Selling a Chevrolet HHR that's finished

Before you write off an HHR with heavy steering, though, call a dealer. GM still covers the power steering motor on 2006-2009 non-turbo cars for the life of the vehicle.

Six model years, one plant

Every HHR came from GM's Ramos Arizpe plant in Coahuila, Mexico, built on the Delta platform it shared with the Cobalt, Pontiac G5 and Saturn Ion. Production ended in May 2011.

• 2006: 2.2 or 2.4 Ecotec four, five-speed manual or four-speed automatic.
• 2007: the HHR Panel, a four-door panel van, joins the lineup and stays through 2011.
• 2008-2010: the SS, with a 2.0 turbo rated 260 hp with the manual or 235 hp with the automatic.
• 2009: E85 flex-fuel for the 2.2 and 2.4.
• 2011: the final year, 2.2 or 2.4 only.

NHTSA's files hold 3,574 complaints on the six years, with 171 crashes, 29 fires and 8 deaths reported, and 7 recall campaigns.

When the steering assist quits

More than a third of all HHR complaints, 1,347, are filed under steering. They run 402 on the 2006, 377 on the 2007 and 264 on the 2008, dip to 98 on the 2009, and rise to 206 on the 2010. Steering doesn't make the 2011's six most-named components at all.

When the electric assist drops out, a message appears on the Driver Information Center and a chime sounds. The car still steers, but it takes real effort at low speed. A 2008 owner described the light coming on and the assist failing, then "WHEN YOU STOP AND CUT THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON IT WORKS AGAIN."

GM and its steering supplier, JTEKT, found the cause in July 2009: oil seeping into the motor case, where it mixes with brush dust into a paste that conducts current. A motor with sealed bearings went into HHR production in April 2010.

What covers it:

• 2006-2009, non-turbo: Special Coverage 14119 (October 2014). GM's bulletin says it lasts "for the life of the vehicle, regardless of ownership." The dealer replaces the motor.
• 2009-2010, non-turbo: recall 14V153 (March 2014), the same motor swap. That campaign counted 1,373,177 vehicles across the HHR, Cobalt, Malibu, Saturn Aura and Ion, and Pontiac G6.
• 2011, and every SS turbo: we found no program.

Fuel lines near the left rear wheel

Complaints filed under fuel and propulsion reach 70 on the 2008 and 66 on the 2009. On July 5, 2020, NHTSA opened Preliminary Evaluation PE 20-011 into metal fuel lines that corrode under the car near the left rear wheel well, on 2008-2009 HHRs and 2008-2010 Cobalts. At opening it counted 208 complaints, no crashes or fires, and an estimated 614,275 cars across the two models. One 2008 owner wrote: "Gas line leaking, leaves puddles and can visibly be seen dripping." We found no recall or GM coverage that followed.

Keys, ignition and older campaigns

Two 2014 recalls reach every HHR year:

• 14V047, the ignition switch recall. The switch can slip out of run, shutting off the engine, and the air bags may not deploy. The 2006-2007 HHR joined on February 25, 2014; 2008-2011 cars were added where a faulty replacement switch may have gone in. Until the repair, GM told owners to carry only the ignition key on the ring. The campaign totals 2,190,934 vehicles across GM's small cars.
• 14V171. The key can come out with the ignition not in Off, so the car could roll away. Dealers replace the cylinder and cut two keys. That count, 2,191,014, also spans the Cobalt, G5, Solstice, Ion and Sky.

Older ones: 08V046 called for an energy-absorbing piece on the headliner trim of 2006-2008 HHRs without roof rail air bags, 181,516 in the campaign; 08V444 called for a redesigned latch on a dash storage bin door that wouldn't stay shut, across 296,422 2006-2008 cars; the remedy under 06V417 was a GM buyback of the 794 2006 HHRs refitted with aftermarket leather seat covers; 09V073 calls for a check of the 2009's shift cable clip, in a 276,729-vehicle campaign that also took in other 2009 GM models, the Cobalt and Buick Enclave among them.

Complaints and recalls by model year

Recall campaigns count once in each year they cover; the two ignition recalls appear in all six rows.

Fix it, or sell it?

1. Heavy steering on a 2006-2010 non-turbo: go to a Chevrolet dealer first. The motor is covered by 14119 or recall 14V153, and that one free repair may make the car worth keeping.
2. Fuel dripping under the left rear: we found no recall to lean on. Park it, price the fuel line job, and weigh that against a working HHR's value.
3. Open recalls: search the VIN on nhtsa.gov/recalls for 14V047 and 14V171.
4. Several problems at once: that's usually when selling it whole wins. What a junk car is worth shows what moves the number.

Selling an HHR the simple way

1. Have ready the HHR's VIN, its odometer reading and the problems you know about.
2. Get an offer online or call (877) 421-6008.
3. Tell us where it's parked: curb, driveway, carport, a mechanic's lot. Say if it can roll.
4. Don't strip it. Leave the catalytic converter, wheels and battery in place, and mention anything already sold off.
5. At pickup, hand the driver the HHR's title and both keys if you have them, and show a photo ID. After you sell covers plates and insurance.

Missing the title? The no-title guide explains the options. Also see the Cobalt, Equinox and Sonic, or all Chevrolet models.