NHTSA Complaint #11289960 — 2008 CHEVROLET HHR

WHEN I TURNED OFF MY CAR RECENTLY, I COULD SMELL GASOLINE. I COULD ALSO SMELL IT WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONING WAS ON. I TOOK MY HHR TO SWEENYBUICK/GMC, AND THEY POINTED OUT THAT TWO FUEL LINES WERE RUSTED THROUGH AND I WAS DRIVING MY CAR UNDER DANGEROUS CIRCUMSTANCES...SOME OF THE GASOLINE WAS LEAKING CLOSE TO THE MUFFLER. MY SERVICE AGENT SAID A FIRE COULD HAVE EASILY STARTED. THE MECHANIC REPLACED MY FUEL LINES, AND THEN TOLD ME THAT HE HAS HAD TO REPLACE FUEL LINES IN OTHER CHEVY HHR'S AND CHEVY COLBALTS. AT NO TIME HAS GM EVER NOTIFIED ME THAT MY FUEL LINES CAN RUST THROUGH, AND THAT OTHER CARS HAVE HAD THE SAME ISSUE: HHR OR COBALT. HOWEVER, THIS DANGEROUS RUSTING HAS OCCURRED IN OTHERS. I WENT ONLINE AND FOUND OUT THAT OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED RUSTED FUEL LINES, AND SOME HAVE ATTEMPTED TO REPLACE THE LINES THEMSELVES. A RECALL SHOULD HAVE BEEN ISSUED. HOPEFULLY NO ONE WILL DIE IN A TRAGIC FIRE CAUSED BY GAS LEAKS. I COULD SMELL THE GASOLINE BOTH WHEN DRIVING (ESPECIALLY WITH THE AIR CONDITIONING ON, AND WHEN USING THE KEY TO TURN THE CAR OFF. HOWEVER, WHEN LOOKING UNDERNEATH THE CAR, I DID NOT DETECT GAS LEAKING FROM UNDERNEATH, AND I BELIEVE THIS WAS A SLOW LEAK, BECAUSE MY GAS GAUGE DID NOT SHOW A DRAMATIC LOSS OF GAS. WHEN I CALLED CHEVROLET CUSTOMER SUPPORT THEY REPORTED IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE BUT NO RECALL HAD BEEN ISSUED.