Chevrolet HHR Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Chevrolet HHR model year from 2006 to 2011, benchmarked against each other with 4,753 federal complaints, 8 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2006. These years top the HHR's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
The method in one line: every NHTSA complaint for this model is counted, weighted for crashes, fires, injuries, and deaths, and each year is measured against the HHR's own worst year — full methodology.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Steering tops the Chevrolet HHR file with 1,591 complaints, concentrated in the 2006–2008, 2010 model years, most often reported around 78,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Typical | 288 | 3 | Fuel system | 25 |
| 2010 | Below average | 682 | 4 | Steering | 48 |
| 2009 | Below average | 689 | 5 | Electrical | 52 |
| 2008 | Below average | 784 | 5 | Steering | 59 |
| 2007 | Below average | 943 | 5 | Steering | 74 |
| 2006 | Avoid | 1,367 | 6 | Steering | 100 |
Technical service bulletins
Beyond complaints and recalls, 5,804 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, service campaigns, warranty extensions — are on file for the Chevrolet HHR. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
Browse the Chevrolet HHR TSB list by year →
Questions buyers ask
What Chevrolet HHR years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2006 as the Chevrolet HHR years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Chevrolet HHR problem?
Steering tops the Chevrolet HHR file with 1,591 complaints, concentrated in the 2006–2008, 2010 model years, most often reported around 78,000 miles.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Chevrolet HHR only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.