AI Damage2006 Chevrolet HHR: common problems
Owners of the 2006 Chevrolet HHR filed 1,006 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 1,006
- involving a crash
- 47
What fails most often
- 1 Steering 46% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 22% of all complaints
- 3 Structure 12% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 5 Latches, locks, linkages 7% of all complaints
- 6 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- 7 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- 8 Fuel/propulsion system 4% of all complaints
- Steering: 458 complaints (46% of all), 19 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 222 complaints (22% of all), 10 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Structure: 119 complaints (12% of all), 4 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 82 complaints (8% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Latches, locks, linkages: 70 complaints (7% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 2.4 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 2 complaints
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speednamed in 1 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 1,006 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 458 | 19 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 222 | 10 | 0 |
| Structure | 119 | 4 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 82 | 2 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 70 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 63 | 20 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 60 | 8 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 44 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 39 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 34 | 1 | 0 |
| Suspension | 34 | 3 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 14 | 2 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Twice the power steering stopped and the car was extremely hard/impossible to steer. First time was when parking and after having the engine off for and hour I started it up and everything was fine, so did not work thought it was just a fluke.
The contact looked at the area of the vehicle where the bumper needed to be re-attached and noticed that the metal inner bumper was severely rusted. When touching the inner bumper, it immediately disintegrated. There were no injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle had not been diagnosed nor repaired.
7/29/14 steering wheel locks up -11-28-14 steering wheel locks up. December 22 2014 steering wheel locks up again while my son was making a left turn,crashed,and hit an electrical pole, bust his lip and hit his head. State farm ins co total the car.
Car speeded up and down ,car started to spin in circle,lost power steering,lost control of car, flipped and rolled over 3 times down a 30 yd. Cliff . No head air bags worked at all ,only the steering wheel air bag worked. Took over 2 hrs. To be found by police. Had to use cell phone signal to be found.
This car was in an accident where the driver swerved to miss animals in road, crossed a ditch, a frontage road and hit trees to come to a stop and the airbags never deployed.
The air bags failed to deploy. The driver and the passenger sustained whiplash, pains to the back and neck. Both required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not repaired. The vin was not available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure.
After the contact returned to the vehicle shortly after it had been parked, she found it had rolled away three houses downhill. The vehicle had driven over a curb, sideswiped a tree, and crashed into cinder blocks. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and repaired. The cause of the failure was unknown.
The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was filed. The driver sustained injuries and received medical attention. The vehicle was to be further inspected by an insurance adjuster and an authorized dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 37,000.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 226 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 1% most complained about).
On average one model year of the HHR has 596 complaints (6 years in the data). This year has 1,006, above average.
What to check before buying
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Structure. Rails, pillars, panel gaps, signs of pulling or welding.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2006 Chevrolet HHR?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: steering, electrical system, structure. Total complaints: 1,006. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: steering or power steering problems (40%), warning lights, check engine (13%), door locks, latches, handles (12%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2006 Chevrolet HHR?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2006 Chevrolet HHR from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2006 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.