Problems · by component
2010 Chevrolet HHR electronic stability control (esc) problems
32 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2010 Chevrolet HHR cite electronic stability control (esc), 6% of all 516 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
32
6% of all complaints
Crashes
1
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
What owners say about the electronic stability control (esc)
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“OUR CHEVY HHR 2010 HAS BEEN DYING AND STALLING OUT ON US WHILE WE ARE DRIVING IT, THE ONLY TIME IT HAD POWER GOING TO IT WAS WHEN IT WAS BEING JUMPED. EVEN THEN SOON AS THE CABLES WERE UNHOOKED IT WOULD JERK THEN DIE RIGHT AWAY. IT SEEMED AS IF MOST OF THE LIGHTS INSIDE AND OUTSIDED OF THE TRUCK ONLY WOULD FLASH WHILE JUMPING IT, THEN NOTHING. IT WAS ALSO VERY DIFFICULT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, AND EVERYTHING BASICALLY SEEMS LIKE IT'S MALFUNCTIONING. THIS HAS BEEN ON AND OFF FOR A FEW WEEKS NOW BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO FIX IT, NOR CAN I EVEN START IT AT THIS POINT,BUT I DEFINITELY DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING IT THE WAY IT IS RIGHT NOW BEING THAT IT POWERS COMPLETELY OFF WHENEVER IT WANTS TO. IT WAS IN MOTION A FEW TIMES ON CITY STREETS, AND IN MOTION TURNING WHEN IT DIED FOR THIS LAST TIME. ITS NOW PARKED ON A STREET UNABLE TO DRIVE IT. *TR”
“WHILE DRIVING MY 2010 CHEVY HHR, I HAD JUST EXITED THE HIGHWAY AND WAS ENTERING THE SPEEDWAY FUEL STATION, MY STEERING JUST SEEMED TO LOCKUP ON ME AND A DASH ALERT FLASHED "SERVICE ESC" THEN I SUDDENLY LOST ALL POWER! IN ORDER TO AVOID ANY MAJOR TRAGEDY LIKE COLLIDING WITH A GAS PUMP OR ANOTHER VEHICLE, I WAS ABLE TO RUN IT INTO THE CURB I FELT LIKE MY ARMS WERE NEARLY RIPPED FROM THE SOCKETS. AFTER HAVING IT TOWED TO MY HOME AND THE FOLLOWING DAY TOWED TO A MECHANIC. DISCOVERED THAT THE EXPERIENCE WAS NOT EXCLUSIVELY MINE, APPARENTLY SOME 444 OTHERS HAD AS WELL. I CHECKED FOR RECALL NOTICES WAS TOLD THAT THE RECALLS WERE CLOSED AND REPAIRS WERE DONE. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW BY WHOM, WHEN AND WHERE EXACTLY! IT OBVIOUSLY WAS NOT DONE PERMANENTLY NOR SATISFACTORILY AS I'M VERY SORE NOW, BUT COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED!”
“FIRST MY AIRBAG SYSTEM STARTED COMING ON SAYING SERVICE AIRBAGS AND THE SENSORS ARE ALL NEW, SECOND THE SERVICE ESC COMES ON INTERMITTENTLY CAUSING VEHICLE TO SHIFT EXTREMELY HARD FROM 1ST GEAR (AUTOMATIC TRANNY) BRAKING SYSTEM WAS WORKING FINE AND ALL OF A SUDDEN THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR NO BRAKES AND THE FLUID IS FULL AND THE SYSTEM WAS WORKING JUST FINE AFTER MAKING GM AWARE OF THIS THEIR RESPONSE TO IT ALL IS THE VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO BUT THIS WAS AN ISSUE FROM DATE OF MFG AND GM REFUSES TO FIX OR CORRECT THE ONGOING ISSUES ALL OF THESE THINGS HAVE HAPPENED ON CITY STREETS AND HIGHWAYS IF NHTSA CANT HELP WITH THIS ISSUE THEN I HAVE NO WHERE LEFT TO TURN EXCEPT EITHER TO A MORGUE OR A SCRAP YARD”
“THE CAR WAS PURCHASED IN JANUARY 2016 & WAS GAVE TO ME VIA MY GRANDPAS WILL AFTER HE PASSED AWAY IN JULY 2016. THE CAR NEVER RAN CORRECTLY & IT WAS PARKED FOR A TOTAL OF 9 MONTHS, WHILE GETTING WORKED ON IN THE MEANTIME. IVE PUT ALMOST 1000 INTO THIS CAR & REPLACED EVERY PART IT NEEDED. NOW THE CAR WONT START & SHOWS THE AIR BAG ICON IS ALWAYS ON WHILE THE CAR TELLS ME THAT MY ECS IS "OFF" & SERVICE ECS. I OWN THE VEHICLE & IT IS PAID OFF.”
“WHILE DRIVING 25 MILES AN HOUR ON DRY FLAT PAVEMENT MY ESC ACTIVE LIGHT CAME ON. I HAD A VERY HARD TIME STEERING AND THE BRAKES WERE APPLYING THEMSELVES. I WAS DIFFICULT TO CONTROL. I WAS IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC IN THE MIDDLE LANE WITH NO WHERE TO PULL OVER. I AM LUCKY I DID NOT HIT ANYONE. AFTER 5 MINUTES OR SO IT WENT OFF.”
“I AM EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE GAUGES AND POWER STEERING AS WELL AS WARNING LIGHTS COMING ON AND LOSS OF COMMUNICATIONS TO THE D.L.C. CONNECTOR. IT MAY HAPPEN AT ANY TIME ANYWHERE.”
Showing 6 of 32 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.