NHTSA Complaint #10285019 — 2006 CHEVROLET HHR

I PULLED MY CAR INTO THE DRIVEWAY AT HOME AND SHIFTED INTO PARK AND WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO REMOVE THE KEY IT WOULD NOT TURN ALL THE WAY TO THE REMOVAL POSITION. SO I MOVED THE SHIFT LEVER AGAIN AND NOTED THAT THE SHIFT BUTTON DIDN'T POP OUT WHEN I PUT IT INTO PARK. I KNEW THEN THAT THE KEY WOULD NOT COME OUT UNTIL THE VEHICLE WAS PUT INTO PARK WHICH THE SHIFT LEVER WAS NOT ALLOWING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE STRAIGHT TO MY GM DEALER SERVICE MANAGER WHO STATED THAT I WAS THE SIXTH OR SEVENTH CUSTOMER WHO HAD HAD THIS PROBLEM IN THE LAST 12 MONTHS. THE MANAGER CALLED ME BACK AND TOLD ME THAT MY CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND THE COST WOULD BE $215.04. I WAS CONCERNED THAT THIS WAS NOT A RECALL ITEM SINCE HE HAD DONE SO MANY IN A TOWN OF 4500 PEOPLE AND THAT IN MY OPINION IT WOULD PUT SOMEONE IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION AT RISK OF HAVING THEIR CAR STOLEN IF THE COULDN'T TAKE THEIR KEYS OUT IN A LARGE CITY. I CONTACTED CUSTOMER SERVICE AT GM BUT WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR ME, EVEN THOUGHT A SERVICE BULLETIN ON HOW TO DO THE REPAIR HAD BEEN SENT TO ALL GM SERVICE DEPARTMENTS. TO ME, THAT SOUNDS LIKE A RECALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN ISSUED. YES, I PAID TO HAVE THE PART REPLACED, BUT I STILL THANK IT IS THE MANUFACTURES FAULT AND NOT MINE. THE RECALL WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE BEFORE MY WARRANTY EXPIRED. ALSO THE SERVICE MANAGER REPORTED THAT THE CHEVROLET COBALT ALSO HAS THIS PROBLEM. *TR