Hey everyone.
I have a 2008 HHR SS with the auto. I love the car, and it makes a very fun commuter, but I have had some rather serious problems.
I had the common hard brake pedal issue, and the car went into the shop yesterday to have the vacuum pump/canister fitted, and when I brought it in I told them of a few other issues. My sunroof makes a screeching noise when opening or closing, my boost gauge light flickers, and I was getting some noise from the rear suspension.

I find out today they ordered new sunroof tracks, a new boost gauge, and a new right rear strut.

Anyone else having similar issues?

 

No on a rare occation I get the hard pedal but I will take it to get it upgrades when the parts are more available.

Otherwise mine has been trouble free. [Knock on wood]

 

TO: My name is wazy, please give a grain of salt to what hyperv6 says about the SS. I really like mine; however, as have others, it is wrought with brakes issues. The small things/problems that you have are fixable; however, the brake issues-soft peddle upon cold starts, low vacuum, noisy, etc. have plague the car and the Ponitiac Solstice/Saturn Sky for all of 2008 and now 2009. GM has no fix and they are"working on the problem." Just read the SS Forums. Some people, like me are or have taken them to court. Just be sure to read everyones replies to your question, not just hyperv6's. Not wanting to sound saracastic, but hyperv6 sounds like a GM employee, not a real concerned car person. Good luck, Badge 73

 

I appreciate the response, but as far as the brake issue is concerned, that has been fixed, but the other nagging quality issues I am having is what concerns me. The failure of a strut at 6k miles is absurd if you ask me. I will be making another contact with GM regarding the poor quality of my vehicle, and was really asking if I am the lucky guy with a Friday build, or are there other cars with failing parts that shouldnt be failing...

 

I also own a 2008 HHR SS 5-speed and I believe that you are not alone. I also have a number of nagging issues, mostly rattles and poor fit & finish issues. Sun roof creaks and rattles when partially opened, headliner rattles, a dashboard rattle under the drivers side, passenger side door rattles with bass turned up on the radio, rear bumper is not attached very tightly near the exhaust outlet, etc. I've taken the car to the dealer a number of times and either they tell me there is no fix (sun roof, headliner) or that they don't hear the rattles that I hear. The bumper issue response was great. They told me that it was designed that way! I really hope they didn't pay the assembly designer a lot of money!

I love the car otherwise I would have already sold it but these a the exact problems that drive people away from American cars. This was a $24K car, not cheap by any means. I have a friend whose 120K mile Honda Civic has less rattles then my car that has only 7K miles on it.

 

OK first off, my HHR SS is one of my three favorite cars of all time, equal on the list to my 1968 Z28, and my StingRay, but actually better in many ways. That said, it also had more (minor) irritating quality issues than any car I have had. They were minor issues, and out of the way and fixed long ago with nothing new since. Bad boost guage, two electrical connectors improperly secured, shift linkage out of adjustment, scratched bezel at window controls, cracked shifter boot bezel, two tires leaking at bead, squeaking throwout bearing.

 

Bud if you want to complain about SS do so as much as you like but leave me out of you exchange.

I don't work for GM! My SS has only had a lo vac pedal few times [Note it is not at daily or weekly problem in my daily driven vehicle] . It is just not a issue on my vehicle as much as it may be on yours. They all don't seem effected as much or the same. So think Before you go off on me.

I have as much right to experess how I have not had issues with mine as much as you do about having problems with yours.

Some people have more trouble with theirs or don't deal with it as easily. While other deal with it or just don't have it happen as much. Mine is the latter so it is not an issue for me. Got IT!

GM was working on it from what we have learned and it looks as if the fix with the vac pump is just coming out. In time I will get it retrofitted and go on.

So if you have an issue with your truck express it and leave me the out of it.

If you note this guy has spent less time looking for a lawyer and looks like he has already has his brakes upgrade. Might check with your dealer to see when they will be able to retrofit yours with the new pump.

I am a real car guy as I understand how it is not easy to just fix a problem like this. I also understand how car companies work and the time it takes to fix issues like this from a past problem on my GP. The glove box upgrade more than likely took a year or more to do alone for a stick on part.

 

Like C2 I sure get a kick out of driving this car as a daily driver.It doesn't have the wow factor of my 62 Vette or the ride of my 79 Z28.But I've had more problem with my SS in one year than any car I've owned for the life I owned a car.Dents in the roof and lift gate,inter cooler to turbo pipe replaced,a constant leaking tire and a piston that melted down and the engine had to be rebuilt with only 7,400 miles.Hopefully the new Camaro won't have as many problems.

 

Nicely put, and I think its great that you haven't had to put up with the nagging quality issues that a lot of us have. I traded in a 2005 GTO with a 6spd for this car, and since my purchase on 7/3/08 it has spend nearly 6 weeks in the shop I wonder if I could get GM to throw in a free tune for all my troubles, after all, I even wrote my congressman urging him to vote for the auto maker bail out!

 

First of all, there is no right rear "strut", it's a regular shock absorber, and second, GM doesn't MAKE shock absorbers. In fact, it was probably made by the same vendor(s) that supply everyone else and that one simply made it onto your car. If it didn't fail during the MVSS post-assembly, then it passed final inspection. Can you tell the difference between a shock that's going to last 6k miles versus a 60k unit on an assembly line? Probably not. Sounds like GM and the dealership are stepping up to fix all of the problems with your vehicle, much like they have for just about everyone else.

Sunroofs are a pain in the a$$. I don't know anyone who's owned a domestic or foreign brand that hasn't had some type of sunroof issue. Of course, you also haven't mentioned whether you noticed the noise when you took delivery of the car or sometime later. Again, it's a system that's manufactured by vendor(s) that supply everyone else in the industry. Do you think that vendor reimburses GM when they have to service the sunroof that vendor built? I don't think so!

Free tune because you were inconvenienced by a little noise and a flickering light, all repaired for FREE? Keep dreaming.