Electrical complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
There is a serious electrical glitch that's in the computer, that causes the car to perform poorly at a slow speed, which cases the steering to become very hard to turn, and maintain lanes while driving. All lights, warnings, and gauges fluctuate back and forth, while the bell inide the car when stared keeps chiming.
My 2011 HHR has started acting up by throwing out the reduced engine power light, ESC light and service traction light. This will happen when in park(when warning up the vehicle) and when im driving. It seems to happen more in cold weather. When it happens it reduces the speed down to 25mph and lurches forward and sounds horrible! I have had this happen when driving down a highway and the interstate (luckily I was in the right lane and able to get the shoulder safely. There is no warning when it is about to happen. It also will do it while stopped waiting for a stop light to change. It will throw on the check engine light and we have checked the codes and changed what it said needed change but that did not work. From what I have looked up it looks like people are having all sorts of issues with this but no one has found a solution. …
Noticed that the cruise control would disengage randomly when activated. I checked the function of the brake lights at night and found that the brake lights would turn themselves on randomly with zero brake input, disengaging the cruise control. In this state, depressing the brake pedal more than around 30-40% would turn the brake lights off, even with the brake pedal fully pressed. Furthermore, with the brake pedal pressed to a moderate level, the cruise control is able to be engaged, even with obvious brake pressure being applied. This defeats the cruise control disengagement feature and the cruise control system will fight against the braking system to maintain speed instead of turning itself off as it seems to rely solely on the brake lights for the automatic disengagement. …
This a recalled 2010 Chevrolet HHR. We had the ignition switch recalled, power steering system recalled, and right after the ignition switch was installed, the keys stop working and we had to get towed. Now, the airbag light came on. And when we went to re-start the car, nothing. The power went totally out, and the key is still stuck in the ignition switch. About a few weeks ago, we got another recall notice from GM that the transmission shifter May not properly transmit an electrical signal properly that will cause the key to stay in a lock position. We are now stranded. And we have to once again get the car towed to the dealer and pay for a rental. And there are still so many recalled cars at the dealer that they are so behind. All of this is going on while GM is showing off their new cars at the detroit auto show. Cars that will probably soon be on another recall list. …
The contact owned a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that a loud popping sound was heard after exiting the vehicle. The contact turned around and saw fire coming from inside the roof of the vehicle. The fire was coming from the rear interior roof light. The contact was able to put out the fire with water. No police report was filed. There was no injury sustained. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 145,385. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that after parking, a popping noise was present coming from inside the cabin of the vehicle. The contact discovered flames coming from the interior roof dome lights. The contact used water to extinguish the flames. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 145,853.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V047000 (Air Bags, Electrical System); but the vehicle experienced a failure. The contact stated that the key could not be removed from the ignition switch while the key was in the "OFF" position. In addition, the battery was being drained. The contact stated that the battery was previously replaced several months ago. The contact stated that the key was stuck in the ignition switch. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 64,000.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated that the key was stuck in the ignition switch and failed to release. Additionally, the TPMS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, who confirmed that the key was stuck and needed to be broken, and any damages would be at the owner's expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V171000 (Air Bags, Electrical System). The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
Related recalls (1)
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…
Frequently asked questions
Which Chevrolet HHR years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2006 (222), 2009 (151), 2010 (119), 2007 (111) and 2008 (108) model years. Electrical complaints make up 22% of all complaints for the 2006.
Is there a recall for Chevrolet HHR electrical problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 14V-171 (ignition, Apr 10, 2014). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Chevrolet HHR electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 miles; 39% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the ignition (55 mentions), followed by the ignition › switch (17).
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.