We have had our HHR for about a year and a half. It is a 2006. We were on a short road trip and my husband wanted me to hear how loud it was with the rear passenger window down. He was driving and I was front passenger and had my window open just a bit. I put that rear window down and suddenly there was a strange sound and vibration. The road turned a bit and all hell broke lose. The car started to vibrated violently and the noise hurt our ears. It was all he could do to hold it on the road. It was like being inside a sub woofer. I have never had a car do that and it unnerved us both. The car rides fine with all the windows closed or the front windows down only but goes into this fit if you open a back window only. We were going about 40mph and I would hate to have it happen at 60mph. Help - has this happened to anyone else?
Bob and Lou Hill

 

Yes, it's a common problem. Keep the back windows closed.... safer that way......

 

Hes not joking.........you get ALOT of reverberation with the rear windows open....guess this model didnt make it to the wind tunnel.................

 

I find it the quietest with one rear window open and the front open 1-2 inches on the same side. Any other way will produce a loud noise from the wind buffeting.

 

The wind noise IS terrible...BUT, my wife has a Kia Optima and it has the same problem...
Like they said, you just have to open front and back windows at the same time.

 

Guys this is a common problem of many cars today Even my Grand Prix does it in fact it is so bad in the GP with that window open it almost hurts your ears with the pressure pulse.

The issue is that the cars are tunnel tested to lower the aero drag. often the windsheild is often the widest point on the car and there are now rain gutters or other trim to break up the air on the side of the vehicle.

The HHR if you look at if from above tapers back on the body and the rear is narrower than the front. The air with the rear window open flows over the window like blowing over a pop bottle . if the other windows are open it releases the pressure and it kills th ore lessens the noise.

Many other makes and brands do this and with the aero designs it is a product of wind tunnel design. few people drive with the rear windows only down and the aero gains are such they do not worry about this noise.

 

Yeah the chopper effect sucks but I drive with my rear windows down all the time for the dogs and when I get to speeds were that starts getting really bad I just crack a front window. Ive never had it so bad that it vibrates the car and makes it hard or unsafe to drive though Ive done this at 75 mph.

 

Me either. But maybe it's the eardrums bursting that makes for the hard/unsafe driving.

 

Vent visors are great for changing this somewhat for the better... IDK why...

 

Not a problem at all, on the Panel.