12-1-2009 Has anyone heard any news about the solution for this problem? My 2009 HHR panel will not start after sitting idle for 4-5 days. Today is the third time this has happened. It has been to dealer twice. Dealer says battery is good and that everything checks out ok. But SOMETHING is draining the battery while it sits idle. Please help.

 

do you have any aftermarket stuff hooked to the battery? like stereo stuff?

 

Sounds like you need to find a mechanic that knows what the fudge he is doing. Put a amp meter between the negative cable and the negative battery post, let the puter go back to sleep and then start pulling fuses, one at a time. Pull the right one and the draw will go away, and that will tell you what circuit is causing the problem.

 

Its not typical of the HHR. Mine can sit for two or three weeks with no problems, but the owners manual does say if it will not be used for 25 days or more to disconnect the battery. I would put an intelligent charger capable of floating the battery on it.

 

My battery died once overnight a couple months ago. It never happened again though, even after sitting for a week. Never did find out why.

 

Mine has sat for more than a week at a time and has had no decrease in starting ability. I don't have any electrical modifications yet either.

 

Not that I know of. I bought the HHR from the Chevy dealer, who had repurchased it from the original owner. Therefore, the original owner may have installed something I don't even know about.

 

We had a battery drain problem that was caused by an aftermarket XM satellite system we installed. Turns out something in the system was causing the BCM to stay "on" all the time, draining the battery in three or four days. We sent the system back for an upgrade and haven't had a problem since. If you have XM, or some other add-on to the audio system, this might be something to check into.

TomK
Mpls, MN

 

This is the correct method for isolating the culprit.

 

I've suffered from Dead Battery Syndrome twice now with the HHR. First time, it sat for two weeks, after several days of jump starting it, dealer replaced the battery under warranty. Second time, it occurred in just 4 days. Turns out I left a cell phone charger plugged in in the center console jack. Had to jump start for a few days and again replaced the battery because it would not hold a charge.

Maybe you looked already, maybe not..........Anything plugs left in the center console jack?