What's Wrong with the 1st Generation (2006–2011) HHR?

HHR owners have made 575 complaints about the 2006–2011 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it 63rd out of 80 Chevrolet generations in overall reliability, with some interior and steering concerns.

Common 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR Problems

Some of the worst issues 1st generation HHR owners have to deal with.

  1. Sudden Low Beam Headlight Failure

    The 1st generation TrailBlazer's low beam headlights can suddenly shut off even though the lights themselves are perfectly fine. The issue is a a defective headlamp driver module which is responsible for distributing power to the lights.

    Continue reading article "Sudden Low Beam Headlight Failure" An open fuse block with the bad module circled in red

  2. Ignition Switch Safety Recall

    In February, 2014, General Motors recalled 1.6 million vehicles because of a faulty ignition switch that has been linked to the deaths of 13 people. To make matters worse, the company may have known about the defect for over a decade.

    Continue reading article "Ignition Switch Safety Recall" An isolated ignition switch on a gray background.

What Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

What Breaks the Most

Years to Avoid

1st Generation (2006–2011) HHR Key Numbers

  1. 6 model years

    Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.

  2. 575 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  3. 63rd in reliability

    Overall reliability rank out of 80 eligible generations.

Recent 1st Generation (2006–2011) HHR News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  1. **Th

    federal case against GM’s handling of their ignition switch recall might be over, but a judge has left the door open for owners to sue the automaker for economic losses if they want. Judge Jesse Furman ruled on claims of "manifest defects," or what claims can proceed based on if the defect manifested itself to a customer. The consolidated lawsuit is a massive 1,700 pages of arguments that GM should pay any vehicle owner who owned a recalled car equipped with bad ignition switches.

    If you own (or have owned) one of the affected cars, this judge says you should be able to sue GM even if problems related to the ignition switch never affected you personally.

    Normally I’d say there’s no way that’ll hold up in court … but it just did.

    keep reading article "The Government Can’t Sue GM Anymore, But You Still Can"

  2. A proposed settlement will award certain GM owners in Arizona about $200 each for owning cars with ignition switch problems.

    The $6.28 million will be paid to about 33,000 GM owners in Arizona, as long as they purchased the vehicles between July 2009 and July 2014 and didn't get rid of the vehicles before the ignition switch recalls were announced in 2014..

    As with any settlement, there are plenty of stipulations which you can read about here.

    keep reading article "GM Settlement Will Refund Arizona Customers $200 for Ignition Switch Woes"