I don't care how much or how little a car costs. If a manufacturer is going to put something in or on a vehicle, the customer has a right to expect that to function in some normal or customary way. Obviously a lot of owners plus GM agree or a TSB would not have been issued. Armrests that point at the floor the more straight the seatback is, well, just plain stupid and ill conceived. Better that armrests not be installed at all if they can't get it right.

I would not expect power armrests or something with uber adjustments in a $20K car, but ones that work right, since they were installed in the first place, I would expect.

 

^ what he said. In my last two Malibu's (also $20,000 cars) the armrests worked properly. It's not too much to ask for.

I took mine in for the new armrests and they are now better than the factory installed ones, but still unusable for me. Passenger one is fine.

 

Malibus don't have the armrest built into the seat?

 

I think the point is that the Malibu being similarly priced as the HHR, has funcioning armrests. Wheter they are built into the seat or not.

 

If the arm rest have a built in stop, it has to be pointing in relation to the seat.
If the seat is leaning back, the rest is tilted up.
How far do you have your seat tilted forward, and still have enough room to hold the wheel, and need a arm rest?

 

It's got a center console armrest so it can't even be compared to the HHR's armrests. If a center console armrest doesn't work you must have no center console or something. A good comparison to the HHR's seats and armrests would be a minivan's seats and every minivan I have been in has a pretty much similar design to the HHR. No independent armrest movement and angle relative to seatback.

 

My parents '03 Town & Country and now their '06 Grand Caravan's armrests all work properly. You can lean back or sit upright and still have a useful armrest that doesn't point up or down.

 

Well there you have it, you bought the wrong car, just as I suspected. Should`ve listen to your parents...

 

My HHR's armrests work fine. But I understand that some people's don't hence the TSB.

 

Ok, if the shoe fits...