Ignition switch cylinder went ka-put!
 

So Tuesday afternoon....after a long day at work, I make my way home....same as every other day.
When I pull into the garage I turn down the radio and grab the key.

THE STUPID THING WOULDN'T MOVE. I could not turn the key backwards to kill the engine. I tried jiggling the key, taking the shifter out of PARK and then placing it back in PARK. Nothing!!!

Thinking to myself "Self- Gas is too expesive to just let this thing run while I search for a cure"....I opened the hood, pulled the cover from the fuse box and started looking. I removed a relay for the fuel pump. In less than 5 seconds the engine started to shutter and finally stalled from lack of juice.

Inside I went to pull up my favorite HHR information database.....THIS FORUM.
After searching for a bit I found threads addressing this very issue. Most common was a broken rod in the floor shifter assembly that would fail to trigger a switch...telling the ignition switch cylinder that is was safe to turn the key.
The thread also mentioned a removable square on the bottom of the steering column that would allow me to view or feel for the actual mechanism that was keeping my key in place.
I took all of this information to the garage and started troubleshooting.

Turns out that my shifter was not to blame this time. Everything was functioning properly. So, after ruling out the shifter and related items I narrowed it down to the ignition switch cylinder itself.

I replaced the previously-removed relay for the fuel pump and disconnected the battery (neg).

Wednesday morning I get up and reconnect the battery, fire it up and head to the Chevy dealer. When I pull up the service guy meets me in the entry bay. As I open the door he sees that I have removed all the plastic cover parts from my steering column. He asks what the issue is and I tell him I can't turn the key backwards.

After an hour of "diagnostics" the inform me that I need a new ignition switch....
The switch, the "re-keying" fee to make the new switch match my existing keys, and the labor to actually install it racked up a whopping $336 and a few hours of my life. ***cough**STEALership***

There is a bulletin about this, but evidently it isn't a big enough problem to warrant a recall or have it covered under warranty. (I'm outside my bumper-to-bumper coverage)

bad ignition cylinder
 

I have not experienced this problem, as yet anyway...it does seem to occur all too often...GM should "man-up" and provide recall or longer warranty assistance to cover this problem and many others that are all too common.
It's these kind of issues that alienate customers, causing them to go elsewhere for their next vehicle, myself included if my HHR experience is not a good one, and I've been a loyal GM customer for 45 years. I really do like my HHR but as I've expressed in previously, in this day and age their is really no acceptable excuse for any manufacturer producing problem prone vehicles, let alone not offering proper customer assistance with vehicle problems that are all too common.

The new part does seem to be a different design. Before I had to completely remove the key to keep it from chiming. Now I can just pull it out about an inch and the chimes stop.

I am keeping the invoice handy just in case it ever becomes a 'covered' item. Maybe I can get a refund :crossfingers:

I get the feeling GM just wants to forget about the HHR, like it never happened. Bummer about the switch and cost of repair, Putter.

Key Trapped in Ignition Switch
 

This happened to me on January 1st, 2012. What a great way to start off the new year. I had stopped at Walgreens to drop a roll of film that I shot of the sunrise over Columbia, SC from the Lake Murray Dam.

In the parking lot, I could not turn the engine off or remove the key, so I drove home. Once there, the key was still trapped. I called OnStar and they contacted Customer Assistance and called for a tow.

My 2009 HHR was towed on a flatbed to the dealership with the engine still running; the HHR had 54,225 miles on it. Of all the cars that I've owned with the age and mileage, I have never had a key trapped in the ignition switch!

A new key cylinder costs me $250.

RalphHightower,

I'm sorry that you have experienced this problem. Did the dealer figure out why the key was stuck? Please keep me informed, thank you.

Evan, Chevrolet Customer Service

Going... going... going...
 

Sorry guys, I'm starting to have a similar issue, only my key won't move to Start the engine. I suspect it is the key cylinder beginning to fall apart inside. I guess I'd better save up a few coin and be prepared.:playviolin:

Wonder where the part was made ?? Bangladesh, no offense intended, if that is where you are, or are from, just an example. :D

Key Trapped in Ignition Switch
 

Evan,

Yes, the dealer fixed the problem by replacing the key cylinder. It was not related to the shift linkage and the switch detecting PARK.

I called "Sam's Garage", a nationwide radio show about car, truck repairs, etc., and Sam Memmolo said there is a Technical Service Bulletin that addresses the problem that I experienced.

#09-02-35-005C published February 7, 2011

What happens when TSB related issues happen outside of the warranty period? This happened at 54,225 miles.

Thanks,
Ralph

I'll give you the 'real' answer to that rather than the 'PR' based answer you'd likely get from CCS.http://i39.tinypic.com/avsbis.gif What happens in that case is that you come out of pocket unless the dealership decides to 'goodwill' the repair. A TSB is just that a 'Technical Service Bulletin' which is a recommended procedure for repairing a vehicle. It's not a recall.