2008 Chevrolet HHR service brakes, hydraulic problems

“THIS CAR IS A SAFETY HAZARD GOING DOWN ROAD. I BOUGHT IT NEW IN 2008. ROTORS & BRAKES ARE HORRIBLE - HAVE TO HAVE REPAIRED MULTIPLE TIMES. BEARINGS HAVE WENT OUT, REPLACED & ONE WENT OUT AGAIN. I SPEND APPROX 1200 DOLLARS A YEAR JUST TO GET SHAKING OUT OF FRONT END, TURNING ROTORS & TIRES. BUT THAT ISN'T REALLY THE PROBLEM I AM REPORTING: WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH IGNITION SWITCH - IT WAS RECALLED - TOOK IT TO DEALER TO HAVE IT REPLACED - UNDERSTAND THAT I WAS HAVING NO PROBLEMS WITH CAR AT THIS TIME - UPON LEAVING DEALERS AND WITHIN 15 MILES POWER STEERING LIGHT COMES ON & I LOSE POWER STEERING. NOW MY POWER STEERING GOES OUT UNEXPECTEDLY WHENEVER IT DECIDES TO. TOOK BACK TO DEALER BECAUSE I FELT THIS WAS SOMETHING THEY MESSED UP AND WAS TOLD THIS IS JUST A PROBLEM WITH HHRS AND THAT POWER STEERING MOTOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. AFTER RESEARCHING THIS...IT IS VERY COMMON WITH THIS CAR, ALONG WITH BRAKE ISSUES, SEVERE SHAKING IN FRONT, BEARINGS GOING OUT AND MANY OTHER PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE ALSO HAD. I REALIZE MY CAR IS HIGH MILEAGE, I WORK AS A HOME HEALTH NURSE & USE THIS CAR FOR WORK, BUT I DO KEEP IT MAINTAINED. I HOPE THAT I WILL BE ABLE TO GET INTO DIFFERENT…”

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 CHEVROLET HHR. WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES AT A SPEED OF 25 MPH, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FRONT ROTORS WERE REPLACED. THE FAILURE RECURRED TWO WEEKS AFTER THE REPAIR. THE RECENT FAILURE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 59,000.”

“I PURCHASED A 2008 CHEVROLET HHR IN 2009 WITH 40,000 MILES ON IT. I NOTICED BRAKING/SHAKING PROBLEM. DEALER FIXED IT THE DAY AFTER I BOUGHT IT. UNDER 500 MILES LATER, BRAKING/SHAKING STARTS AGAIN. DIFFERENT DEALER TURNS ROTORS TWO MORE TIMES. PADS ARE WEARING EVENLY, SO THE DEALER MECHANIC ADVISED ME TO PURCHASE AFTER-MARKET ROTORS AS THE OEM DO NOT APPEAR TO RESIST WARPING VERY WELL. WHEN THE DEALER'S MECHANIC RECOMMENDS PUTTING ON A NON-DEALER PART, THERE HAS GOT TO BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE ENGINEERING OF THE CAR OR THE INTEGRITY OF THE METAL IN THE ROTORS. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS ON PEOPLE TURNING AND RE-TURNING THESE ROTORS ALL OVER THE WEB, ULTIMATELY LEADING THEM TO REPLACE WITH NON-GM PARTS. *KB”

“FOR THE THIRD TIME SINCE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE, I HAVE HAD TO HAVE THE BRAKE ROTORS TURNED DUE TO WARPING. HAD THE PADS REPLACED WITH LIFETIME PADS LAST YEAR. THE WOBBLE CAUSED BY THIS WARPING CAUSES DANGER TO DRIVER, PASSENGERS, AND OTHERS DUE TO DIFFICULTY IN CONTROLLING THE VEHICLE.”

“BRAKES SHUDDER IN FRONT WHEN MODERATE APPLICATION AT HIGHWAY SPEED 120KPH - DEALER FIX IS HAVING ROTORS MACHINED BUT EVERY TIME THEY DO THAT THEY GET THINNER AND HEAT UP QUICKER THEREFORE WARP QUICKER. THIS TIME THEY HAD TO REPLACE ROTORS AND MACHINED REAR DRUM BECAUSE I LITERALLY HAD TO YOU USE THE PARKING BRAKE TO STOP ON THE HIGHWAY TO GET BACK HOME FROM OUR TRIP. I'M A LICENSED MECHANIC AND HAVE NEVER SEEN SUCH POOR PERFORMANCE IN BRAKES, MY SOLUTION WOULD BE TO INSTALL DISC BRAKES ON THE REAR AXLE TO IMPROVE THE PERFORMANCE IN BRAKING. THIS PROBLEM STARTED AT SINCE CAR WAS PURCHASED 2008 FIRST OCCURRENCE WAS AT 5K (KM) NEW ROTORS WERE PUT IN AT 45K (KM). PLEASE RECALL THESE BRAKES. *TR”

“VERY ROUGH FRONT END VIBRATION AND DIFFICULTY STEERING WHILE BRAKING DOWNHILL. THIS FIRST NOTICED AND NOTIFIED MY DEALERSHIP. DEALERSHIP CUT MY ROTORS "DUE TO WARPING". *TR”