Have had this problem for a least 3 years. Terrible clunk when going over bumps. Have had it to at least 5 different shops including the dealership. No one can find the problem! Just replaced the struts to the tune of $667. Problem NOT SOLVED. Now they want to replace some bushings. They are grasping at straws. Why can't someone figure this out???? I am about ready to just turn my radio up and try to ignore the noise. If someone has found a fix, please let me know.

Update from May 27, 2017: Replaced sway bar busing. At last no noise!

PIECE OF SH*T CAR!!!!! I have had MANY mechanics try and find this problem, I changed one of the front struts and still not fixed, turned out the strut was fine. I spent money for NOTHING!! I JUST finished paying off the piece of crap and all these problems start to occur, another issue is my left side of my speaker and all electronics don't work either?? Don't know what that is either??

I think GM should recall all of these piece of sh*t cars for a FULL refund!!!!I Used to be CHEVY'S the best F the rest.. Not anymore, I will NEVER buy from GM again!!!! They SUCK!!!

SINCERELY!! VERY DISSATISFIED CUSTOMER!!!! GRRRR!!!!!

This rattling is ridiculous! I took it many times to the dealership and to several local expert mechanics; and nothing the Chevy HHR is a complete failure.

GM should provide replacement cars for all HHR owners - the car is a total defect. It fails at a very young age, that's a shame for an American made vehicle.

The base of the issue is a crazy rattling noise when I go over bumps, hills and pot holes.

I can't wait to get rid of this piece of junk and treat myself to a quality Japanese car (Toyota, Hyundai, Honda etc.) that will make 0 issues at least till age 100,000 miles!

I have been a gm guy my whole life. My dad worked for gm and his dad as well. There has always been a gm in the family. I bought this car w 20000 miles on it in 2009. It is a 2007 HHR with the LT package. The car started having front end noise and steering issues shortly after purchase. The dealer could never tell me what the real problem was and never fixing the issue. I had the entire front end replaced and had rear springs,shocks and bearings replaced in rear. I mean entire front end was replaced. The control arms, struts, bearings, bushings in sway bar and links, tie rods inner and outer. The problem with clunking noise went away for less than a week. I am disappointed with this HHR. I also had intermediate shaft in steering column replaced because they said that was an issue as well. The dealer said I drove poorly to recreate problems. I happened to have my dad with me at the time. He told the service manager that regardless of driving habits it should last longer than a week without major clunking coming back. My dad thinks it was a poorly designed car but thinks I should just get another gm car. I think I am going to break tradition and buy a Hyundai. I figure if all this work was done and no positive results then it probably is a poorly designed car. My wife had bought a new Hyundai Sonata and has driven 25000 miles a year with no problems. There are no customer complaints at all. It's too bad because not only am I never buying another gm product again, but now neither is my sister. She had issues with power steering in her Saturn Ion. It would just randomly stop working. I have always been buy American but why would I continue to buy a product that is destined to fail at low mileage. General Motors will never see another dime from me ever again.

So reading back on the work order for this particular problem the cause "E E2140 link or bushings, front stabililzer shaft at control arm right R&R or replace. 104WGMPP"

Their diagnosis - "23000 found l/f end link has play. suspect cause of noise. replaced end link."

On the same work order they had to machine my brake rotors which had already been machined one time before. At 23775 miles?!

This was only one WO that I could find on the noises from the front end, which puzzles me as I try to keep all the work orders in the same file. What infuriated me even more when I asked more about this being fixed properly I was told I had to bring all my work orders in to the dealership repair shop to PROVE this had been complained about and looked into. WHO has all my work order history? They do. My car is no longer in warranty. I will now demand all copies of all work orders performed on this car.

I have had the shocks replaced twice on this car and now and looking at the third time of having this fixed. My car has 54085 miles on it. Too many times for this problem to keep recurring.

The repair shop that has the car to fix this latest one said it is common in the HHR as the front end is so heavy. Not sure on that reason either. I don't feel safe highway driving with this car as I feel like the front end will fail and I will be stuck in the "middle of nowhere". With all the complaints on this page I fail to see how this has not been addressed yet by the company and constant ignoring of properly fixing the problem. Reminds me of another car we had in the 80's where the replacement part was the problem and after 3 transmissions they finally figured it out.

My husband had the same problem with his 2006 HHR and all they did was lube it. (We no longer have that car.)

Update from Sep 28, 2015: Bought a new car. Tired of being inferred that since I was a woman, I didn't know what I was talking about or experiencing.

The noises that the car was making when going over speed bumps, bumps in the roadway, driving on graveled roads was driving me crazy and beginning to scare me a bit. I took it to authorized repair shop that told me needed new struts, shocks, and the motor mounts really needed to be replaced..I gave authorization to replace struts and shocks to the tune of $1200 after labor added in. I drove the car for about 2000 miles and the sounds came back..took back to garage and they tried to tell me needed motor mounts to tune of $300 and accused me of driving unsafely because one of the new shocks was "blown". Drove my car off and never looked back..reported them to BBB. HHR still making noise and I am living with it although I don't like it.

I have had the front struts and strut mounts replaced three times under warranty, until the warranty expired. The last front struts and strut mount replacement was at approximately 30,000 miles. I now have 42,000 miles and the car is almost undriveable. The front end knocking noise is constant and there is instability in steering. The motor mounts are also loose whenever the car is started or put in to forward or reverse. All of the strut mounts and motor mounts are made by the same manufacturer in China. I have owned very many GM vehicles since 1979 (all new vehicles) and this is the poorest quality I have ever seen. Now I know why smart people steer away from GM these days. It is very sad, as I believe "Made In America" is what we stand for. I will trade it in soon.

I had this clunking sound over bumps for almost two years. I took it the dealership multiple times and even had the service guy get in my car to go over bumps or at angles to hear this.

I believed i was being treated as a stupid female and was made to feel that every time I came in I was becoming a problem. Finally they sent out a mechanical manager who heard the clunking hard knocking sounds and he said he had only heard this one other time and it was this rocker arm or something like that where the bushing were actually not working and it was metal on metal and the sound is worst in morning when it is cold. They fixed the problem. But two years is two years too many and I will not ever let the dealership dismiss me again! I have had one problem after another with the 2007 HHR.

so I’m 25 I have been working on cars since I was 14 years old I think the parts are so poorly made if you keep going to Chevy or whoever fixes your hhr goes to Chevy this is just going to keep happening the car was made cheap and sum parts were made even cheaper don’t get me wrong I love my hhr but do yourself a big favor and buy sum good parts if you need shocks of struts don’t go Chevy try kyb or sum thing I really think it comes down to parts well and techs sum times once winters over here in ny I’m going to fix my whole front end the right way

Honestly, No Beef... For those of you who have the same issue as I had, I took my HHR to a Pep Boys in Phoenix. They had a GM trained mechanic on staff and he diagnosed my problem within an hour. The diagnostic cost went into the repair bill and they had it fixed that afternoon for less than $400. I went to the website and printed off a coupon for $50 and they honored it. As long as they keep the same service and track record, I'll be taking my HHR back there every time.

Replacement time took about 5 to 6 hours. The bushings take about an hour and a half to work on.

Today marks the third set of struts and linkage on my 2007 HHR, the first set were done at 15,000 when the car was only 1.5 years old, the car isn't three yet and they were replaced again today, I also asked for the bowtie to be replaced because the paint was peeling and last week the driver side inside door handle snapped off! Dealer says you can't replace just the handle, it is the whole inside door panel which had to be ordered from Toronto and will take days to get. What the hell is wrong with Chevrolet? Have driven them all my lfe and never had so many issues in such a short time.

2007 Chevy HHR has been in the shop for over 2 weeks now. Running down the list GM gave the dealership for the clunking when going over bumps. First they thought it was the sway bar (whatever that is) and when the part came in it was too short. Waited for another sway bar to come in and when they replaced that part the clunking was still there. Now they want me to pick up my car while they wait for a strut to come in which they claim will take another week. Being so close to my bumper to bumper warranty being up I refuse to pick the car up until it is fixed. I guess we will see if this time they actually figure out what is causing the clunking sound.