2006 Chevrolet HHR problems
Owners have filed 1,367 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Chevrolet HHR. Steering is the most reported problem area, at 34% of complaints. Next are electrical system (17%) and body & structure (9%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,367 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Steering 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 74 and 11
- Injuries and deaths
- 46 and 4
- Typical mileage
- 69,000 miles 1,121 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 128 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 159 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 174 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 189 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 151 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 93 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 86 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 61 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 37 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 22 |
| 200k+ miles | 21 |
What the data shows
Of the 1,121 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 69,000 miles. For steering specifically, the median reported mileage is about 80,000 miles (405 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 74 complaints mention a crash; 11 complaints mention a fire; 46 injuries reported; 4 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2006 ranks 1st most-complained-about out of 6 model years of the Chevrolet HHR with enough data (618 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
2006 chevrolet hhr. Consumer requests vehicle recall information updates. *smd the consumer stated his son, along with three of his friends were killed in an accident. The cause was not identified, since the accident happened on july 27, 2008.
On or about 30aug08 al line to the fuel pump on my 2006 chevy hhr leaked causing the car to catch on fire. Prior to this incident, the vehicle had been taken to the dealer for warranty work 7 times. To correct other issues. I am writing because I was charged for the repair. It took 30 days to get the part, and general motors sent a representative to the dealership who took over 300 pictures of the car.
Bolt fell out of the lower right steering arm, causing the entire wheel assembly to move backward upon braking and forward on acceleration.
2006 chevy hhr . The drivers side door interior door handle snapped off in my hand when I tried to open the door, smacking into my knuckle and almost causing my hand to fly back into my face. The door must now be opened by rolling down the electric window and opening from the outside handle. Two dealers so far refuse to fix the issue, telling me they don't have parts.
The button on the shift lever on the automatic transmission of my 2006 chevy hhr sticks in the in position allowing the transmission to be shifted into any gear including park and reverse as I am driving. This problem is intermittent but recurs from time to time, very unpredictable. At this time I have not fixed it because I was debating trading the car in.