I HATE my HHR!!!! GRRRRR

[mickeylove2]

I just need to vent. Do you ever have days where things are just getting so bad that you just want to scream???? Bear with me as I vent. I drive a 2006 Chevy HHR, drove it off the lot in Oct. 05- LOVED it! It drove so well, gas mileage was great, everyone asked me about it, etc.

What I've realized since purchasing it- paid too much for it, extended warranty was a joke (only up to 36,000 miles) and I absolutely HATE it. I have been having so much trouble with it, I just want to cry.

These are the problems that Ive had/am having with it. The sunroof wouldn't close, every time I would close it, it would pop back open. Then there was the time when I couldn't shut it off and remove the key. The time when the battery completely died and had to be totally replaced. The hatch gets stuck and won't open and you have to push and pull on it for it to pop open- and with this problem, I now have 2 dents on the back of the hatch from trying to force it to latch.

It now sounds like there is no muffler on my car at all, they say that there is a tine crack in the exhaust. My shocks are now almost completely gone, spark plugs were just replaced but still having the same issues that they thought new spark plugs would fix. The top "glove compartment" won't open most of the time. The lights on my dash are very dim. My engine revs while I'm driving and my RPMs go up a lot higher than usual.

And now for the icing on the cake.... my A/C is blowing out HOT AIR!!!!!!

I will be the first to admit I know absolutely nothing about cars, so if anyone has any words of wisdom, advice, or just plain hugs, I'd really appreciate it. TIA

 

[Magix]

You've had it less than 4 years and you're having all those problems? I presume you've been getting all your regular maintenance? If so, then I'm sorry to say, but you've got a lemon on your hands. Might want to check the lemon laws in your state.

Wow. Sorry you're having to deal with all those issues.

 

[trip]

Wow lots of problems for only 4 years. The battery was probably due to be replaced but some of your other problems are strange!! How many miles?

 

[AllieKat]

Here's some hugs for you...

Car-hate just plain stinks.

About your A/C...2 years ago, my A/C started blowing hot air. I took it to my mechanic and he found a hole in the condenser. He told me it was pretty obvious that a rock had hit the condenser. He suggested I call my insurance company (State Farm). I took his advice and called SF. My agent told me he'd never heard of such a thing but he'd send the claim through and we'd see what would happen. Within a couple hours, an adjuster had called and said he'd be out the next day to check out my car. He came as promised, checked out the car and determined that a rock had hit the condenser like the mechanic had said. State Farm picked up the A/C repair bill ($600 or so) due to the "road hazard". Just something to keep in mind.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I can relate. I so want to drive my Saturn Minivan into the river. We bought the extended warranty which typically is a HUGE waste of money.
Ours was $2000 (probably a little more) and we have more than made up for it.

The van door has broken twice (apparently a problem in any automatic slider).

The altenator and two batteries were replaced when the van was less than 1 year titled. (it was used to us--but the van was only titled and driven for 9 months at that point.)

An ABS sensor wigged out repeatedly and went in several times. I finally had it--and said why don't they replace the actual sensor. Problem free ever since. But taking your van in every 3 months in the off chance that your brakes won't work properly was annoying for about a year.

We are on our 3rd or 4th DVD player.

The charging thing a ma bob went wiggy and had to be replaced.


and there is other stuff, but I can't remember.

Our mechanic hates GM's. I wish I could take my van to him but unfortunately our warranty is a "saturn--dealership specific" warranty requires us to see the idiots at Saturn.

I am committed to drive this heap until 100,000 miles and just for spite I might drive it until it breaks.

Sadly it is a GM car and they are responsible for this hunk of junk that Saturn finally cancelled. But it's got the Saturn logo and I will never buy from them again.

We've had the car since Oct 2005 at 5000 miles. It was titled in May 2005.

It now has in the neighborhood of the 60K miles--so not too much longer.

I'm sorry about your HHR! I'm still convinced that American cars are designed to fall apart after a period of time to keep you in the Showroom.

As for your sunroof--I wonder if that is a latching issue like my door. The first time it broke, we couldn't SHUT the door. The last time it broke, we couldn't OPEN the door. Same thing for your hatch.

Unfortunately, they are not cheap repairs--but they can be repaired.

At your earliest convenience, ditch the heap and get a lovely used vehicle from a more reputable auto company.

I have my eyes on a Toyota Sequioa (sp?)--but I have a few thousand miles to go before that will happen.

 

[JR6ooo4]

wow, that is some bad luck.

my wife has one, and even after a small fender bender and another person smashing into the side of her, she has not had near that many problems....

I know dealers are not ever quick to help in extreme situations like yours, but they are even less helpfull these days!

is the warranty over? How many miles?

I keep seeing an add on TV, If your car is under 200,000 miles you can still get an aftermarket warranty.

It might be an option if you plan to keep the car... you know, for as long as you are still making payments at least...

sorry you are going through this, it is no fun.
Mikeeee

 

[mickeylove2]

As for the sunroof, it has been fixed there was a recall on the closing mechanism so that was no big deal to fix as it was free.

Same with the top glove compartment- recall = free repair

The battery was replaced when my car was less than 2 years old, how often should I have to replace it?

The ignition switch went bad during the period when my car wouldn't shut off so again free repair (still under warranty)

The extended warranty was only 36,000 miles or 3 years (big joke if you ask me) and I paid an additional $1,800 for it...I currently have 75,000 miles- we do a lot of travelling so that's mostly highway miles

We think what happened with the exhaust is that I hit a pot hole or something so I doubt that I could claim that on my insurance

On a lighter note though, my A/C just started working again last night!!!!! I don't know what happened but now I'm not dying in the 95+ degree heat.

Thanks for all the replies, they make me feel a little better.

ETA- Oops, I forgot to add that I owe almost $9,000 still so I HAVE to keep my HHR.

 

[adkkev]

your battery should not have had to replaced at 2 years ... most batteries last much longer than that.
You bought this car new? And you bought an extended warranty for how many miles? Wasn't the factory warranty at least 36,000 miles? I'm confused on this ... or did the "extra" warranty double your coverage to 72,000 miles?

 

[IDoDis]

I'm confused about your extended warranty. You say it's 36,000 miles. Isn't that the manufacturer's warranty, or is it an additional 36,000 miles from when the manufacturer's warranty expires?

Sorry you are having so many problems. I've always owned Hondas, Mazdas & Toyotas. When the kids were little, we decided to get a mini-van but couldn't afford a Toyota so settled for a Ford. What a mistake. What I saved in purchase cost, I made up for 10 times over with repairs. Nine years later and I'm finally back in a Toyota. I doubt I'll ever buy an American made vehicle again.