My husband & I had matching HHR’s. He passed 5 years ago. I am so disappointed. I love my 2009 HHR, but my son was in a serious accident in it. He hit a deer, lost control & hit a tree head on and none of the airbags deployed. He broke the steering wheel in half with his face. Not only that but the HHR caught on fire before the paramedics & fire trucks made it. He was luckily pulled from the car with a broken femur before the fire reached him. Any of you know why the airbags didn’t deploy?

 

to the forums! Wish it were under better circumstances.

My 2009 had an airbag related recall. I'm not sure, it may have been only the SS that was recalled.

Perhaps your insurance company will investigate, and learn what caused it. There may have been a warning light that went unnoticed.

 

I flipped my HHR 4 weeks ago and my airbag did not deploy. I have been in 3 wrecks in my old Dodge Charger that involved the front end and not once did the airbag deploy. Many say I was lucky they never did because they can cause more injuries.

 

Thank goodness you are okay. I’m not sure about that with this particular case. The steering wheel fractured so many bones... upper jaw on both sides, nose, sinus cavity... puncturing the brain dura sac and crushed part of his spinal column like a soda can. They can’t do anything to help him with his facial injuries until the swelling goes down. I wasn’t being sarcastic when I said he broke the steering wheel in half with his face. Thank God he was wearing his seatbelt.

 

My side curtains deployed when I ran off the road and up an embankment. No impact at all. Hard to tell a why, you might want to consult a legal professional, you insurance company will have one.

 

Sorry to hear about his extensive injuries. I hit the steering wheel with my jaw and my shoulder went through the driver's window. I had some pain from the seat belt around neck and upper body. All those injuries have gone away. I still have alot pain in my back from the accident though. I believe seat belts due save lives. I pray your son makes a full recovery and that his pain will subside quickly. By the looks of the car he is very lucky to be alive.

 

So sorry to see your sons injuries and my condolences on the loss of your husband.
I have noticed , while searching for parts in a wrecking yard some air bags deployed, some did not, as we’ve seen in the news there are airbag issues with Honda, GM and other car companies, depending on the supplier was to them.
Based on your explanation of the injuries, I suggest you seek legal counsel and don’t let the insurance company send the HHR to the crusher, it could be evidence in your case.
I’m not an attorney or an airbag specialist, just an HHR enthusiast with common sense and the ability to make sense of such incidents.

First off, may I suggest you run the Vin to see if there were any outstanding recalls, not performed.

 

Sorry for the injuries.
One possibility is the collision with the deer wasn't enough to deploy the airbags but somehow damaged the sensor for the restraint system. Then, when he hit the tree, the airbags did not deploy because of that damaged sensor.
If you decide to seek legal help you should also seek out an accident investigator.