My 2011 hhr 1LT 2.2 automatic starts up fine and no lights on dash but reverse will not work and seems to be in limp mode I backed out of my driveway yesterday morning just fine was almost to my destination when I didn’t have cruise control on and let off gas it felt like the brakes were being applied but they weren’t. Reached my destination went to move my car put it in reverse and it wouldn’t move almost as if it were in neutral when I put it in neutral it started to drive forward as if it were in drive. When in drive it wouldn’t shift after a certain point and kept higher rpms which led me to believe it was in intermediate and has been doing as such since one recommendation From a mechanic was to disconnect the battery for thirty mins the reconnect it and see if it may have fixed the issue it did not. Any ideas on what it may be? It has never had any issues prior with the trans no slipping or hard shifting

 

to the forums!

If the battery lobotomy doesn't work, you should look at the shift cables or linkage, or perhaps the shifter itself.

 

Yep, the linkage on top of the trans. Cable runs from there to shifter. Unless there is a CEL that you didn't mention.

 

It could be the reverse solenoid failed.

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/driv...reverse-62657/

 

No CEL The shift cable does move the lever on the trans when switching the gear on the shifter I also noticed it did drive forward when the shifter was in the park position if the gas pedal was pushed

 

But is the shifter moving the lever to the correct position? Do the back up lights come on in R?

 

It drives, in Park? That would be a cable issue. If the shifter is at the P detent, then park, reverse and neutral are not accessible.

 

I will post some pictures today if I don’t get it figured out as to where the lever is at when the shifter is in the different gears I was told by a mechanic friend to try disconnecting the shift cable at the lever and have some one there to have their foot on the brake to manually move the lever to the reverse detent to see if it will actually go in reverse . The reverse lights do come on when in the reverse spot on the shifter

 

When my daughter's HHR trans failed (in oldblue), it had many of the same symptoms.

1) Reverse was suddenly lost.
2) Driving forward it seemed like there was a drag on the car, like lightly applying the brakes
3) When I put it in neutral, it would creep forward in idle like it was in gear
4) There was no CEL. However, when I used a good code reader, there was a transmission code saying there was a solenoid problem (the 1-2 shift I think)

Read the codes and see if there are any stored. Not all codes set a CEL.

Another test for cable position accuracy is if the car will start in neutral.

Honestly, based on what you say, I think you lost the transmission.

I hope I'm wrong and it's just cable position problems.

Steve

 

That’s why I posted the link to your thread about Oldblue, sounds like the same problem or at least very similar.