea getting ready to upgrade brake rotors and pads and paint the calipurs.(76,000 it's just due)
PS bought it in 07

I guess that there's good and bad in everything. Imagine if we judged people because of a few bad ones? (unfortunately some do).

Why is the answer always to give our money to a Japanese corporation when all of the rest of us paid our tax dollars to bail our GM? If I was pissed off at GM to the extent that I had to defect, I'd for one would be looking at Chrysler.

I guess the abandoning of the American community is part of being the "me" generation. It's discouraging.

Well over 30000 miles on my 08 SS...never been to the dealer for unscheduled maintenance...I love this car.

its a shame that i paid 15, 900 in 08 and only got 8,000 for trade hmmmm:(

We all see this once in awhile. 99% of us have had great results with our HHRs and someone seems to get a bad apple. Like a previous poster mentioned, you can't blame GM for everything when so many have had good results. I'd say, before this post goes to hell in a basket and gets negative, we do wish you well and hope for better successes with the new ride.

I love my HHR as much as anyone in this forum. I've slaved over it, spent good money on accessories and it looks sweet in Orange. Yet it still feels like a cheap under engineered car. Why? That damn steering rattle that has plagued my car ( and hundreds of thousands of other GM cars) since it was a few months old. The dealer has tried everything and the noise always comes back within days. It's a bad joke to drive a modern vehicle that sounds as clunky as my old '85 Fiero did. My HHR is not going anywhere too soon, but it will most likely be my last GM car.

Well at least GM knows how to build a car that slows down when you let off the accelerator.

As much as i love my SS , It will be my last GM product.
9 times at the dealer in 19 months, for a total of about 28 days , And I just opened a case with GM customer service.
2 weeks ago i gave them a list of 8 issues, 1 was fixxed in 12 days (rear hatch struts - 3rd set- i could have replaced them in 10 min.
The last 2 times i was in for all the same issues, I was told by the service manager that all hhrs , cobalt and malibu's are rattle traps and theres nothing they can do. LOL Well thats not gonna fly.

I had a 1988 pathfinder SE that i bought new, took off roading every other weekend, put 136,000 miles on it, had for 13 years, And never had a rattle and was never back to nissan for anything.

I figure GM has put $4,000 - $4,500 into my new SS for repairs and labor in 19 months, dos'nt leave me with much hope for the next 19 months.

The GM case worker asked me what i expect from GM , I replied to fix the issues i've had since month 1 . I'm suposed to get a call from her on monday.

Meanwhile i've put 1100 miles on the car wating for the second strut that was on a national backorder , Which has been at the dealership since this past monday, but they have no loaner to give me, and will call me when they get one. I'm thinking the car will just breakup into pcs while drivin it within the next year. :roll:

But again i love my ride !

I have 3 GM products and love all 3. HHR 88 fullsize pickup 06 Trialblazer, so far knock on wood no problems. I will always be a GM fan. I do like jap cars but GM 1

It's interesting that some cars are fine and others fell off the transport. I truly feel your pain. I had a Dodge once that lived in the shop...bought it new too. Had a Plymouth Voyager Van (bought new) that that thought the dealership service shop was it's home.

So far, knock on wood, my HHR has been good to me. 38,510 miles and still going strong...but...time will tell...I hope it will last to 180,000 miles, that's my goal.

Best of luck to you on your next car. I will tell you this...my wife drives a Honda...I've had many Hondas and...I have never had ONE issue with Honda...not one. I've owned four Accords, two vans and a CR-V. Something to consider. But for me, I still LOVE my HHR. I will have to buy another one in 2011 since that is the last production year.

Yea it really is sad, People act like the Japanese never have a issue, considering right now Toyota is having major issues with its gas pedal problem and it just not in the "cheap" car's either where talking 40k+ Suv's/Trucks as well.

Thing that cracks me up, is people ***** that there is NO jobs in American anymore yet we still keep supporting China/Japan with everything from Car's to basic everyday things. Maybe just Maybe if things were different maybe American's would still have job's. Maybe i think like this because i live in a Area of IL that has the highest unemployment rate 19.5% due to Chrysler's failure or maybe Chrysler and the American public's Failure. On POS car doesn't mean every other model will have the same issue's. Also take in mind the HHR was part of the Old GM.

I also doubt highly the New Malibu is a "rattle trap" considering all the outstanding awards it has gotten since its launch.

Me personally will continue to support American Car's cause dammit your parents and mind build this Country and i'll be damned if i let it all go to China/Japan.. Yea we all know Nissan/Toyota etc. all have factories here and we all know the profits don't stay here. just my .02

They aren't, I own one. Best car I have ever owned. The quality is amazing! :thumb:

I owned my first GM vehicle in 1977. It was a 1974 Buick Regal. Since that time I have owned 15 GM vehicles with only one that I would consider close to a lemon. That was a 1985 Buick Riviera T-Type. Loved the car but it kept laying down on my wife (alternator, ecm, ignition coil, turbo) so I sold it.

Not sure of the reasoning behind someone having a problem with 1 particular model (ie HHR), and because of that never buying that make of vehicle again (ie GM or Chevrolet). What do problems with an HHR have to do with say a Malibu or an Equinox? :confused:

When my Riviera became a problem, the solution was simple to me, get rid of it and get something else.

we have an 02 sunfire with 54k on it, bought it new. it is one of the best smaller cars I've owned.

thats like comparing a filet to a steak um

Touche'!!, Outstanding comparison!

I usually defend my purchases to the bitter end and have always waved the GM flag. The steering clunk that many of us have becomes a deal breaker. If any of you don't have that problem or don't acknowledge it as a true annoyance, you're lucky or very tolerant. No more said from me about this subject. I'll live with the noise and turn up the stereo some more. At trade in time I'll get to say that that noise you hear is supposed to be there, ask any Chevy technician!

Same company

Good to know.We just bought an '02 sunfire for our daughter:thumb:

Sunfire is a cavalier. Both very reliable vehicles in my opinion.

I've owned my HHR since 22k miles off a lease and now with almost 50k miles on it a year later, I still love it! Only problems with was the c bracket was broken in the drivers side seat (which probably wasn't even a defect), chrome piece fell off the rear passenger side door handle (was a defect).

Last year I had fun doing some minor mods to the ride and this year I have more planned starting with my cobalt SS wheels going on, LED's wrapped around and possible fall edition headlights. Whoop Whoop!:nuts:

In reference as to why "we" give our money to the japanese car industry after bailing out companies like Gm is quite simple. Why continue to be let down, mistreated and often inconvenienced just because they are american companies? Its the companies themselves that perpetuate the distaste for their products. Its true that not every car and customer has bad experiences, but alot that do are left out in the cold. The simple solution for sub-par product building is to at least stand by the product that you manufacture--If you can't, don't make them. if you choose not to stand by them, don't complain as to why buyers go elsewhere.

IMO the buyout was a big mistake. If companies build superior product without raping the buyer, they would flourish enough to prosper. The mismanagement of monies is not the consumers fault, and faulty "american" product isn't either. Let them drown and wait for the next manufacturer to flourish in its wake.

:thumb:

That's a simplistic way to view the world.

The one great thing about America is that you don't have to give a **** about anyone but yourself. Maybe that's half the problem with this country and the few products we still produce. Think about it. In Japan, Korea, and Germany, people are so dominated by national pride that vehicles from other countries simply don't sell. That's one of the reasons why GM bought Daewoo: instant access to the Korean market. No one in Japan or Germany would be caught dead driving an American or Korean car, but in America it's okay to support everyone else but your own neighbor.

I buy Sprint phones because my friends and neighbors work for Sprint. I buy Garmin for the same reason. They have headquarters just down the street from where I used to live. I buy American when I can because I know that other countries are COMPETING against US for world economic power. Sure, Toyota, Honda, and others build assembly plants here. Toyota claims that the Camry is the "Most American" car on the market. Keep in mind which companies have had the greater impact on American survival over the last 100 years. It sure isn't Toyota, Honda, BMW, or Mercedes-Benz.

:thumb:, Or we can wait till were all unemployed due to not producing anything and just servicing everyone else's crap. O wait that day is here. Good Job. Toyota, Honda etc is nothing but another car company nothing special. Same issue's at hand or right now more serious issues and a quick fix metal piece.

Ditto

IMO the big issue with GM was too much sub par product and they had to cut the fat. The fact that buyers went elsewhere should give the Big 3 a kick in the ass to step it up and stop taking blind and loyal customers for granted. I have always been one to politely ask why? as opposed to walk blindly off a bridge. GM has waste in sooo many areas, that is why they needed a bail-out. It was inevitable as soon as the competitors started to build half decent vehicles. I own a Corvette cause it is an example of what GM is capable of doing, I own two Samsung TVs also cause they are great, but not American (any of you watch an American made TV.- well then sell them because you are not patriotic enough then). I don't just buy American/Canadian, just because. If it is close or apples to apples then I will support NAmerica made products 100 %. If it isn't...I am sorry but I pay too much in taxes to take a bath in my personal purchases and finances. GM finally hired the right guy (not a car guy-but a business guy) to turn the company around and he will. Far too many execs....too fat union benefits and cut-backs on quality and parts to compensate. My HHR is built in Mexico and my neighbour's Honda Accord is built in Alliston Ontario. I see a lot of Canadians making good money and thus supporting the economy, while working for Honda. That doesn't mean that I will buy a Honda, but what I am saying is that blind faith is just that, blind. I won't "take one for the team," when you are talking $25-30k of your hard earned money. My .02cents

Whats really funny is that people keep slamming others for buying a Toyota or what ever but 1 week after I bought my 08 HHR I found out it was a foreign car. Made in mexico! Needless to say I was pissed. It was the first GM I ever bought and now is the last. I have always bought Ford and decided to give GM a try and they sold me a freaking mexcianmobile. My next purchase will be a Toyota that I know for a fact is made here in the US by non union HARD working Americans. So keep on slamming Toyota and gas pedal problems, Im pretty sure GM,Ford, and Chrysler has seen a ton more recalls than the Japanese car companies will ever see....

Reality...non of the big 3 are 100% built here...I used to carry parts back and forth for GM and Ford to Mexico for build up and then back to the plant for final assembly...unless the parts were slated for the south plants...Alot of GM cars/trucks are Canadian...imagine that.....I have a Canadian Truck of 21 years and 2 HHRs from Mexico....Yup!!Buy 'Merican!! At least thats where the MONEY stayed.............think about it......
Your Toyota is 'ASSEMBLED " here...guess where the majority of the parts were made....AND where the final pocket will be filled.....over the pond..in YEN!
Wanna know of 2 vehicles made exclusively here ? Freightliner and Harley.........
Have you read the story about the Cop and his family going over 120mph ( uncontrolled) and rolling over while on the phone with 911?? I suggest you do so....bet he would have made a different choice if he could........

I will say that I don't plan to buy Toyota or Honda in the future...just not me. The car has to look like something better than a desktop computer on wheels. I won't buy Chrysler, because IMO they are worse then GM for parts and build quality. I will say the dreaded "F" word however. "Ford" has really stepped it up (first to get a non car guy CEO and now GM follows suit after firing Fritz). Ford always seems to time the market right while GM is 5 yrs behind. Examples of GM and all the red tape at the top causing them to miss the market:

Ford Mustang-2005/Chevrolet Camaro 2010 (5YEARS!!)
PT Cruiser (Chrysler I know)- 2000ish-HHR 2006 (another 5yrs or so)
F150/Ram-never stopped producing- GM halted production of truck plant in 08-09 in Oshawa Ontario (re gas prices)

My father sells GM and couldn't find any trucks anywhere. A lot of customers came to him and needed a truck and then went to the Ford lot instead and bought F150s.
I could go on and on....but they need to downsize even more and trim down to 10 or so vehicles in total and start with quality and service to get customers back. Let's face it, we all buy GM because they are American/Canadian and we can save a wackload of money when we buy one. If I didn't save $5000 off the top of my SS and get 0% ver 72 months...I would have looked hard somewhere else.

Um, Ford halted production on F-150s in 2009 for a few weeks and Dodge had a full production shutdown on EVERY vehicle last summer.

GM dumped Camaro and Firebird in 2002 because the sales weren't worth redesigning the F-body. The resurrection was a side project that wound up getting greenlighted by Lutz after the people went wild over the concept. Ford used the same lame chassis for the 'stang for 25 years and put the new one on another existing chassis. The Mustang is their halo car, GM has the Corvette. No comparison, and I have had both.

You should have read the content label that's been placed next to the window sticker. It's plain as day that the car is assembled in Mexico from mostly US and Canadian parts. Engine from NY or TN, transmission from ON. Body stampings from OH. Suspension components from MI. The only things truly "foreign" are the computer chips and stereo from greater Asia, brake discs from China, and spot welds, seats, and glass from Mexico.

A Weird fact , My car is on a 36000 mile warranty hold threw gm customer service, Great, Cool it's an open warranty untill they fix the front end squaks and headlinner ticks. Funny thing today the gm person says well they are working with you , They replaced one of the panels in your headliner. W T F no it's a 1 piece headliner , nothing was replaced, Latter in the hour long conversation, well they did replace the rear wiper assembly,. WTF, no they did not ,. nothing in my invoices mention a headliner panel , Or a rear wiper assembly replacment. Still waiting sine last monday when my second new front strut came in for them to call me to set up an appointment, Meanwhile 1100 miles with 1 new strut, And one defective leaking strut. OH ya , I can't wait to buy my second GM car. NNNNNNNNNot !!!!!!!!!!!! Oh and my GM rep said SHE never heard of an HHR SS , Ya this will end up with a guy buying a ford , Or jap car , It's really to bad. But hey , Lets give all these strugling co. some of or tax money so that they can stay in biz. UNBE_U_KI_GLEAV_BLE. IMO :smile: But still , I love this car, Every time i start it i smile , It's not till the first bump in the road that the smile disinigrates, Which is about a min. later. :(

For every bad experience there are going to be more good experiences in vehicle ownership. This is the case with EVERY manufacturer except one (See Yugo). If this wasn't true GM, Ford, Honda, and Toyota would not be around today.

Everyone who has posted in this thread can either continue to flame the HHR or continue to shower it with praise, but each individuals opinion of the HHR will not be changed by what is posted either way so what's the point?

I really don't see anything that has been achieved by this thread unless you want to count people getting to blow some steam off. Hopefully posting about bad experiences has lowered some stress levels.

The bets are out as to how long before this one gets locked.

Just one mans opinon, based on his 1st expierence with chevy. No bad words for you chevy mgr, you know i'm 1 of your biggest fans. :smile: It's just hard to swallow when your service manager says it's a rattle trap , there's nothing we can do. :eek:

And as you can see ,I love my SS and it may be more diferant than any SS out there. I love it. I just want a headliner that is'nt as loud as the stereo, and a front suspension that dos'nt sound like i swaped it with a 600,000 mile
F150
And this is one i can't see being locked , i'm just telling my story. :thumb:

Anyone else think these car are junk?
 

All in all I am not very happy with my HHR so far. Bought it a year ago this month wih 6000 miles, it now has 27,000 miles on it and it's been back to the dealer three times for warrantee work. One time it left me stranded and had to be towed. Plus I had to put on new rotors and brakes at $200. Too bad chevy makes such crap because I like the size and mpg. But I have three Chevys I guess I am just a gluten for punishment.

I've had mine since March of '06, and have had no issues with it, except for "stuck" key in the ignition which was fixed under warrenty. I have over 56K miles, original brakes still work fine and I get an average of over 30 mpg with the 2.4L, automatic.

There are bulletins about the brake pulsation.The front pads should have been free per one of them(as long as your car was in warranty,age wise.
And no,you won't find many,if any,others who think their HHR is junk.We're here because we like the car and want to help each other enjoy their cars.

As a guy who grew up in a family that had British and Italian cars, and still does. These things are alright.

We don't need multiple "I hate my HHR threads". Threads merged.

Changed the Title of this thread and all future threads concerning the need to rant on HHRs will be moved here.