NHTSA Complaint #10488621 — 2006 CHEVROLET HHR

THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR INTERIOR HANDLE BROKE AT APPROX 36,400 MILES. LUCKILY THE HANDLE WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE WHOLE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR PANEL HAD TO BE REPLACED. AT APPROXIMATELY ANOTHER 36,000 MILES THE DOOR HANDLE BROKE AGAIN. WE LOOKED ONLINE, AND THERE IS A COMPANY THAT MAKES JUST THE DOOR HANDLE TO REPLACE. WE ORDERED A REPLACEMENT HANDLE. THEY SAID THAT THEY SELL ABOUT 50-60 HANDLES A WEEK. THERE ARE SEVERAL VIDEOS ON YOUTUBE ON HOW TO REPLACE THE HANDLE, AND MANY COMPANIES ONLINE SELLING JUST THE HANDLE OF THE HHR. WE HAVE NEVER HAD A INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE BREAK WITHIN 3 YEARS OF OWNING A CAR, AND TO BREAK A SECOND TIME IN ANOTHER 3 YEARS, AND IT APPEARS TO BE A CONSISTENT PROBLEM WITH THE DESIGN OF THE VEHICLE ACCORDING TO WEBSITE GROUPS, FORUMS ETC. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN. IF THE DRIVER INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE FAILS AND THE DRIVER NEEDS TO GET OUT OF THE CAR IN AN EMERGENCY QUICKLY, IT'S NOT POSSIBLE. OVER THE YEARS OF OWNING SEVERAL DIFFERENT CARS FOR MANY YEARS, I HAVE NEVER HAD AN INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE BREAK. *TR