HHR parasitic (phantom, mystery) electrical drain, dead battery
10-28-2014, 09:12 PM
#21
Join Date: 10-28-2014
Location: Texas
Posts: 1
I'll never buy another Chevy. Every time my HHR sits for more than 5 days (like parked at the airport) the battery goes dead. If you last locked the HHR electronically, and you unlock the door manually with the key and insert the key in the ignition, it won't allow you to remove the key. When you jump start the engine, the car alarm goes off and it cannot be silenced because you unlocked the door manually. I bought the car new from a GM dealer and have never added any after market equipment. Dealer says they have never heard of the problem, yet dozens of people report the same problem online. PIC4108G addresses the fix, but GM refuses to pay for the fix. Horrible design. It has left me stranded over and over again.
10-28-2014, 10:01 PM
#22
Platinum Member
Join Date: 05-09-2006
Location: "Upland" Mesa, Arizona
Posts: 6,805
You probably will not be back to this forum to read this BUT.......
You provided no information on your vehicle or how long you experienced the problem. The "Fix" you quoted has been issued since 2009, your dealer should have known this.
Now, if you just recently, say the last year or so, experienced the problem, you are out of warranty and, yeah, it's your dime.
If you have experienced this since new, or just after, AND REPORTED IT TO THE DEALER and had no positive result, then your problem is with the dealer, NOT GM.
But, what have you done to remedy this problem?
You provided no information on your vehicle or how long you experienced the problem. The "Fix" you quoted has been issued since 2009, your dealer should have known this.
Now, if you just recently, say the last year or so, experienced the problem, you are out of warranty and, yeah, it's your dime.
If you have experienced this since new, or just after, AND REPORTED IT TO THE DEALER and had no positive result, then your problem is with the dealer, NOT GM.
But, what have you done to remedy this problem?
11-03-2014, 06:46 PM
#23
Join Date: 06-26-2013
Location: Houston
Posts: 1
Dead Battery
I own a 2010 SS that sits for weeks at a time.
The Battery would be drained in a matter of 3 days.
I found the radio buttons to be illuminated even with the key off and removed.
I removed the radio fuse and battery does not go dead.
Most of the Radio functions do not work and not audible chimes.
Any idea on the radio functions not working?
The Battery would be drained in a matter of 3 days.
I found the radio buttons to be illuminated even with the key off and removed.
I removed the radio fuse and battery does not go dead.
Most of the Radio functions do not work and not audible chimes.
Any idea on the radio functions not working?
11-04-2014, 06:17 AM
#25
Moderator
Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg,VA
Posts: 24,713
11-04-2014, 06:48 AM
#26
Administrator
Join Date: 10-13-2011
Location: Welland,Ont Canada
Posts: 36,547
Could just be the battery connections loose or corroded, or a cell in the the battery has gone dead ! My original battery lasted from Oct 2007 till April 2011, a cell died and caused the same issue of draining over 3 to 4 days and then overnight!
09-01-2018, 01:43 PM
#28
Join Date: 09-01-2018
Location: S. W. Indy
Posts: 1
Possible Cause / Fix??
Hello all, new poster here. Thought I'd share my experiences with my 2008 HHR SS and Sudden Mystery Battery Death. I can't definitively say I've found the cause or even that it's fixed, but right now the issue seems to have disappeared. Also please excuse the windiness of this post.
I purchased this car four years ago with a two year old mediorce store brand battery. Don't drive it too often so started seeing the issue fairly quickly. After several seeming random events I replaced the old battery with a new premium battery, not an Optima, last January (2018). All seemed fine until mid July when I tried to start it after it had sat for about three weeks & the battery was once again dead flat. No lights, nothing. Recharged the battery ok but lost remote signals for the keyless fobs and the tire pressure sensors. A trip to my local dealer for a reflash of the receiver module (updated software that's supposed to prevent signal losses) & reprogramming of sensors set me back $160.00. Actually not a bad price from what I can tell.
Being a retired automotive engineer I decided to trouble shoot. myself Went through all the parasidic load testing & pulling fuses and chasing wires to no avail. During this testing the power socket in the dash the fuse blew for no apparent reason. The device that caused it had no loads or shorts. I replaced the fuse & it seemed OK. So I pulled the center waterfall to look for pinched wires or loose connectors. It was disorderly in there, the harness had been folded behind the radio not pushed thru, but found no identifiable faults.
Could not reassemble the cover without removing the power outlet, so I did that. It occurred to me that this connector was a bit vulnerable to contamination due to the slots in the housing. I removed & reconnected it a few times & reassembled the dash.
Afterward I remembered an incident from four years ago when I first bought the car. Had purchased an aftermarked three-hole power outlet & plugged it in. Had nothing plugged into it & it had it's own on-off switch which I left off. Noticed later that the radio lights were on dim all the time & the battery drained. I returned the accessory thinking it was defective. I now think micro-arcing in the connector or the socket may be causing this problem.
Recharged the battery and have monitored it for the last two weeks- no incidents & starts like new.
I strongly suggest anyone having this issue check your dash power outlet connection. Could even be some contamination in the socket. I'll post an update if something else goes wrong or I find another cause.
I purchased this car four years ago with a two year old mediorce store brand battery. Don't drive it too often so started seeing the issue fairly quickly. After several seeming random events I replaced the old battery with a new premium battery, not an Optima, last January (2018). All seemed fine until mid July when I tried to start it after it had sat for about three weeks & the battery was once again dead flat. No lights, nothing. Recharged the battery ok but lost remote signals for the keyless fobs and the tire pressure sensors. A trip to my local dealer for a reflash of the receiver module (updated software that's supposed to prevent signal losses) & reprogramming of sensors set me back $160.00. Actually not a bad price from what I can tell.
Being a retired automotive engineer I decided to trouble shoot. myself Went through all the parasidic load testing & pulling fuses and chasing wires to no avail. During this testing the power socket in the dash the fuse blew for no apparent reason. The device that caused it had no loads or shorts. I replaced the fuse & it seemed OK. So I pulled the center waterfall to look for pinched wires or loose connectors. It was disorderly in there, the harness had been folded behind the radio not pushed thru, but found no identifiable faults.
Could not reassemble the cover without removing the power outlet, so I did that. It occurred to me that this connector was a bit vulnerable to contamination due to the slots in the housing. I removed & reconnected it a few times & reassembled the dash.
Afterward I remembered an incident from four years ago when I first bought the car. Had purchased an aftermarked three-hole power outlet & plugged it in. Had nothing plugged into it & it had it's own on-off switch which I left off. Noticed later that the radio lights were on dim all the time & the battery drained. I returned the accessory thinking it was defective. I now think micro-arcing in the connector or the socket may be causing this problem.
Recharged the battery and have monitored it for the last two weeks- no incidents & starts like new.
I strongly suggest anyone having this issue check your dash power outlet connection. Could even be some contamination in the socket. I'll post an update if something else goes wrong or I find another cause.
09-01-2018, 09:54 PM
#29
Moderator
Join Date: 05-01-2014
Location: California
Posts: 7,813
Hello all, new poster here. Thought I'd share my experiences with my 2008 HHR SS and Sudden Mystery Battery Death. I can't definitively say I've found the cause or even that it's fixed, but right now the issue seems to have disappeared. Also please excuse the windiness of this post.
I purchased this car four years ago with a two year old mediorce store brand battery. Don't drive it too often so started seeing the issue fairly quickly. After several seeming random events I replaced the old battery with a new premium battery, not an Optima, last January (2018). All seemed fine until mid July when I tried to start it after it had sat for about three weeks & the battery was once again dead flat. No lights, nothing. Recharged the battery ok but lost remote signals for the keyless fobs and the tire pressure sensors. A trip to my local dealer for a reflash of the receiver module (updated software that's supposed to prevent signal losses) & reprogramming of sensors set me back $160.00. Actually not a bad price from what I can tell.
Being a retired automotive engineer I decided to trouble shoot. myself Went through all the parasidic load testing & pulling fuses and chasing wires to no avail. During this testing the power socket in the dash the fuse blew for no apparent reason. The device that caused it had no loads or shorts. I replaced the fuse & it seemed OK. So I pulled the center waterfall to look for pinched wires or loose connectors. It was disorderly in there, the harness had been folded behind the radio not pushed thru, but found no identifiable faults.
Could not reassemble the cover without removing the power outlet, so I did that. It occurred to me that this connector was a bit vulnerable to contamination due to the slots in the housing. I removed & reconnected it a few times & reassembled the dash.
Afterward I remembered an incident from four years ago when I first bought the car. Had purchased an aftermarked three-hole power outlet & plugged it in. Had nothing plugged into it & it had it's own on-off switch which I left off. Noticed later that the radio lights were on dim all the time & the battery drained. I returned the accessory thinking it was defective. I now think micro-arcing in the connector or the socket may be causing this problem.
Recharged the battery and have monitored it for the last two weeks- no incidents & starts like new.
I strongly suggest anyone having this issue check your dash power outlet connection. Could even be some contamination in the socket. I'll post an update if something else goes wrong or I find another cause.
I purchased this car four years ago with a two year old mediorce store brand battery. Don't drive it too often so started seeing the issue fairly quickly. After several seeming random events I replaced the old battery with a new premium battery, not an Optima, last January (2018). All seemed fine until mid July when I tried to start it after it had sat for about three weeks & the battery was once again dead flat. No lights, nothing. Recharged the battery ok but lost remote signals for the keyless fobs and the tire pressure sensors. A trip to my local dealer for a reflash of the receiver module (updated software that's supposed to prevent signal losses) & reprogramming of sensors set me back $160.00. Actually not a bad price from what I can tell.
Being a retired automotive engineer I decided to trouble shoot. myself Went through all the parasidic load testing & pulling fuses and chasing wires to no avail. During this testing the power socket in the dash the fuse blew for no apparent reason. The device that caused it had no loads or shorts. I replaced the fuse & it seemed OK. So I pulled the center waterfall to look for pinched wires or loose connectors. It was disorderly in there, the harness had been folded behind the radio not pushed thru, but found no identifiable faults.
Could not reassemble the cover without removing the power outlet, so I did that. It occurred to me that this connector was a bit vulnerable to contamination due to the slots in the housing. I removed & reconnected it a few times & reassembled the dash.
Afterward I remembered an incident from four years ago when I first bought the car. Had purchased an aftermarked three-hole power outlet & plugged it in. Had nothing plugged into it & it had it's own on-off switch which I left off. Noticed later that the radio lights were on dim all the time & the battery drained. I returned the accessory thinking it was defective. I now think micro-arcing in the connector or the socket may be causing this problem.
Recharged the battery and have monitored it for the last two weeks- no incidents & starts like new.
I strongly suggest anyone having this issue check your dash power outlet connection. Could even be some contamination in the socket. I'll post an update if something else goes wrong or I find another cause.
to the forums!!That's a good tip, hopefully it will help someone!
09-01-2018, 11:38 PM
#30
Moderator
Join Date: 01-23-2009
Location: Fredericksburg,VA
Posts: 24,713
I put my turban on and declare this is a 2008 HHR.
The problem is people think that the auxiliary 12 volt power outlets are cigarette lighter outlets that somebody forgot to include the element for. So the go buy an element and melt the insides of the outlet and usually blow the fuse, which just so happens to also supply power to the OBD2 port.
I don't know of any connection to the radio lights, they are on a special kind of circuit by themselves, controlled by the CAN bus. Improperly installed LEDs can cause drains and reverse polarity problems.
The problem is people think that the auxiliary 12 volt power outlets are cigarette lighter outlets that somebody forgot to include the element for. So the go buy an element and melt the insides of the outlet and usually blow the fuse, which just so happens to also supply power to the OBD2 port.
I don't know of any connection to the radio lights, they are on a special kind of circuit by themselves, controlled by the CAN bus. Improperly installed LEDs can cause drains and reverse polarity problems.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
