Ball joint question
03-06-2013, 01:40 PM
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 04-18-2012
Location: tennessee
Posts: 46
Ball joint question
I have a used 2011 HHR that I bought in February 2012 ..it was a one owner car and only had 6,054 miles on it when I purchased it.So it is just a year since I got it and everything has been fine until last couple of months. I had alignment and balance done back in September because I wasn't sure when last one was done by previous owner and after that it was little bumpy and had a rattle when I would hit bumps..took it back and the dealer "tweaked" it, but it still wasn't as smooth as when I got it. It has just gotten worse since then last month started feeling like someone would jerk the wheel sometimes. I took it to a different repair shop that specializes in that kind of repairs yesterday to let them check it since I wasn't thrilled about the results from the last alignment.
I had thought maybe it had gotten out of balance or something, well I got a big surprise yesterday when the mechanic called me and said I had a worn out lower ball joint on driver side...he said I would have to take it back to the dealer though because it is still under warranty. He also said it was very unusual because the car is only a 2011 with 11,250 miles on it now. Took it over to the dealer and they looked it over then called me to say yes it was worn out and needed to be fixed immediately because it was so lose that he didn't feel comfortable with me driving it last night so I they gave me a loaner car to use until mine was fixed..they had to order the part and hope to have it done today or tomorrow. He said the same thing as the other guy..that this was very unusual and most of time not an issue until more miles and wear on the vehicle.
My question for other HHR owners is has anybody else had this issue and how common of a problem is this especially in a newer model with low miles. Could it maybe just been a bad part? I thought I would have several years before I had to worry about anything other than routine maintenance so now I am a little worried about what else might be wrong with it. Thanks for any help
I had thought maybe it had gotten out of balance or something, well I got a big surprise yesterday when the mechanic called me and said I had a worn out lower ball joint on driver side...he said I would have to take it back to the dealer though because it is still under warranty. He also said it was very unusual because the car is only a 2011 with 11,250 miles on it now. Took it over to the dealer and they looked it over then called me to say yes it was worn out and needed to be fixed immediately because it was so lose that he didn't feel comfortable with me driving it last night so I they gave me a loaner car to use until mine was fixed..they had to order the part and hope to have it done today or tomorrow. He said the same thing as the other guy..that this was very unusual and most of time not an issue until more miles and wear on the vehicle.
My question for other HHR owners is has anybody else had this issue and how common of a problem is this especially in a newer model with low miles. Could it maybe just been a bad part? I thought I would have several years before I had to worry about anything other than routine maintenance so now I am a little worried about what else might be wrong with it. Thanks for any help
03-06-2013, 01:56 PM
#3
Platinum Member
Join Date: 05-09-2006
Location: "Upland" Mesa, Arizona
Posts: 6,804
Agree with woody.......
Very few have replaced their ball joints, if I recall correctly. Sounds like a bad part, a dry install.
The dealer is repairing this under warranty and admitted it's a very unusual circumstance. Ask if the Chevrolet Field Engineer is interested in the part....or Chevrolet's Failure Analysis group......that will shake him a little. But one or both should be interested in reviewing the part.
Very few have replaced their ball joints, if I recall correctly. Sounds like a bad part, a dry install.
The dealer is repairing this under warranty and admitted it's a very unusual circumstance. Ask if the Chevrolet Field Engineer is interested in the part....or Chevrolet's Failure Analysis group......that will shake him a little. But one or both should be interested in reviewing the part.
Last edited by Snoopy; 03-06-2013 at 04:38 PM.
03-06-2013, 02:45 PM
#4
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 04-18-2012
Location: tennessee
Posts: 46
thanks
Thank you for your replies to my question. I got a call few minutes ago my car is done so gonna pick it up soon and will ask them about that...you would think they would wanna have it checked out considering how unusual the service manager said it was. Hopefully this will resolve the problem and I won't have anymore trouble for awhile cause I like my HHR. 
03-12-2013, 05:08 PM
#7
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: 04-18-2012
Location: tennessee
Posts: 46
had to take car back again
I have a used 2011 HHR that I bought in February 2012 ..it was a one owner car and only had 6,054 miles on it when I purchased it.So it is just a year since I got it and everything has been fine until last couple of months. I had alignment and balance done back in September because I wasn't sure when last one was done by previous owner and after that it was little bumpy and had a rattle when I would hit bumps..took it back and the dealer "tweaked" it, but it still wasn't as smooth as when I got it. It has just gotten worse since then last month started feeling like someone would jerk the wheel sometimes. I took it to a different repair shop that specializes in that kind of repairs yesterday to let them check it since I wasn't thrilled about the results from the last alignment.
I had thought maybe it had gotten out of balance or something, well I got a big surprise yesterday when the mechanic called me and said I had a worn out lower ball joint on driver side...he said I would have to take it back to the dealer though because it is still under warranty. He also said it was very unusual because the car is only a 2011 with 11,250 miles on it now. Took it over to the dealer and they looked it over then called me to say yes it was worn out and needed to be fixed immediately because it was so lose that he didn't feel comfortable with me driving it last night so I they gave me a loaner car to use until mine was fixed..they had to order the part and hope to have it done today or tomorrow. He said the same thing as the other guy..that this was very unusual and most of time not an issue until more miles and wear on the vehicle.
My question for other HHR owners is has anybody else had this issue and how common of a problem is this especially in a newer model with low miles. Could it maybe just been a bad part? I thought I would have several years before I had to worry about anything other than routine maintenance so now I am a little worried about what else might be wrong with it. Thanks for any help
I had thought maybe it had gotten out of balance or something, well I got a big surprise yesterday when the mechanic called me and said I had a worn out lower ball joint on driver side...he said I would have to take it back to the dealer though because it is still under warranty. He also said it was very unusual because the car is only a 2011 with 11,250 miles on it now. Took it over to the dealer and they looked it over then called me to say yes it was worn out and needed to be fixed immediately because it was so lose that he didn't feel comfortable with me driving it last night so I they gave me a loaner car to use until mine was fixed..they had to order the part and hope to have it done today or tomorrow. He said the same thing as the other guy..that this was very unusual and most of time not an issue until more miles and wear on the vehicle.
My question for other HHR owners is has anybody else had this issue and how common of a problem is this especially in a newer model with low miles. Could it maybe just been a bad part? I thought I would have several years before I had to worry about anything other than routine maintenance so now I am a little worried about what else might be wrong with it. Thanks for any help
03-12-2013, 05:19 PM
#8
Technical Moderator
Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg, Virginia
Posts: 24,685
Every HHR (3) that I have driven seems to "pull" or "wander" to the left, At least the steering wheel is slightly off to the left. The steering wheel can be straightened, but you need a Techii scantool and a technician that knows how to use it.
01-21-2021, 10:52 AM
#9
New Member
Join Date: 10-16-2010
Location: Glenview Illinois
Posts: 14
Ball Joints
I've a 2010 HHR LS that I purchased new. Somewhat unusual due to 5-speed manual, and full disclosure: I've installed Eibach anti-roll bars front and rear, which tightened up the suspension significantly I actually love to drive this thing.
Around 50K miles, the Lower Control Arm rear bushings failed, with the center spacer detaching from the isolation rubber. I purchased Moog LCAs with integrated ball joints and replaced. Within 20K miles, the rear bushings failed again, and one of the ball joints also had play. My thought was wow, Moog used to be good stuff, but.....
I had kept the original LCAs so before I did anything I bought a couple of the Moog "Problem Solver" rear bushings which are a swivel joint instead of a bushing moulded into the rubber. I pressed these into my old LCAs, and bought a pair of TRW ball joints. Ground off the old ball joint rivets and bolted on the TRWs. The swivel joints made a big difference in how the vehicle drove...much more precise. Now, less than 15K miles later, one of the TRW ball joints have failed. That's 3 ball joint failures (3 different brands - Chevy, Moog, TRW) in less than 100K miles. What's the common to all 3? The driver. Yes, I drive hard, but I have to feel the little HHR front suspension is a marginal design, build for low cost and not durability. I've driven this hard on all my cars, and this one is the only one with repetitive failures. Wondering if the different LCAs and ball joints used in the SS version are any stronger....I know you can't swap them, but why a separate design...is it only to accommodate the larger discs?
Don't feel left out if your ball joint fails...makes me wonder how many people are driving around with bad ball joints and LCA bushings....probably a lot more than anyone knows.
Around 50K miles, the Lower Control Arm rear bushings failed, with the center spacer detaching from the isolation rubber. I purchased Moog LCAs with integrated ball joints and replaced. Within 20K miles, the rear bushings failed again, and one of the ball joints also had play. My thought was wow, Moog used to be good stuff, but.....
I had kept the original LCAs so before I did anything I bought a couple of the Moog "Problem Solver" rear bushings which are a swivel joint instead of a bushing moulded into the rubber. I pressed these into my old LCAs, and bought a pair of TRW ball joints. Ground off the old ball joint rivets and bolted on the TRWs. The swivel joints made a big difference in how the vehicle drove...much more precise. Now, less than 15K miles later, one of the TRW ball joints have failed. That's 3 ball joint failures (3 different brands - Chevy, Moog, TRW) in less than 100K miles. What's the common to all 3? The driver. Yes, I drive hard, but I have to feel the little HHR front suspension is a marginal design, build for low cost and not durability. I've driven this hard on all my cars, and this one is the only one with repetitive failures. Wondering if the different LCAs and ball joints used in the SS version are any stronger....I know you can't swap them, but why a separate design...is it only to accommodate the larger discs?
Don't feel left out if your ball joint fails...makes me wonder how many people are driving around with bad ball joints and LCA bushings....probably a lot more than anyone knows.
01-21-2021, 12:08 PM
#10
Administrator
Join Date: 10-13-2011
Location: Welland,Ont Canada
Posts: 36,493
The ball joints in the OEM LCA’s lasted to 100,000 miles in my 2011, but only to 30,000 for the Moog replacement LCA’s, both were did not have the grease zerk. I installed Moog replacement ball joints with the grease zeros and grease them every 3,000 miles.
In my 2007, the OEM ball joints crapped out at 60,000 miles , I replaced those with the Moog ball joints and the problem solver rear bushings they were still in the car when I sold it at 286,000 miles.
perhaps that’s the trick, grease them .
In my 2007, the OEM ball joints crapped out at 60,000 miles , I replaced those with the Moog ball joints and the problem solver rear bushings they were still in the car when I sold it at 286,000 miles.
perhaps that’s the trick, grease them .