2006 Chevrolet HHR LT from North America - Comments

Very disappointed in the car in general; the handling is the worst of any car I have ever driven, and when pressing the gas pedal hard, the car pulls violently.

The wind noise inside the vehicle is unbelievable. When returned to have the problem corrected, I was informed that the outside mirror needed to be adjusted. I am a GM employee and have worked in final repair, and have never in my life heard of adjusting an outside mirror to correct a whistling sound inside of a vehicle; usually this is caused by a door rubber, door not fitted properly, and even glass that is not the correct curvature.

Also the ashtray or lack of is located in the worst place possible, between the seats, and you have to take your eyes off the road just to find it, or burn your seats.

The car achieves great fuel mileage.

There is plenty of room in the car for carrying and hauling, especially how the rear seats fold and separate. Also the extra space under floor is a great idea; a nice place to put cameras and computers where they can't be seen.

My step-mom owns an '06 and my Dad owns an '07. They are both pleased with theirs. Both had the same recall with the sunvisors or headliner. Kinda weird. Step-mom's '06 got a flat tire thanks to a bent rim. It has the standard alloys, not the larger ones with low-profile tires. We live in Georgia where there are virtually no potholes, so very odd how she managed to bend a rim. Dad's '07 has remote start and it didn't work for a couple days. Worked fine after that. Weird. Both have the 2.2L and it's terribly underpowered for the HHR. The HHR feels too heavy for the engine. The 2.2L has no guts in everyday normal types of driving, so the engine has to work hard often. It's a buzzy sounding motor, so it's very unpleasant to listen to everytime you need to get up a hill (very hilly around here) or pass on the highway. The visibility is pathetic thanks to tiny windows and ridiculously thick pillars all around. My Tracer wagon has MUCH better visibility. I also hate the steering. It feels very artificial and disconnected from the road. It's much better in my Tracer. On the upside, they run very smoothly, quietly when cruising, and the ride is like glass. The backseat feels much roomier than the Caliber. The front seats are firm but reasonably comfortable. The Pioneer stereo is great. It seems like a nice value for the money, but "not my cup of tea."

You shouldn't criticize THIS car for pulling violently when you mash the gas. That happens on most higher powered front wheel drive cars. It's called torque steer.

If commenter 12:59 is referring to the HHR as a "higher powered" front drive vehicle, one must assume that "high powered" means in comparison to the $2000 Indian-built Tata, which has a 2-cylinder engine and resembles a watermelon on little wheels.

The HHR is NOT a very powerful car, though it is, in my opinion, adequate and very smooth on the freeway.

My biggest concern with the HHR is that mentioned by commenter 11:16. The interior feels dark and closed-in due to the small windows. I loved the retro exterior styling, but after driving one, I felt it was too hard to see out of, and too dark inside.

With regard to the torque steer mentioned, I never noticed any noticeable torque steer when driving the HHR.

I have a 06 HHR LS. With only 50,000 miles, the ignition module when out. Took it in for repair and two days later the same problem started again, so I took it back to dealer and was told that now my electronic module on the steering column needs to be replaced. Also between visits to the dealer, the board that locks and unlocks the back hatch went out.

Talk about a lemon!!

Will not buy Chevy again.

Purchased 2006 HHR in August 2005 and it has performed great with no problems.

This was my first GM vehicle and I was pleased with the road performance and gas mileage. I just reached 50K and had a "check engine" light. Took vehicle to dealer who cited a malfunction of the engine in the 2nd cylinder.

I am dealing with GM/Chevrolet because they state the malfunction is not the "defect" as noted by the dealer.

I am no longer happy with my HHR and am about to take on Chevrolet.

I have had Toyota and Isuzu SUV prior to the HHR, and neither had engine problems before 10 yrs of ownership and well over 100K miles.

I have been driving a 2006 HHR LT with a 2.4L motor since July 2006. Aside from 2 recalls, side air bags and upper glove compartment lock fix, this is without doubt one of the best autos that I have ever owned. At 64 years of age I absolutely love the retro look and the looks I get driving it. I have been to Florida twice (1200 KM) and have had no problems whatsoever. If I wasn't a retiree, I would definitely be looking at the turbo version.

I have a 2007 HHR with a 2.4 175 hp engine, LT2.

The check engine light came on at 22000 miles and the dealer service dept. said a service bulletin indicated the head had to be replaced. The head was shipped to the dealer with no internal parts in it, so the parts were removed from the old head and installed in the new head by a machine shop. Finally got the car back 12 days later. Dealer could not show me the bulletin authorizing the change.

I rented one of these while my Ford was in the repair shop (again.) It was awful. The interior was terrible and none of the pieces seem to fit correctly, there were many rattles in it as well.

The windshield was probably the worst part about it, it was tiny and had HUGE blind spots, making it extremely difficult for me to see out of it.

The interior noise was pretty much unacceptable though. The engine was constantly roaring, sometimes I even thought that I might be in to low of a gear (it was an automatic) but I looked down and the transmission was in drive, but it was still really loud. Plus the road noise was the worst of any car that I've ever driven.

Was unhappy that I got a Chevy as a rental in the first place, since my first and last Chevy blew its engine at 61,000 miles (it was a '95 Lumina) and now I can see that they still haven't improved.

I have since traded in my Ford for a Honda Civic, one of the best decisions I've ever made.