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Problems/Service/RepairsIf you have a problem with your HHR, want a tip on repairing or performing a particular service to you HHR here is the place to post!
Problem Solved for most HHRS - I am not trying to say any other post is wrong, I am only writing this to save everyone else the problems I had. I have read 300+ posts and almost no one had the answer. Even now, I had trouble finding the exact solution even though I knew the answer. I have two HHRs, both had a Reduced Power Message displayed. Sometimes there was no code and other times it had different codes. Most posts indicate a problem with the Throttle Actuator Control (TAC), the TPS sensor, or TPS pedal switch, which doesn’t solve anything. The Reduced Power Message points to too many other components (which I checked numerous times) when really it has to do with the 5-volt reference wire (that feeds 6 other sensors) causing a misdiagnosis. The REAL PROBLEM lies in the pass-through connector for the fuel pump, located under the vehicle and in front of the left rear tire. I would have never imagined or found it without another mechanic’s help. One or more pins in the connector has some corrosion causing a bad/intermittent connection. Mine was caused by a leaking ice chest and/or a wet blanket behind the rear seat. The connector isn’t watertight on the inside of the vehicle, so the moisture enters from the backside. As soon as I unplugged it from under the vehicle, I found water inside it from months earlier. All I did was clean out both ends of the connector and it has been perfect for over a year. Since the issue is usually intermittent, making a bogus repair to anything may look like a fix, but it’s not. Also, this repair is easy and costs nothing.