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My HHR is my first car ever, so I have no previous experience with vehicles. I received this car with both the stereo and its trunk locked by its anti-theft system, and after a year of usage, my car battery died. I’ve been having this issue where every time I replace the car battery, it only lasts a year, and just recently, my instrument cluster would just go crazy; my gauges would just drop and start shaking up and down as a noise came from the cluster. After a while of just ignoring this issue, my instrument cluster stopped working completely, and only the lock light turns on, so my speedometer won't show my mph and my fuel gauge won't show how much gas my car has. My HHR is basically unreliable, and I was wondering if there was a fix to this that I could tackle myself because I'm short on cash or if I hit a roadblock and should get a new vehicle?
there are 4 bolts in the under hood fuse box that need to be tighter than most people think is really tight.
Also, look at the large red wire connection on the side of the fuse box.
Why did you "receive" a possibly stolen vehicle? Was the previous owner aware? What was done to unlock the security system? All doors should have been locked and the key locked in the ignition.
Have you looked at lights, like the brake lights staying on while parked? Trailer hitch/wiring installed? Is the radio the stock installed head unit? Does the radio work if the key is not in the ignition? After market anti-theft system installed? Any after market equipment? CheckEngineLight on? Any LEDs?
What year, model and engine?
“every time I replace the car battery, it only lasts a year “
Hmm. How many car batteries ? Sounds like more than a couple. Your bio says you’re 18 years old. So how long have you had this car ?
Donbrew pretty much covers it. Answer his questions and we can help you try to figure it out.
I believe we received the car in its "stolen" condition, and the owners knew they just said it was like this because they swapped the battery, but my mother bought it with the idea that we don’t need a radio or a trunk as long as it drives perfectly. That's all that matters, you know. So the car was my mother's, but she stopped using it once a bunch of the issues mentioned in the previous post popped up. Nothing has been done to unlock the security system because my mother didn’t receive a manual with the code to unlock the vehicle. The brake lights aren't on when the car is in park. I believe the radio is stock, and it doesn't remain on when the key is not on ignition. From what I know, we haven't put in any aftermarket equipment, and we really haven't done much work on it besides changing the oil, tires, and fuses. The check engine light is the only thing that does turn on with the lock symbol in the instrument panel. Chevy HHR LT 2.2L Flex Fuel (E85). One last thing: just now, when I went to go check the vehicle, I noticed that when I turned the vehicle, my speedometer was shaking up and down at zero.
Check engine light means exactly that. It is lit up because it’s telling you something is wrong. You need to have the system scanned for trouble codes. Those codes tell you where to look for the problem.
Most auto parts stores will scan for codes.
Get the codes and post them here.
Codes numbers only. No descriptions.
FYI. There is no “code” to unlock a HHR. If you meant no Owners Manual. They are available on this site for download. FREE !
The security light is not on, therefore that is not the why. There is no code to reset the security system. There is a link in my sig for FREE Owner Manual.
The radio doesn't work because somebody tried replacing it without reprogramming. The security system resets itself when a legal key is used.
But that engine icon is so pretty, Why do anything to make it go away?
Did you get a legal title? That is all that is important.
Tighten the 4 bolts in the under hood fuse box, make sure there is no fuse in position #11 and the fuse in #10 is good.
When I asked about after market equipment I meant EVER. Are there wires hanging around in odd places etc.
