Laco

Ok, before this is moved or???, I'm going to get my 2 cents in. I too received the letter regarding my 2007 HHR, saying remove everything from the key when driving, until GM is able to supply the parts to replace the ignition switch. I have to say I am very disappointed with GM, for sitting on this issue for as long as they have. There have been unnecessary accidents and lives lost as a result of years of no action, when GM apparently knew of the problem. I am also concerned about the no-recall for the power steering issues on the HHR's, when the Cobalt has been recalled and the Canadian HHR's have also been recalled. My understanding is the American HHR's use exactly the same parts as the Cobalt and the Canadian HHR's. Is this another re-call in the works, but only after some number of disasters force the issue? I have to say, sometime in the next year I will be in the market for a new car, not a replacement for the HHR, but another new car. GM's apparent lack of concern for my families, and my safety for years, does get factored into my decision of brand of next car I will acquire.

mongo

Then I guess you won't be buying ANY new car. They all do the deny game for as long as possible- even Toyota.

843de

To address Laco's comments. Canada and the United States are seperate countries, with similar but varying vehicle safety regulations. Recalls in Canada which are compelled and handled through their government body called Transport Canada, are not connected in any way with recalls handled and compelled in the United States by NHTSA.

The U.S. and Canada are neighbors with a common border and similar cultures, but what happens in one country does not immediately translate into the other.

Now I've merged the latest recall thread into this one, let's try to avoid adding more duplicate threads. We're about at the saturation point as it is.

Laco

Thanks for your response, and though I understand that safety regulations may vary from country to country, so eliminating the Canadian re-call for the power steering from the discussion, why would there be a recall for the US Cobalt's power steering, but not for the US HHR's which use exactly the same power steering components? At least that's what my understanding has been. Am I incorrect?

donbrew

Are you absolutely positive that the power steering motors that were installed in the HHRs in the Mexican factory are from the EXACT same batch from the EXACT same vendor? I am not sure where Cobalts were made, but probably not on the same production line as HHRs, at least not at the same JITd (Just In Time delivery).

Just a technical question, if you can back your assertion up that's fine with me.

I just checked, according to wikipedia all Cobalts were made in Lordstown,Ohio.

Oldblue

So do It trust my HHR, all the media buzz has her spooked, but I pointed out the ratio of # of cars to possible issues and she settled down

Don06

What difference does it make where they were installed and who made them if they are manufactured to the same specs?

843de

Believe it or not, you can give "Manufacturer A" & "Manufacturer B" the same blueprints and specifications for a part, and the parts from "A" will never give you a problem. But the parts from "B" will have a 50% failure rate.

GM bids out its parts to several manufacturers during a production run, and bad batches of parts do make it into vehicles, it's the way of the world these days.

Way back in the day, GM steering components were made by their "captive" Saginaw division, not anymore.

Ripstang

In the business news today GM will give 500 dollars plus your affected recall vehicles as a trade-ins towards a new GM product as some may not feel safe in there present rides.

I can see where a few may do this but for myself the HHR was one of the best crash rated vehicles in 2007. I'll get my new switch and keep on truckin.

Laco

As I said, it was my 'understanding' that the part numbers are the same. In todays world you can have two identical devices (makes no difference what they are) come off the same assembly line next to each other, one fails, the other gives years and years of reliable service. About all you can do, is if there is an abnormally high incidence of failure from devices that all have the same specs, the logical assumption would be that there is a problem with the device specifications for its particular use. IMO the prudent response would be to error on the side of safety, which would mean a recall. Truth is, I have not had problems with either the power steering, or the ignition switch on my 2007 HHR, though there is now a recall for the ignition switch. Wouldn't surprise me to see one for the power steering in the not too distant future too. As far as I'm concerned I still see my HHR as an incredibly reliable car which serves my needs very well. Recalls or no recalls, my opinion has not changed. Its a mechanical device, and I expect things to go wrong with it over time.