NHTSA Complaint #10659124 — 2010 CHEVROLET HHR

WHILE DRIVING OVER INDEPENDENCE PASS IN COLORADO AT 14,000 FEET, ABOUT A HALF MILE FROM THE TOP ON A WINDY, TWO LANE ROAD WITH LOTS OF CARS TRAVELING IN BOTH DIRECTIONS THE CAR BEGAN TO STALL AND STUMBLE. WE HAD TO PULL OVER THE BEST WE COULD NOT TO BLOCK TRAFFIC (THIS IS A TWO LANE NO SHOULDER, NO GUARDRAIL, MOUNTAIN HIGHWAY WITH MANY SWITCHBACKS) WE WERE HEADED UPHILL AND WITH NO POWER HAD TO ROLL SLOWLY BACK TO THE SWITCHBACK TO TURN AROUND. THE CAR WOULD START AND STUMBLE JUST ENOUGH TO MANEUVER IT AROUND GOING DOWN HILL. IT WAS 5PM ON A FRIDAY EVENING MILES FROM ANY RETAIL STORE AND OUT OF CELL PHONE RANGE SO WE WERE PRETTY DESPERATE. WE COASTED DOWN THE MOUNTAIN ROAD, STARTING THE STUMBLING AND SPUTTERING ENGINE WHEN OUR SPEED BECAME TO MUCH OR WE APPROACHED A SWITCHBACK SO THAT THE POWER BRAKES COULD BE USED TO SLOW US DOWN. THIS WENT ON FOR 20-30 MINUTES UNTIL WE WERE OFF THE HAZARDOUS PART OF THE MOUNTAIN PASS AND THEN WHEN WE ATTEMPTED TO START THE CAR IT REMAINED RUNNING. WE WILL NEVER ATTEMPT TO GET INTO A HAZARDOUS SITUATION WITH THIS CAR EVER AGAIN. THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS DAMAGE OR DEATH. WE COULD HAVE BEEN STRANDED ON THIS MOUNTAIN PASS FOR THE EVENING. THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME IN A 2-3 DAY PERIOD THIS STALLING OCCURRED. OTHER CARS PASSED US BY WITHOUT ISSUE AND IN FACT I HAVE TAKEN MANY CARS OVER INDEPENDENCE PASS IN THE PAST WITH NO ISSUES. I SPOKE TO MY DEALER AND THEY INDICATED THEY WERE NOT AWARE OF ANY ISSUES, AND IT MUST HAVE BEEN THE GAS. THIS GAS IN THE FIRST STALL TWO DAYS PRIOR WAS NOT LOCAL GAS, THIS GAS ON THE STALL ON THE MOUNTAIN PASS WAS LOCAL GAS. IN NO WAY I BELIEVE IT WAS POOR GAS RELATED. I BELIEVE THERE IS A SERIOUS ISSUE WITH THE PROGRAMMING OF THE ENGINE CONTROL THAT COULD HAVE COST US DEARLY. *TR