I have an '08 panel with the 2.4. About a year ago the power steering started going out from time to time. Since there was a recall on them, I took it in & got it fixed. The next time that it did it, a few months later, it also started shifting very hard & my speedo & tach started going crazy. Took it back to the local Chevy dealer & they claimed to fix it. A couple of weeks later, it was back. Took it back again. After having it for a week, they called & said it was the battery. Even though it had plenty of juice & started excellent. Didn't make any sense to an old car guy like me but I said OK & that better be the actual problem. They put a new one in & it then made it for a couple of months & was right back. Pretty soon it became well, what is it going to do today. One day it would do it, next day it didn't. The other day, I was running an errand & when I started it to come home I immediately noticed that the PS was out again & when I glanced at the dash, now none of the gauges were working. So I took it home & parked it. The next day, yesterday, I needed to move it to get my truck out & I noticed that everything was back to normal. So far no one has had a solution. Seems to me that it has to be something electrical or electronic but all of my experience is on Tri-Fives, Chevelles, etc. So I am wondering if anyone on here has any ideas or has experienced something similar on their HHR.

 

Seat all the fuses in the underhood fuse block securely and tighten the screws.

Go to your auto parts store for a free battery load test and charging system test. It does seem like a battery problem, perhaps actually a charging system problem.

 

First thing I would look at is the hot connection to the under hood fuse box.
Are there an codes? You may have said but my eyes are worse than usual tonight.

 

Check under the driver’s side carpet for loose ground or broken wires.