Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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).
The contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle lost motive power and would not properly accelerate. Additionally, the front passenger's side door would not open while using the interior door latch. The contact stated while using the cigarette lighter, the vehicle shut off, and smoke filled the cabin of the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. The failure mileage was 92,000.
while driving the car after a few miles, the door locks start going up and down, the power steering light comes on and is hard to steer, the check engine light comes on, the speedometer stops working and the tach malfunctions. the car surges while moving foward. if you shut the car off it will reset itself. once you start the car again it starts to malfunction again. one gararge owner did some tests but didn't fix the problem
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the instrument panel shorted intermittently and caused electrical failures within the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the steering wheel was extremely tight and intermittently locked without warning. Upon using the cigarette lighter, smoke emitted inside the vehicle indicating that there was an electrical fire with the wires. The fire extinguished without having to contact the fire department. The vehicle was not inspected and diagnosed. The vehicle was included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 14V171000 (electrical system) and 14V047000 (air bags, electrical system) but was unable to determine when the recall repair would be performed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. While driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The fuse box caught fire and caused the battery to drain completely. Bystanders helped to extinguish the fire. On another occasion, the vehicle lost all power and functionality and the ignition key remained stuck in the ignition. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and repaired, but the failure recurred numerous times. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 24,400.
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the vehicle caught fire while the contact and her sister were in the vehicle. The contact stated that the fire affected the engine compartment and was extinguished by pedestrians. A fire report was not filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was approximately 24,400.
My 2006 Chevrolet HHR's display kept flashing "check charge sys" and "battery saver on." a mechanic said to replace the battery. I did before embarking on a 200-mile weekend trip. About 30 miles into the trip, both displays returned. But the HHR performed normally. About 170 miles into my trip, I stopped to eat. My HHR would not crank. A teen offered a jump. Car started, but the gear lock kept it in park. With modest pressure, I was able to shift. About 3 miles later on a divided highway, I experienced difficult steering, door locks went up and down, then silence. Everything shut down. Luckily, traffic was light and from the right lane, I was able to steer my HHR off the highway. Had this been at night, in heavy traffic, rain or at a higher speed, I believe my life or others would have been in danger. My car was towed, and this mechanic replaced the alternator. …
We were on vacation and I was traveling on a road at the posted speed of 30 MPH. I was going around a bend and immediately my power steering light came on, there was a chime, it became very difficult to manage the bend I was going around and I hit a light pole damaging my front bumper. At that same time, my mhp and rmp needles began bouncing back and forth and the car was "jerking". I turned the car off. It was still drivable, but within a few seconds the power steering light came back on, the needles bounced and car jerked. I called GM to see if there was a recall on the power steering. They informed me that there were several GM power steering recalls on several years of HHR, cobalt and saturns. They all have very similar power steering mechanisms. However, my year, 2006, was not on that recall. …
There was a recall for the ignition on the HHR, I had the ignition changed but on the way home the locks unlocked and locked several times, then the cruse kicked off, the radio stopped working, the lights on the instrument cluster went off and on, and the motor stopped. I have contacted GM several times but they say the ignition change had nothing to do with it. This has happened several times since and also had to remove the fuse for the radio, because it would run the battery down. This has happened several times when we have driven it over the last couple of years. I former mechanic that worked for a GM dealer said that there is a electrical unit that the ignition controlled and that with the problem with the ignition caused the problem with the electrical unit. We do not drive the vehicle much because it doesn't feel safe driving it, nor would we sell it, because of the problems.
I have had numerous problems first off my dash lights will flicker while driving sometimes the radio and dash won't work at all, backs of my driver and passenger seats have fallen off, both driver and passenger door handles are broke the drivers handle is completely broke off, also when it rains my passenger floor board fills up with water, my seats are so dirty looking cause something keeps bleeding through upholstery, ignition and shift lever had to be replaced today cause car wouldn't go into park and key wouldn't come out!! Also the car used to slide when on a corner or rough road!! This is ridiculous!! The door handles is a safety hazard god for bid if I'm in a wreck or my car starts on fire I won't be able to get out of my car and I can't afford to have them fixed right now because I recently lost my job!!
Tl* the contact owns a 2006 Chevrolet HHR. The contact indicated that there had been no failures with the vehicle until the manufacturer had the dealer complete a manufacturer recall repair for the ignition switch. The repair caused several failures and did not provide a permanent repair solution. Within weeks of the dealer's repair, the key was difficult to remove from the ignition switch and the contact had to constantly maneuver the gear shift, which had also been an issue. In addition, the speedometer failed to provide a reading and the instrument cluster gauges failed to fully function after the repair. The contact was unable to determine what the solution would be to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified. The NHTSA campaign number was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 147,000.
Related recalls
Electrical system › Ignition
General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the key can be removed from the ignition when the ignition is not in the "Off" position.
Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the redesigned part, dealers will replace the…
Electrical complaints in other HHR years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2006 Chevrolet HHR?
NHTSA has 222 complaints about the electrical system of the 2006 Chevrolet HHR, 22% of the model year's 1,006 complaints. The component named most often is ignition (23 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2006 Chevrolet HHR electrical problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 14V-171 (ignition, Apr 10, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2006 Chevrolet HHR electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 10 crashes, 3 fires and 6 injuries and 4 deaths to electrical system 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.