There are 11 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2009 Chevrolet HHRin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The contact owns a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH at night, the low-beam headlights became inoperable. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local mechanic which replaced the headlight bulbs; however, the failure recurred several times. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 172,087
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET HHR. WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH, THE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED TO ACTIVATE AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL INDICATOR ILLUMINATED PRIOR TO THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN. MA 08/11/15 THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT, THE FAILURE RECURRED 14 DAYS LATER. THE CONSUMER WAS ADVISED OF A MAY 2014 RECALL THAT INCLUDED THE SAME MALFUNCTIONS. THE CONSUMER WANTED TO BE REIMBURSED FOR ALL ASSOCIATED ATTEMPTED REPAIRS FOR THE BRAKE LIGHTS. UPDATED 05/10/2017*JS UPDATED 11/01/2017*CN
INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHT FLICKER CONSTANTLY, DOES THIS IN PARK AND DURING DRIVING, NOTICED LATELY THAT THE HEAD LIGHTS ARE ALSO DIMMING AT START UP.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET HHR. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHT WIRING HARNESS AND BULB NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. UPDATED 05/18/16*LJ
HEADLAMPS ON MY 2009 CHEVROLET HHR BURN OUT PREMATURELY, VERY RAPIDLY. I AM NOW REPLACING THE THIRD HEADLAMP FOR BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SIDE. I AVERAGE ROUGHLY 10,000-12,000 BEFORE I NEED TO REPLACE BULBS. MY DRIVER SIDE LAMP WAS OUT, AND TONIGHT WHILE DRIVING THE PASSENGER SIDE LAMP WENT OUT. HEADLAMP BULBS, ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF HOW COSTLY THEY ARE, SHOULD NOT BE BURNING OUT EVERY 10-12,000 MILES. *TR
TOOK MY CAR N FOR THE ENGINE RECALL FIVE DAYS LATER I NOTICE MY HEAD LIGHT ON THE LEFT SIDE IS OUT. ON THE 18TH IM INFORMED BY OTHER DRIVERS THAT MY BRAKE LIGHT ON THE LEFT SIDE IS OUT. PLUS ONE OF MY TURN SIGNAL LIGHT IS OUT. BASICALLY THE LIGHTS ON THE LEFT SIDE OF MY CAR ARE OUT. ALSO THE STEERING WILL SHAKE WHILE SLOWING DOWN AND SLOWING IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. *TR
VISITING MY DAUGHTER. STARTED TO GO HOME. THE HEAD LAMPS WOULD NOT COME ON. AFTER 10 OR 15 MINUTES OF TURNING SWITCHES, TURNING MOTOR OFF AND ON, NOTHING WORKED. SO HERE AM I STUCK MILES AWAY FROM HOME AND THE HEAD LIGHTS WONT COME ON. IN FURSTRATION I SLAPPED THE LEFT DRIVER SIDE HEAD LIGHT,IT CAME ON. SO I WALKED TO THE OTHER SIDE AND GAVE IT A SLAP,AND IT CAME ON. WE DROVE THE THIRTY MILES HOME WORRYING IF THEY WOULD GO OUT AGAIN. GOT HOME OK. NOW WE HAVE TO HIT BOTH HEADLIGHTS TO GET THEM ON.THE WARRANTY IS OUT AND DO YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE WHOLE FRONT BUMPER ASSEMBLY TO EVEN GET TO THE HEAD LIGHTS. WHY WOULD GM ALLOW SUCH DESIGN IS BE ON REASON. GOOD LUCK HHR OWNERS MY WIFE HAS ALREADY EXPERINCED THE LOCK IGNITION SYNDROME, WHEN THE KEY WONT COME OUT. WHY DOESNT THE NHTSA HELP US HHR OWNERS *TT
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET HHR. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS WERE INOPERABLE AND WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN ENGAGED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS NORMAL. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND HE WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT THE AIR BAGS WOULD NOT FUNCTION IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH UNTIL THEY WERE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED ONE YEAR LATER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT FURTHER REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 48,000. UPDATED 8/6/12 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE AIR BAG ISSUE WAS RESOLVED. HOWEVER, THE TURN SIGNALS DID NOT CANCEL IN A TIMELY MANNER AFTER COMPLETING A TURN. UPDATED 08/14/12
FAILURE OF BOTH HEADLIGHT LOW BEAMS IN NEW 2009 CHEVY HHR. FIRST TIME DRIVING THE CAR AT NIGHT, I NOTICED THAT I HAD NO LOW BEAMS. TOOK THE CAR TO MEDVED CHEVY IN CASTLE ROCK, CO WHO CONFIRMED THE FAILURE. SERVICE REPORTED "LOW BEAMS INOP; FOUND OPEN IN TURN SIGNAL SWITCH, REPLACED SWITCH". COPY OF SERVICE INVOICE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST. *TR
UPDATED TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 CHEVROLET HHR. HE STATED THAT THE INTERIOR LIGHTS STAYED ON AND THAT THERE WAS NO MANUAL SWITCH TO OPERATE THE LIGHTS CAUSING THEM TO STAY ON AT ALL TIMES. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE CONTACTED AND ADVISED THE CONTACT THAT IT WOULD BE TOO COSTLY TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WERE 22,000. UPDATED 08/13/10. *LJ UPDATED 10/14/10
THE HEADLIGHTS ON THE 2009 CHEVROLET HHR BURN OUT PREMATURELY. I HAVE REPLACED BOTH THE DRIVERS AND PASSENGER HEADLAMP BULBS MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE NEW. I HAVE TO REPLACE THE BULBS APPROX. EVERY 10000 15000 MILES. MY FEAR IS THAT BOTH BULBS WILL BURN OUT AT THE SAME TIME CAUSING AN ACCIDENT DUE TO NO LIGHTS. THESE LIGHT BULBS APPEAR TO HAVE A MUCH GREATER FAILURE RATE THAN MOST VEHICLES I HAVE OWNED. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026