Good morning everyone. I was hoping someone could help me with a problem I encountered this morning. When I hit the brake pedal I hear a loud relay clicking type of sound near my gear shift area. It occurs every time I hit the brake pedal. The brakes seem to be functioning properly. I wondered if this is a warning that something is ready to fail. Has anyone had this type of problem? It's a 2006 LT 2.2 with 70K on it. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. I really can't afford dealer services unless it's a last resort so I try to do what I can on my own or with friends help. Anyway, Love my HHR!
Thanks, Pat

 

You are hearing the brake interlock solenoid.

 

Thanks. Is that a problem? Up until today I never had an audible noise before. Do you think someething may be wrong?

 

Some are louder than others. Corvettes are the loudest by far. It may be going out or may not be. They only fix is to replace the Shifter Assembly since it is not sold seperately.

 

Okay thanks for the help. I think I had that done once before when the car was still under warranty. The keys got stuck in the ignition and wouldn't turn off and the car was stuck in gear. I guess I'm going to let the dealer handle it. I have no experience in this area. Sounds expensive! Appreciate your quick reply.

 

I have the same problem occasionally. I have been having this problem on my '06 for about a year. Every once in a while it happens as I get in and head to work. Everything works fine until about 10 yards down the road when I apply the brake as I turn and I hear the clicking. The next thing I get is hard shifting for the rest of my trip to work. By the end of the day the shifting issue is gone but the auto door locks have stopped working. It has always self-corrected after several days. The clicking happens every time I apply the brakes but it goes away once it has self-corrected.
One time I was having the issue and the car went into limp mode.

 

You are describing an entirely different (and more serious) problem! The OP was just talking the solenoid being noisy, no operational malfunctions. You need to go have a qualified mechanic look at yours before it harms somebody. I'm betting at least low coolant level.

 

Well, I have a noise in my brakes that is driving me nuts. Whenever I depress the pedal, no problems at all with my brakes working properly. They don't feel spongy or anything like that, they stop on a dime. All is good there. BUT, when I go to take my foot off the pedal I hear, oh how to describe it...it sounds like a long "squeak" (about a second). AT the same time I am releasing my foot from the pedal, there is a sound in my gear shifter, between the front seats. Like something is clicking around. Never really noticed the clicking in the gear shifter area til yesterday.

Is this a fix I can do on my own? Do I just need to clean something?

2007 HHR LT with just over 93,000 miles on her. "Lulu" is her name.

Thanks!

 

For the clicking sound, read the first 4 posts in this thread - it explains clearly that it is totally normal.

For the squeak, you will need to get your hands dirty, and check the pivot points and return springs at the pedal - lube as necessary.

 

OR, brake wear indicators. (squealers)