Sorry to hear about your dissapointment. My 09 HHR/SS has had some issues,some annoying,some not......but it's no POS by any means. This is my second HHR,the first being a loaded 07 2LT that gave me not one poroblem.....ever. I love my SS and most owners I come across love their HHR's. To each his own. Sorry and good luck.

 

Coming up on one year, at which point I will have driven my SS 40,000 miles.

Problems: A rattle developed under the car which was a loose emergency brake cable. Fixed under warranty in 15 minutes.

My left foot (extra large) wore a hole in the carpet right next to the clutch pedal. Carpet was replaced under warranty.

The Pioneer radio couldn't handle my iPod. Radio was replaced. Still doesn't handle my iPod. For some reason, the iPod gets warm and shuts down when plugged into the USB port. I fixed this myself by putting all my music on an 8 GB thumb drive. That's not 100% satisfactory, either. I cannot get the #@%& thing to play properly in "shuffle" mode. I can only play my tunes alphabetically.

The battery has died twice, leaving me stranded. In both cases, GM Roadside assistance got me going in less than 30 minutes. I think I had too many electronic devices plugged in - GPS, iPod, phone charger, etc. Since then, I have learned to unplug the power cord from the 12V socket when the HHR will be parked for more than a few hours.

Having driven Hondas for a long time, I wasn't expecting the build quality or reliability I was used to. However, I am very pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of this Chevy.

When my beloved HHR SS is "used up," I think I'll buy another Chevy; probably an Equinox.

Signed,

Happy

 

You know reading about people who hate their HHR, makes me love mine that much more.

I once had a '98 Ranger.... It went through Hurricane Ivan and Katrina. Hurricane Ivan beat the crap out of that truck to the point that I just gave up on it, and because of my attitude towards that vehicle it went for several years without an oil-change, carwash, etc. That being said, when I used it as a trade-in on the HHR SS, it was still running strong, with over 150,000 miles and had never been to the shop in the 10 years I owened the truck. Now, I baby the crap out of my SS to the point where my wife makes "mistress" comments( I remind her that the car sleeps outside). If my positive attitude and religious car care are an indicator of the potential life of my car, then I imangine my 2 year old son will be driving the SS one day. I am sorry for people experiencing a lemony taste over their HHR, especially since perception of CRAP, can be worse than the CRAP itself! And for every car stolen, sold, crushed, or totaled.... It just makes the rest of us a little more exclusive, and just think we have just begun to see what people will do to these cars now that payments for a lot of HHR owners are stopping. --END RANT--

 

As another stated, this is my second HHR, I also traded for an 08 SS.I now have 20,000 on the clock. I have had it to dealer for a battery replacement, a t.p.m issue, and a service airbag light. Big deal, all were taken care of in an hour or less. I drive this car hard, often running it up to 130 mph,(damn mustangs,,never learn). I love this little car and am proud to own it. Only thing I would like better is if it were about 6 inches longer for my long legs.

 

Well, this thread has certainly moved 180 degrees from the original post! Good to hear from all you happy HHR owners!

 

I had a Nissan Murano that cost a lot more & had just as many problems as any other car I've had more recalls that any of my GM's. They even had a recall to put a guard on the gas tank because it could puncture from road debris. Recall, really? that wasn't thought of? I LOVE my HHR

 

Thanks everyone for all the positive stories. It's not often I buy a new car (and intend on keeping it for many years). Just a few bad words can create a lot of doubt when spending so much $$$. I'm feeling a lot more confident about buying one now. And, damn, it's gonna look good going down the road ............ :)

BTW, the intention is to order a Blue 2LT AA5 with most of the options, keep it mostly stock with the exception of color matched wheels w/ baby moons, maybe a visor and eyelids and some small extra lighting .........

 

Had my 09 LS since end of last August and just passed 10,000 miles. No issues. My wifes 05 Cobalt LS has 66,000-only issue was the TPS/AIR IDLE whatever assembly on the motor went out 2 weeks after I bought it used from a local chevy dealer at 55,000 miles, no issues since! (they replaced it for free)

1st car was a 1978 Pontiac Bonn fully loaded with side skirts-ran like it was brand new but stolen at 136,000 miles...

2nd car was a 1984 Ford Turbo Coupe (year 1)-ran like it was brand new until 191,000 miles (original turbo, but small smoke on start up due to worn valve stem seals), got rid of it due to blown clutches in the rear. Didn't want to waste money on it with all that milage and just starting a family... (posi rear with 4 shock setup)

3rd car was a 1988 Mercury Grand Marquis undercover vehicle with a Police Interseptor motor in it (had 4 cat converts on it!). Put over 200,000 miles on it and some of the electronic and vaccuum solenoids were going bad-cost too much (even me doing them + other issues with window motors etc, didn't warrant keeping it). Motor still ran like a charm when I gave it away.

4th car was my 1984 Olds 88 Battle Tank-ran perfect and still had the original interior and GM floor mats (no marks or stains). Gave it up for CFC (who else would give me 4500 bucks for something I paid $100 years ago) to get what I have wanted since seeing them in the end of 2005-

The Chevy HHR

Yeah it's plastic, yes it makes clunking noises, yes the A piller is huge, yes I'm sure there may be some larger issues at some point, but I love it.

Thank you Chevy-hopefully the next 100,000 will be as trouble free, one mile at a time. (Thanks for listening)

 

That's what some here said in the beginning, keep it mostly stock, except...............LOL

Me, I planned to mod 371.4 things

 

Yur just a mod maniac....