NHTSA Complaint #10469247 — 2006 CHEVROLET HHR

SOME PORTION OF THE SHIFTER MECHANISM FAILED. IT ALLOWS THE VEHICLE TO SHIFT GEARS AT WILL, WITH OR WITHOUT A KEY AND WITH OR WITHOUT THE ENGINE RUNNING. IT ALSO ALLOWS THE VEHICLE TO BE PUT INTO GEAR WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE CAN 'BUMP' FROM 'PARK' INTO ANY GEAR AND FROM ANY GEAR TO ANY OTHER GEAR, INCLUDING "REVERSE". WHILE DRIVING, ONE BUMP CAUSED IT TO SHIFT INTO 'NEUTRAL'. ANOTHER CAUSED A DOWNSHIFT. ONE CAN LEAVE TURN OFF THE IGNITION & LEAVE THE CAR WITHOUT PUTTING IT SECURELY INTO 'PARK'. I AM NOT POSITIVE, BUT I BELIEVE I COULD ALSO MAKE THE STEERING COLUMN LOCK WHILE THE IGNITION WAS ON. I TRIED THIS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE THE KEY. I DID NTO WANT TO TRY AGAIN, FEARING I WOULD MAKE THE SITUATION WORSE. ADDITIONALLY, THE KEY IS NOW RETAINED IN THE IGNITION AND CAN NOT BE REMOVED. THE CAR CAN BE MORE EASILY STOLEN. (ON MINE, I FOUND OUT HOW TO FORCE THE KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. BUT THE GEAR SHIFTER CAN STILL BUMP AROUND.) THE MENTIONED CRASH WAS FROM EXITING THE CAR EITHER WITHOUT IT BEING SECURELY IN 'PARK' OR FROM HAVING IT FALLOUT OF 'PARK'. IT ROLLED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. I ENTERED "0 MPH" BECAUSE I WASN'T THERE TO SEE THE CAR ROLL. IT WAS ON A SMALL ENOUGH INCLINE THAT NO DAMAGE WAS DONE OTHER THAN SCRATCHES. *TR