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Nearly 300,000 HHRs to be recalled for latch failure
Owners of 2006-08 Chevrolet HHRs should bust out their screw drivers because General Motors will be issuing a recall for deficient instrument panel storage bin latches. The weak latch does not meet federal safety compliance test standards, as it allows the dash bin door to swing open under specific crash conditions. The NHTSA was none too pleased with the possibility of passenger injury from insecure objects. Storage bin latch reinforcement kits will be sent to HHR owners at the General's expense. Recipients will have the option of performing the modification on their own or taking it into a dealership for the necessary repair. Notices will begin flowing once sufficient parts are available, which should be by November.
[Source: Automotive News, sub req'd]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
MemphisNET 8:40AM (9/09/2008)
American garbage! It's not enough to look like it - but now GM has to potentially hurt millions everywhere?! Well.. 300,000 people... everywhere... geesh! FAIL.
:D
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geo.stewart 9:16AM (9/09/2008)
yes, we must watch out for that bin latch. sure sign of the US makers degradation. as opposed to
BMW X5- engine cooling
BMW 5/6series- airbags
BMW 3series- brakes and hydraulics
Toyota Tundra-driveshaft
Toyota tacoma- driveline
Toyota Sequoia- control arm suspension
think my under 40 demographic unit will stick with my HHR. though I wish the interior materials were better.
No Welfare for GM 9:22AM (9/09/2008)
Geo, so because Toyota makes bad vehicles as well that makes it OK for GM?
I noticed that many in here see it that way, many in here say ohhh that's OK that under Rick Wagoner GM lost 75% of its stock value, they make Pick Ups, so does Toyota....so it's OK, so Wagoner is a genius, Lutz is the King.
geo.stewart 12:04PM (9/09/2008)
welfare,
not at all. but I think 'american garbage' is a pretty harsh term for a latch problem on a bin.
and your screen name speaks volumes about your bias re: GM.
i dont care what your favorite brand is, just dont be blinded by bias. just pointing out that the 'almighty gods of cardom' BMW and Toyota have much worse issues than a latch on a storage bin but they dont all make this blog. cant remember EVER seeing a BMW recall on here.
len simpson 8:46AM (9/09/2008)
My 06 latch broke @ 6k miles , otherwise been an excellent fun car for 45 K
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ronzo 8:46AM (9/09/2008)
My car isn't garbage, sparky.
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Dan 9:23AM (9/09/2008)
Not garbage? 2006 HHR LT2
4,000 Miles - Rear doors locks inop - Repaired
6,300 Miles - Steering "clunk" - Sound deadening added
9,543 Miles - Front rotors warped - Resurfaced/new pads
10,300 Miles - Steering "clunk" becomes steering jammed - steering rod replaced
16,892 Miles - Front rotors warped - Dealer replaces/new pads
21,300 Miles - Steering "clunk" returns - no problems found, front rotors resurfaced/new pads
29,912 Miles - Front rotors warped - New rotors/new pads
33,000 Miles - Power window on passenger side, replaced motor
36,700 Miles - Rotors warped, dealer resurfaces as "courtesy" (vehicle out of warranty)
42,300 Miles - Driver's door power door lock fails - Dealer refuses to repair as warranty item...cost of part and install, $365.
47,000 Miles - Right front U-joint snaps during low speed winter driving. Was source of steering clunk. Dealer deems this worthy of "courtesy" repair.
50,000 Miles - Front rotors warped, door lock in operative. Dealer won't repair.
I escallate this to GM customer service...they state front rotors are normal wear items, and 12 - 15k miles for a rotor seems "acceptable" to them.
My intervals of repairs aren't close enough for me to lemon law this POS. Out of desperation, I drop a letter in the mail box of family neighbor and all around great guy, Ed Welburn, which he forwards to HHR engineering lead.
Dealer calls, will repair and replace rotors, install "new heat shields" and replace door lock. All is fine for now.
Next time the rotors go, I will upgrade to the finally available aftermarket choices. I love the utility of this vehicle...it's like a swiss army knife...but I'll be damned if I consider another GM vehicle any time soon.
My $.02
ronzo 9:44AM (9/09/2008)
I said my car wasn't garbage.
I didn't say no one has ever had a problem with an HHR.
Sorry you had so much trouble with yours.
Cornholio 2:12PM (9/09/2008)
I just rented one of these things in San Diego last weekend. I was less than impressed.
Outward visibility sucked. The B-pillar was right in the way every time you looked to change lanes. The low roofline made the car feel very claustrophobic. And the window switches - who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to put them so low on the center console? Horrible user experience. Other gripes - the plastic floor in the cargo hatch sent my luggage slipping and sliding every time I turned a corner. Dumb.
The one I rented had 18K miles on it. Already, the front brakes were warped. The car was pretty gutless on the highway, and the steering was typical GM - over-boosted, completely devoid of feel, and utterly unwilling to tell the user what the front wheels were up to. It wasn't very confidence inspiring. The thing also didn't want to track straight on the interstate, although that could have been an alignment issue. And finally, the fuel mileage was underwhelming for a small four-cylinder vehicle.
All in all, this thing struck me as a late-to-market 'me too' version of the PT Cruiser. It's certainly better than the typical GM rental car of a few years ago, but on the whole, I found it pretty unimpressive, all things considered.
No Welfare for GM 8:48AM (9/09/2008)
Well 300,000 is not that bad by GM standards.
However i do want to rant about this car, the exterior while already dull is still somewhat cool, however (you knew i was going to talk about that) the interior is horrible.
Look this car is for young, hip, cool dudes, or dudeds. I am being dead serious when i say this, but if you want to be cool you can not buy a car with this interior. It is so dull and ugly and drab, it is no where near Scion or Civic or even Versa. I went to Chevy dealership just to check it out and i was bummed by how old and sad that interior looks.
What they need is a major refreshment, more entertainment, and not just some boring system, why not install SONY or Panasonic branded system, Aux jack, lower price of auto tranny, better plastics.
Look Scion offers for about 2K LCD on the back of front seats, think about it, Scion costs under 20,000 K and offers that cool option. That attracts young and cool, grayness doesn't.
Bottom line, GM does NOT need to come up with yet ANOTHER new car, they simply need to fix the current one. Now is the time, small cars are all the rage, if you can grab these young people now and give them what they want, you'll be able to keep them when they'll age and start earning more. (this of course is brand new info for Rick Wagoner)
As far as the whole recall thing, come on, it's GM.
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Bluestreak 9:02AM (9/09/2008)
"Look this car is for young, hip, cool dudes, or dudeds."
Seriously? The only people I've observed that are interested in it are well past 40. The younger set usually likes cutting-edge styling, not retro-American. From my perspective GM hit the target demographic.
No Welfare for GM 9:08AM (9/09/2008)
Blue you got it. The car is supposed to be for young and cool, but they avoid them like George W. Bush avoids books because of the reasons i stated, old, drab looking interior. That's where old dudes step in, they see value.
Tuan 11:39AM (9/09/2008)
I'm 22 and bought an HHR. I also know a couple other guys in their 20's with them.
GM does offer TVs in the headrests as an accessory. Personally, the only people who would think that is cool is the teenage demographic. Why bother putting TVs in the rear headrests if I'm the driver in the front seat most of the time? Not like I have kids, and if I have friends in the back, screw them.
The interior is a tad bland, but I like it like that, traditional center stack, knobs for HVAC controls. The interior material isn't as bad as some say, its the cheesy faux texture that makes it look cheap. Fit and finish isn't too bad.
And boring? Have you seen the interior of a Civic or Scion? There's nothing exciting there, just black with silver bright work, nothing special about it that makes it anymore exciting than my red and black interior.
I also like knowing my HHR SS will smoke the hell out of the mentioned cars ;). Not to mention adding more power is easy as hell.
No Welfare for GM 12:47PM (9/09/2008)
@ Tuan I own Honda Civic, i am sorry to say this but HHR is years behind Civic in materials, fit, finish, style, looks, MPGs, quality and everything in between.
Tuan 1:19PM (9/09/2008)
I'm just not big on the Civic. The new sedan is just ugly.
I wasn't too blown away by the Civic interior. Like I said, if GM got rid of the faux textures and pad the arm rest and it wouldn't be too bad.
MPG isn't that big of a deal to me, 28mpg on the highway is fine for me, considering I still have about twice the amount of torque as any Civic and don't have to rev the hell out of my engine to get power.
But different strokes for different folks.
Menice 9:08AM (9/09/2008)
guys as much as this is one of the biggest pos cars on the road when it comes to looks, quality and finish,
its only a latch on a storage box.... its not like
engine brackets are snapping or wheels are flying off.
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gmoney706 9:30AM (9/09/2008)
Wait for it....wait for it....
tanooki2003 9:09AM (9/09/2008)
Learning a few 5 star quality manufacturing tricks from Chrysler I see eh GM?
All I can say about this recall is "Go Figure"
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n8new 9:19AM (9/09/2008)
Whoa! Someone has an axe to grind!
What the heck does this have to do with Chrysler?
tanooki2003 9:34AM (9/09/2008)
If you have done your research n8new you would know that Chrysler had latch issues for many years on their minivans, Their current Sebrings/Avengers, 300M, and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.