What breaks most · 2006 to 2011 model years
Chevrolet HHR problems by year
Owners have filed 3,574 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Chevrolet HHR across model years 2006 to 2011. Three years stand out: 2006 for steering complaints, 2007 for steering complaints and 2008 for steering complaints. The quietest years are 2009.
- Years to check closely: 2006, 2007, 2008
- Fewest complaints: 2009
- Complaints on file
- 35742006 to 2011, all trims
- Worst year
- 20061006 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 17129 fires · 142 injuries · 8 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 70kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 28Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1006 | 47 | 6 | Steering (458) | |
| 726 | 42 | 5 | Steering (424) | |
| 616 | 30 | 5 | Steering (297) | |
| 508 | 20 | 5 | Electrical system (151) | |
| 515 | 19 | 4 | Steering (231) | |
| 203 | 13 | 3 | Fuel system (43) |
What fails on the 2006 Chevrolet HHR
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 46% |
458 | 19 | Shop steering parts for the 2006 Chevrolet HHR |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 22% |
222 | 10 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2006 Chevrolet HHR |
| Body and structureDoors, latches and body hardware | 12% |
119 | 4 | Shop body and structure parts for the 2006 Chevrolet HHR |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 8% |
82 | 2 | Shop powertrain and transmission parts for the 2006 Chevrolet HHR |
| Latches and locksDoor latches and actuators | 7% |
70 | 0 | Shop latches and locks parts for the 2006 Chevrolet HHR |
| Air bags | 6% |
63 | 20 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Brakes (hydraulic)Brake pads, rotors and calipers | 4% |
45 | 5 | Shop brakes (hydraulic) parts for the 2006 Chevrolet HHR |
| Fuel systemFuel pumps and injectors | 4% |
44 | 0 | Shop fuel system parts for the 2006 Chevrolet HHR |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
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Power steering cuts off and very hard to steer until you turn off vehicle and turn back on but then will go out again while driving .This is very un safe when my wife is driving Kids to school.I have read that 2009-2011 has same issue and have been recalled why isn’t this one if it’s same problem .
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Power steering went out while I was driving and it put me in danger and other drivers because it was hard to control the vehicle, the steering wheel was really tough to turn. The vehicle wasn't inspected by a professional because the problem just occurred.
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While driving steering motor just stops working causing hard steering and not steer properly. You try to pull off busy highway. stop put in park shut off car then restart steering works fine just out nowhere you loose steering. its intermitten.,
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Chevrolet HHR years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2006, 2007, 2008 carry the most filings on the Chevrolet HHR. The 2006 alone has 1006 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Chevrolet HHR problem?
On the 2006 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 458 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Chevrolet HHR problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Chevrolet HHR complaints that include mileage is about 70,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.