This morning I took my wife to work, about a 40 mile round trip, and everything was normal. This was around 9am. I start to leave around 1:30 pm and get to the car and the interior was full of smoke, a distinct electrical burning smell.

I take all the crap out of the back and to the left of the spare tire, on the opposite side of the battery, it's all burned! Plastic is melted, the carpet is just paper now, and I can't see anything that could've been the source. As of this writing, all of my rear lights are working and I can't see anything under the car to indicate anything went wrong.

It looks like the worst area is directly above the rear tire, but it's all inside. I'm afraid to drive it. Any advice or ideas on what happened? My HHR is a 2006 2.2L. Thanks in advance for any help!

 

I can't think of anything that lives there.

Remove the interior panel, maybe there is some wiring there.

I am purely guessing that somebody/something caused an ember to fly into "all the crap out of the back".

 

Hi! Thanks for the reply!

All I can say is that the windows were rolled up and the damage is under all of the stuff you have to remove to get to the battery/spare tire. If I opened the hatch and you looked inside, the only thing you would notice would be the electrical smell, but once I remove the last plastic "flooring" before the spare tire, it's burned/melted only on the driver's side. I wish there's a way I could send you a photo! The "hottest spot" appears to be over the tire, but on the inside only, nothing on the outside! Again, thanks for everyone's help, not only am I poor, but a novice mechanic at best!

 

upload a pic to your gallery, the copy the "BB" code to a post.

There is just nothing electrical in the plastic panels of the flooring. I can't think of any on the driver side at all.

 

The muffler & exhaust pipe are under that area. Missing heat shields???

 

That's possible. Over the last 8 years I've had new engine, radiator, battery, transmission, but it still has the original muffler, and like I said, the "center" of the burn seems to be over the driver's side rear tire, but only on the inside, and now I believe the "electrical" burn I smelled was actually melting carpet and plastic, but something got hot enough to melt this, and it's something I'll get checked out, I'm concerned about driving it at this time.

Thanks for your advice and if anyone has a different idea, or confirmation of this theory, please let me know!

 

Good suggestion on the heat-shield, and check the top of the muffler to see if it has a hole in the top near the floor, or at one of the clamped joints.

 

x 2..

 

Hello Waltam,

I am truly sorry to hear you had this concern. I have just sent you a private message and hope to hear from you soon.

Erica Tiffany
Chevrolet Customer Care

 

Thanks to all who wrote in to help me with my problem.

I had a mechanic check it and he showed me where the fuel line was leaking and said it's a wonder with the battery and muffler that it didn't explode.

Anyway, just wanted to let everyone know what happened.

C-ya!