Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Chevrolet HHR owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Less then 24 hours off the lot I was driving home off hwy26 exiting to my town of watertown,wi. I was slowing down on the ramp and my side air bag deployed. I was hit in the head by the driver visor causing my to flinch and release the break for a slit second. I tried to reapply the break and had no breaks I was still at 40mph. It was snowing this caused me to not be able to turn so I hit a meaden snapping my a arm. I also snipped my ABS cable, blew out driver ball joints, bent the tie rod, dislocated my axel bent my rim and ruined my new tire on the driver side. On the passenger side I broke my knuck and blew out my ball joints. It locked up my driver seat belt and even with no one wearing the passenger one it locked that up too. After it happened going online I have found a few more cases like mine one caused a woman to spend a month and a half in hospital from hitting a pole.
After buying the HHR the day before I went to work. On my way back home. I got off on my exit about half way down the ramp my side airbags went off. Then I pushed the brakes and they did not respond sending me into a meaden causing my wheel to snap almost all the way off.
I have a 2009 HHR and I have been having a number of problems the ESC and the ABS warning lights come at low speeds around 5 to 15 MPH and the brakes make a growling noise I drive 80 miles a day back and forth to work in stop and go traffic on the interstate and the turnpike I am afraid I will rear end somebody or worse I don't want to let my wife drive the car because when it occurs she might not know on to react. When I turn the car off and it goes away for a while but comes back. And the service air bag light comes on from time to time when it is raining or heavy dew I had the recall performed on the air bags and it still is happening the passenger air bag display on the dash will come on when there is no one sitting in the passenger seat. …
After sitting overnight the vehicle has a hard pedal and would not stop. It appeared to be from the booster not holding the vacuum. There was a buliten #09-05-22-001a that addresses this issue but it requires an additional vacuum pump to be added to the vehicle that was not in the original design. I feel this should be covered by GM and not the customer since it requires a new additional part to address the issue and was not due to normal wear and tear on the vehicle.
Ii purchased a beutiful 2009 HHR from a car dealership, in May of 2020, an in July f 2020, it would barely speed up, the gears, wouldn't shift on me and I also found out that I had not only been operating a "defected" vehice but the car dealer faied to mention he was selling me a "recalled" car, (a neighbor informed me) I had my car towed to my son's house,because I stopped at a stop sign and the car kept rolling backwardsi and it only goes in reverse now. Longer go
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the brakes malfunctioned, causing the contact to crash into the rear of another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact suffered injuries to the chest and both legs. The vehicle was destroyed and a police report was filed at the scene. The manufacturer was not notified. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed. The failure mileage was 51,300. Updated 12/30/14 updated 9/25/2015
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. While driving 40 MPH around a curve, the vehicle shook violently and the ESC warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed and failed to operate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 62,000.
Brake lights remain to be on as pedal is not pressed and ESC, traction control do not work also this is a hazard to the point where I have had road rage against me because of the brake lights not turning off issue needs to be resolved through GM as a recall on these vehicles this is not the only 2009 Chevy HHR that has had this problem
Went to back HHR out of my garage and the brake pedal was rock hard with no give. Power steering has no power and the exc light is on. Not safe to drive at all. I have had numerous problems with this car. The ignition, air bags, brakes, door lock actuators...the list goes on. This one takes the cake due to safety concerns.
My 2009 HHR has what is referred to as the May 15, 2014 GM tail light malfunction. The malfunction is caused from faulty wiring and causes the brake lights illuminate without touching the brake pedal and they remain on while driving. This malfunction also disables safety features like electronic stability control ' which tries to correct for skids ' and panic braking assist, which is designed to make sure the vehicle's full braking power is being used in an emergency. It also disables the cruise control and the traction control. In 2014 g.m. Said it knew of hundreds of complaints and 13 accidents associated with the problem. I have had several near accidents and several issues of road rage from other drivers since my HHR began the malfunctioning in February 2014 which is when I first contacted GM to get it fixed. …
Brake complaints in other HHR years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2009 Chevrolet HHR?
NHTSA has 30 complaints about the brakes of the 2009 Chevrolet HHR, 6% of the model year's 508 complaints. The component named most often is fluid (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Chevrolet HHR brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2009 Chevrolet HHR, though it has 4 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 2009 Chevrolet HHR brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 44,000 miles, and 26% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 1 injury to brakes 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.