Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2006 Chevrolet HHR owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. While stopped at a stop sign, the contact's vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle. As a result, the bumper became slightly detached from the vehicle. The contact looked at the area of the vehicle where the bumper needed to be re-attached and noticed that the metal inner bumper was severely rusted. When touching the inner bumper, it immediately disintegrated. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle had not been diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 140,000.
A lady ran a red light on springridge rd just south of jackson ms. Wife was driving across springridge rd. The lady failed to yield and struck wife in drivers side totaling three cars in the process wife was severely injured (11 days in hospital) no airbag was deployed during accident. Still working on full recovery. Updated 10/16/2017 the consumer requested a status update and recall information.
The car has had the A/C fan motor replaced at least 4 times, each time it was damaged by a water leak. The dealership replaced motor once while under warranty but stated they could not find/fix the leak. This was a lie because it is a common problem with the butyl patch, easily found in the most basic internet search. The door handles are made of the cheapest plastic, driver's side interior door handle broke off. There is water leaking into the rear driver's side floorboard with no cause yet found. The worst part of this is the Chevrolet dealership where I purchased the vehicle not completely fixing the leak problem during the warranty period, then charging me to fix it again after the warranty had expired. Now I can't even get them to return my phone calls regarding the recall repairs they are required to do.
I was driving in the right lane going westbound approaching a stop light when I applied my brakes it did not slow down,I pressed the brake hard an car kept going into the rear of a truck that was stopping at the light. My car was not stopping. Like it had no control. The airbags did not deploy. Im concerned that the ignition turned off when I went over some pot holes in the road. My car is one of the vehicles on the recall list for the ignition switch, I had replaced ignition switch months ago due to same problem. What are my options to get this problem resolved?
While traveling a major interstate highway to work, I began to merge onto the exit ramp. While downshifting my manual transmission, the clutch suddenly lost tension and went through the floor. I had to coast down the exit ramp, coast along another road before pulling into a parking space. When I looked under the hood to see what happened, I realized that the clutch had come loose from and broken through the firewall. I was fortunate not to have had an accident when this happened.
The inside driver's door handle broke off (plastic or other nonmetal material attached to a metal hinge)at the metal hinge. (cheap materials that fatigue easily) with no excess force or abnormal pressure being applied. I was unable to exit the vehicle without engaging the electrical system to roll down the window and operate the outside handle. In an accident, this would be a serious safety hazard if the driver needed to get out of the car quickly.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the front driver and passenger side door handles fractured. The failure happened without warning. The contact was unable to exit the vehicle. The battery also failed and prevented the driver and passenger side windows from being used. The vehicle was diagnosed and the door handles were replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 175,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the front driver and passenger side door handles fractured. The failure happened without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the entire door panel needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
I parked my vehicle ay home, and when I went to get out, the inside door handle broke right off. The only way to get out was to roll down the electric window and reach out to the outside door handle. From some research I did this breaking off is a common problem. What I was concerned about if for some reason like an accident I couldn't get the window down, I would be stuck in the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the front passenger and the front driver side interior door handles fractured. The contact advised he had previously replaced the front driver side interior door handle and panel however, the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.
Body complaints in other HHR years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2006 Chevrolet HHR?
NHTSA has 119 complaints about the body & structure of the 2006 Chevrolet HHR, 12% of the model year's 1,006 complaints. The component named most often is body › door (47 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Chevrolet HHR body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2006 Chevrolet HHR, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2006 Chevrolet HHR body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 63,000 miles, and 8% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 3 injuries to body & structure problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.