My 2006 made a progressive advance to some serious and dangerous stalling.

it started as an occasional, momentary stumble at idle.
then, a stumble at idle, AFTER a quick deceleration.
finally a stall when braking, decelerating or turning a corner.

1st checked intake manifold bolts, but were all tight.
changes spark plugs and air filter, but no change whatsoever.

THE FIX:
I recalled from carburetion days, having sticky throttle plates, causing similar symptoms.
I bought a can of spray Gumout (carburetor cleaner), put a rag in the throttle body to catch residue, and sprayed clean both sides of the throttle plate, while opening and closing by hand. It was very gummy.

Runs perfectly!
Should probably make this a part of routine maintenance when changing air filters!

Read the next post for some precautions from "843de" when doing this

I hope this helps someone.

 

One caveat to keep in mind, well actually two.

The first thing to keep in mind is that HHR's feature "Drive By Wire" throttles, and manipulation of the throttle butterfly manually must be undertaken with great care. It doesn't take much to damage the motor and gears that drive the butterfly, and then your day is ruined.

Carb cleaner can damage modern throttle bodies on occasion, so the use of much "friendlier" Throttle Body Cleaner is always recommend. And that's caveat #2.

The important thing is that your HHR is purring happily now, and you didn't pay a dealer $100 to do something that you could do yourself.

 

thanks for the tips!