NHTSA Complaint #11529905 — 2009 CHEVROLET HHR

I was backing my car out of the garage and I noticed a line of liquid on the ground, indicating a leak. I immediately stopped the car, got out and took a look. I traced the leak back to the drivers side at the rear, just before the tire. I could see fuel dripping down from under the car. The exhaust pipe right near the dripping was also wet. I could smell gas and I confirmed that was what was dripping by smelling a drop after I let it fall on my finger. Definitely gasoline. After the dripping stopped, I pushed the car back into the garage. I used a QuickJack to raise the car to get a better look at the area where the leak was coming from. There was massive corrosion/rust of the metal lines in the area. The leak was easily found by just looking for where the lines were wet. Even though fuel was no longer dripping (the engine was off so there was no fuel pressure anymore), there was still wetness from the gas leaking through the rusted area. I will not drive the car again until the leak has been repaired. Considering the fact that the exhaust pipe had also gotten wet from the leak, the chance of a fire was VERY LIKELY. I consider myself very lucky to have found the leak when I did, rather than have a fire occur while driving. Even if I were to pull over and shut the engine off immediately, a significant amount of fuel would leak out and feed the fire as the fuel escapes under pressure. This certainly could cause the rest of the car to catch fire. This is clearly unsafe and dangerous. If the leak occurred after the car was put in the garage with the exhaust still hot, a fire could not only consume the vehicle but the garage and the house as well. That could cause injury or even death in a worst case scenario. This is clearly an unsafe design and a clear risk to both people and property. This absolutely should be the basis for a recall where the corroded lines are replaced free with new lines made of a more durable material such as stainless steel.