NHTSA Complaint #10216943 — 2006 CHEVROLET HHR

I AM LEASING A 2006 CHEVY HHR. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING ON THE EXPRESSWAY WHEN WE HIT A POT HOLE AND MY CAR DIED AT 70MPH! MY HUSBAND STEVE PUT THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AND IT STARTED WITHOUT HESITATION AND WE CARRIED ON. VERY SCARY AS YOU LOSE YOUR POWER IN STEERING, ETC... I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP THAT DAY AND TOOK IT FOR A LOOK OVER. THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND SAID THE CAR SEEMED FINE SO THERE WAS NO MORE THEY COULD DO? ON A RECENT TRIP TO KY WE AGAIN HIT A POT HOLE ON THE EXPRESSWAY AND AGAIN MY CAR DIED. WE WERE ABLE TO RESTART IT AND CARRIED ON. I BELONG TO A WEBSITE THAT IS FOR HHR OWNERS AND I SOON DISCOVERED I WAS NOT THE ONLY ONE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. SOME PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITHOUT HITTING A POT HOLE OR BUMP OF ANY KIND!! A MAN WHO HAD THIS HAPPEN SAID WHEN HE HIT THE POT HOLE AND HIS CAR DIED HE NOTICED WHEN HE WENT TO RESTART THE CAR THAT HIS KEY HAS SLIPPED TO THE "ACC" POSITION. HE SUGGESTED WE TEST OUR KEYS BY PUTTING THEM IN THE IGNITION AND PLAYING AROUND WITH THEM. I WAS INTERESTED IN TRYING THIS AS THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS ISSUE! I STARTED MY CAR AND TO MY HORROR DISCOVERED THAT WITH NO PRESSURE I CAN TURN MY CAR OFF. I ONLY HAVE 4 KEYS AND MY REMOTE ON MY KEY RING SO IT IS NOT DUE TO WEIGHT OF MY KEYRING. I CAN GRAB MY HANGING REMOTE, AND OTHER KEYS (I ONLY HELD ONE KEY) AND WITH NO PRESSURE I CAN TURN MY CAR OFF. I AM CALLING MY DEALERSHIP FIRST THING TOMORROW MORNING B/C I WANT A KEY CYLINDER IN PLACE THAT DOES NOT ALLOW FOR MY KEY TO TURN WITH BUMPS IN THE ROAD. THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS PROBLEM AND SINCE I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE DEALING WITH THIS ISSUE I AM WONDERING WHY NO LETTERS ARE BEING SENT. THIS IS MOST CERTAINLY A FAILURE ON DESIGN AND OR FAULTY PARTS WHICH IS A LIABILITY IF AND WHEN IT CAUSES DEATH AND OR SERIOUS INJURY. I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU SO THAT THIS MATTER FOR ALL OWNERS WITH THIS ISSUE CAN BE RESOLVED. SINCERELY, STEPHANIE ROGERS *TR