06 HHR 2.4L engine, lots of electrical issues?
 

Ok, this car has LOTS of issues and one thing seems to lead to the next?!
1st: initially it was a constantly dead battery, had that replaced, ran great the first week or so, then decided to have intermittent start issues/dead battery (I'm aware of proper jump start/charging with battery in the rear hatch so now errors in ever doing that!)
it seems to have a phantom battery drain? I am sure to turn radio off, heat/AC off etc. Before exiting the vehicle as this gives better results to not needing a jumpstart the next day!

had alternator looked at, it's working properly, not the issue. Pulled radio fuse in passenger side under the dash area, radio is not the cause for battery drain, it still does it.
Hit a deer, front passenger side, deer committed suicide, it jumped right in front of me (x.x), had repairs to front passenger headlight, and bumper and wheel well as a result of the suicidal deer.

Next came the hi/lo beam lights not wanting to work. Would literally go out while driving down the road! Chevy said it was a faulty "switch" (the "auto on/off, hi-beam/low-beam switch inside on the steering column)

had that replaced, still didnt fis the head light issue, still intermittently not working!
after this go around for a while, lo-beans would only stay on during park but running (auto on feature?) But once you put it in drive, they go out and only high beams would work. About 2 weeks of this it went between hi-beams only working if you pulled back and held the switch back as if your "flashing" an oncoming vehicle, or working when switch was activated for hi-beam use. Had fuses checked/relays checked, exchanged bulbs, everything looked good, but still didnt fix the issue!

now, only tail lights, blinkers, and parking lights work. No hi OR lo work!
car had a slow crank, but started instantly on the dash appeared "POWER STEERING" of course, power steering assist was NOT working!
got to the store (I've driven with no PSA before in a previous vehicle just put a little umph into driving and drive carefully you'll be fine!) Turned the car off, key stuck in ignition!?! The ignition and all of that recalled parts were fixed a year ago, and Chevy says "come have it diagnosed $75 and well try to figure it out, Our database shows that your vehicle is included in the special coverage 14632 “Stuck Ignition Key”. Please be aware that a special coverage is different from a recall. A recall does not have parameters, while a special coverage is applied in the same manner, upon failure of a part or system, just as Chevrolet provides coverage under the bumper to bumper, corrosion or powertrain warranties. A special coverage is a Chevrolet-initiated warranty extension on a specific component for a given specific condition."

now they also said same thing for the power steering issue- gave the same exact code for special coverage for that issue as well?
but they also said it must be doing this WHILE they have my car. It is intermitten, doesnt happen 24/7, so how would that work?

I dont have any codes for these issues, as it seems any time I stop in to have it checked, everything has cleared?!
So what the HE** is going on with this car? It seems to me like there are LOTS of issues with this vehicle and Chevy needs a major recall done with them! I LOVE this car- in its properly functioning state!

no CEL on the dash, cleaned throttle body and that cleared up the constant T/C light and the "shifting hard" simulation it was giving as a mimic of the old "limp mode" for older cars...
VIN # 3GNDA23P86S593280

First, what was going on just before the bad behavior started? Any mechanical work any work under the hood any work under the dashboard.

Does the car have OnStar? Working or not.

Has the ignition recall been done.

One car with a lot of problems does not call for a recall. The key will get stuck in the ignition because the battery is low. The power steering can go out because the fuse box is whacky. Neither of those has anything to do with the recalls or special coverage.

Most of your type problems can be traced to a failure in the under hood fuse box.

I tried to post quick reply (new to this site have no idea how it works, requires a moderator to approve 😣)
*no OnStar
*ignition recall has been completed.
*Chevy replied to me via email last week about the power steering and key stuck in ignition and said "my car is included and if it applies it may be covered under the special coverage 14632" (see quotes in original post, I copied and pasted their exact reply to that matter!)
Sirius XM radio was installed and uninstalled by professional service before I obtained the vehicle, and a new antenna was put in as the old one was not working and picking up any stations. (All done when stock radio was taken out and then owner had original stock radio reinstalled to have SXM radio out in their new vehicle)
*hit a suicidal deer, taking out front passenger side, ins. Covered damages and had the head light, bumper, and passenger fender/wheel well area replaced.
it was some time after this that issues increased with headlights.
*had all the fuses checked and relays checked and all seems to be "good"

I agree, the fuse box under the hood.

Haha, my car is named "Old BlueBell"
but anyways, what would I be looking for in regards to the fuse box? They say the fuses and the relays are all fine and seated properly. So...? I know as I was looking at it yesterday, there is a (+) wire covered with a red cover that says "(+)" on it and just above that towards the top of the fuse panel, there is another wire (based on other diagrams its something involving rear battery?)
I'm going to attempt to upload a picture (hope it works) but this "post/terminal" is corroded (green colored nasty looking) and then there is a reddish/orange, plastic/rubber like piece that sits over the post/terminal
***it is NOT the post/terminal that is covered by the RED "(+)" symbled cover!***
⚠️also, this picture is not of mine, it is one from google!

That corroded terminal that you are talking about, needs to be cleaned up to remove the corrosion etc.. That dirty terminal will affect a number of your current issues (steering, starting).

Working with the electrical system can be hazardous, and can cause damage to other components in the electrical system of the car. Before attempting to clean that terminal, one needs to remove the NEGATIVE (-) cable at the battery in the trunk. Do not attempt to remove the Positive cable at the battery, as if the wrench is shorted out to the body of the car, it can cause a short which can cause the wrench to go red-hot and possibly cause the battery to explode.

Don't forget to lay a towel over the rear hatch locking mechanism, or leave the hatch open while the Negative post is disconnected, as the hatch cannot be opened easily with the battery disconnected.

Thanks whopper. And a wire brush will do the trick? I could skim Google I suppose but anything else I need to use/do to clean it?

The one circled is the power steering. The one with the X is the positive jump point/battery. BTW: that is all in your Owner Manual, see link in my sig.

First try tightening the 4 bolts on the fuse box.

If you use a mechanic tell them to look for the TSB # 07-08-45-003a, Look in this thread, our search tool sucks again choose GoOgle.https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/prob...-thread-23231/

Since this is a 2006 have someone check the "butyl patch" use that as a search term for lots o'info. https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/how-...t-night-14263/

To use quick reply, just type your message, then click on "Post Quick Reply"

Here is a youtube that shows how to check the fuse box. Most of his description is BS. The problem is usually in the connectors underneath the box.

Thanks! I'll try this tonight when my husband gets home so he can help me :)
and, never got a manual to this thing (not original owner)
sorry, I'm a Ford girl, and my husband brought this thing home �� anything I've EVER had to replace on my Expedition, was all able to be done by myself!
just with summer around the corner. Traveling will occur with 4 kiddos and this is MUCH cheaper on gas than my Expedition SOO I want it operating safely!

Hi Mom, :welcomewagon: to the forums. Sorry to hear of the issues with your car.

It does sound like the top and bottom halves of the underhood fuse block may be loose, and have bad connections inside. Yes, try tightening the bolts first. If that doesn't work, the video donbrew shared above is a good guide for fixing that problem.

You say the alternator was tested, was that done while on the vehicle, the entire charging system?

I've deleted your duplicate post attempts, and approved the 3 remaining posts. The computers seem to randomly flag posts for moderators to look at, sometimes even our own posts get flagged.

You may also want to get the battery tested again, if bad, it could cause strange electrical issues also. See if they will give you a printout of the results, post up here.

AS noted there is a link in my sig for free online Owner Manual.

I'm not sure how they checked the alternator, I took it in for oil change and was complaining about the random battery drain.
This battery is "new", 4-6 weeks old?
but it can start perfect one start up, the next have a hard crank, and then the following start ups be perfectly fine? So I wouldnt think it's actually anything to do with the alternator? But again, this is a chevy and this thing has thrown MANY surprises my way already... battery in the back, fuse panel on passenger side under the radio unit/glove box area (since when aren't they on the driver's side anymore? Lol) It's a GREAT car if running properly! It used to be my grand father's, and he knows anything and everything about it... only thing, he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrigs disease) and cannot talk, walk, eat or function at all on his own anymore : , (

Would a lose fuse box be cause enough for a battery drain? Or am I looking at something else for that?
I know if I bump the light switch and it's in "bright mode" it shows it on the dash, but clearly no headlights are working on the outside and if I turn the car off I get the "lights on" chime... but if I flip the switch to "auto lights off" it starts easier the next time than if i dont...?

I would have the battery and the charging system tested again(most auto part stores do it at no charge) before I take the fuse block apart. Although it does seem more likely that the fuse block is the issue, the testing is free and easy. Again, post up results here.

Thanks so much! I will update as soon as I get a chance to have it looked at - may not be till Wednesday or thursday.

They test on the car, usually only takes a few minutes.