I had a nagging problem with my '07 HHR. I replaced both control arms as the bushings were shot, and tie rod ends, and then had an alignment. It still pulled to the left, especially at low speeds. I swapped front tires, no change. Calipers had been previously replaced, they were not dragging. Axles and hubs were also replaced, not a surprise at 155,000 miles. But the car still pulled to the left.
The struts looked good, they had about 60,000 miles on them. So I changed them out as a last-ditch effort , and the car was like new again! No pulling at all, and it handled great. I know the strut is critical in keeping the caster angle correct, but the alignment shop said it was within specs, and the printout showed this. I guess the lesson learned is that if all else fails, take a look at the struts. They may look good and be within specs, but can still be junk.




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Good it’s fixed, could have been the top bearing plates binding with the upper coil spring plate, that can be enough to cause a pull to either side.

 

It is pretty hard to test springs.

 

But you will here the old rusty spring plate crunching when you turn a corner



That bearing gets sandwiched between the upper spring plate and the strut mount

This is the upper spring plate , the bottom side, crusty with rust

This is the top side where the plastic bearing lives , sandwiched in under the upper strut mount.

 

I agree that the bearing, if seized, could prevent the steering from returning back to straight. My HHR has never been in salt, so rust and corrosion were not a factor.