We have a 2010 HHr LT that will not go into forward gears,it only has reverse. I called a Chevy dealer and spoke to a mechanic and he said it could be several things? I have seen a lot of reviews on transmission problems. The car is in great shape except for that. Not sure what to do with it?

 

Why a dealer ? It's a 10 year old car. No warranty and besides, dealers don't do much transmission work other than swapping them out for a new one. Call a reputable local transmission shop and talk to them. Just a note, they may give you some info/ideas but will most likely want it towed to their shop to do any kind of diagnosis.

 

Could be anything from a misaligned cable to catastrophic failure, probably something in between.

 

Welcome to the site, it could be electronic solenoids in the transmission have failed, or a loose ground wire.
Check the wires at the TCM ,transmission control module, and check the underhood fuse panel ensure the fuses are in tight.
You can check these yourself, just ask if you need directions.

 

I hate trans issues, especially with front wheel drive. Youre looking at many hours just to get the trans where you can open it up then the same to put it back together and reinstall, probably close to 10 hours labor at a shop that has the right tools. If im going that route im replacing with a REMANUFACTURED trans not a "rebuilt" unit. Youre looking at around $3k to replace, $1200 to fix, if its repairable and $2k to rebuild and dont forget even if its nonrepairable youre still going to have a sizable bill for the labor of removal.
You might get lucky and find a low mileage trans in a boneyard. What scares me is its hard to tell what unit was serviced properly and not, thats why I if im going as far as dropping the trans its getting replaced with the best I can get to avoid having to pay all that labor again any time soon.

 

On the other hand 98% of 4T45E transmission problems are simple fixes. Most of the time not even the trans itself.

It does not need to be removed to replace the solenoids. Flat rate is 7 hours. that includes removing the sub-frame.

 

Very true and I hope thats the case here, have to read the codes first then move forward I guess (no pun intended).
Its very close to removal though and 14 hours r&r is still very expensive, at least around here and a reman trans is around $1500. I guess im gun-shy when it comes to automatic transmissions in general as ive been bitten several times over the last 10 years just doing simple fluid/filter changes on other gm automatics so im going to be the evil one here hahaha.
I dont really like a trans that has no dipstick to easily visually check the fluid and unless you've owned the car from near new its hard to know if the trans was serviced properly and/or on time. That's putting a lot of trust in the previous owners which mine has had 5.
I guess I would start by checking codes and inspecting the fluid condition, then depending on the codes and if you're going to attempt the repairs yourself maybe drop the pan to see whats in the bottom. Fluid condition and whats stuck to the pan/pan magnet will tell you more. If youre not up to the task I suggest finding a reputable transmission shop/mechanic who guarantees their work.
I just bought my 2010 a few weeks ago and it was from a cheesy used car lot. The car needs a lot of tlc and after a few days seemed to have an occasional hard shift into 4th, made my heart sink but since I fixed the exhaust flex and the cracked manifold its shifting fine. Proper back pressure maybe, idk?

 

7 hours R&R

pending codes cause hard shifting

 

7 total, ok my bad, thats better for sure. I had a feeling those codes were the issue. Thank you!

 

Codes will point you in the correct direction, now we all know there are electronic solenoids in there , and seen the connections burn out , but you have to open up the transmission to inspect them

our member here, fastsuv had these pictures of his adventures in transmission fluid!

https://www.chevyhhr.net/forums/driv...olenoid-61313/