The clunk became apparent after I got all new tires,brake, alignment, and brand new struts (very expensive). The old struts were leaking. The sway problem with the HHR steering was so bad I got pulled over by the police due to difficulty steering, was having lane wander. What a relief, $2500 later and I could steer the car finally. Part of the $2500 was for a tranny flush, tranny works so much smoother, fluid was black. Now the clunking. Sounded like the new strut was bumping the springs or something under the left side mostly. Read the various service bulletins provided by the repair shop. Decided to ignore the clunking once they checked to be sure everything is attached properly. One of the repair bulletins said that maybe some oil had lubed the slot where the thing pops in and out of and it would stop maybe. So I am hoping it will stop. Seems less. But still, so loud and I can feel it in the steering column, especially low speeds upon first turns in parking lots, backing too. Once it pops in, the sound stops, and the HHR handles well on curves and in general, especially at highway speeds. I decided not to spend thousands chasing the clunking problem.

 

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