
Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Section 4 Instrument Panel
Instrument Panel Overview. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4-3
Hazard Warning Flashers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Horn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Tilt Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Turn and Lane-Change Signals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-4
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Flash-to-Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Windshield Wipers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5
Windshield Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6
Rear Window Wiper/Washer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7
Cruise Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-8
Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11
Wiper Activated Headlamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Headlamps on Reminder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12
Automatic Headlamp System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Fog Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13
Instrument Panel Brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Dome Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Entry/Exit Lighting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Reading Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14
Electric Power Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Battery Run-Down Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Accessory Power Outlet(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-15
Ashtray(s) and Cigarette Lighter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-17 Climate Controls
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Climate Control System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18
Outlet Adjustment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20
Passenger Compartment Air Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-21
Warning Lights, Gauges, and Indicators . . . . . . . .4-22
Instrument Panel Cluster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-23
Speedometer and Odometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24
Tachometer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-24
Safety Belt Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-25
Airbag Readiness Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-26
Passenger Airbag Status Indicator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-27
Charging System Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-28
Up-Shift Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-28
Brake System Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-29
Antilock Brake System (ABS) Warning Light . . . 4-30
Enhanced Traction System (ETS) Indicator/ Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-30
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)/Traction Control System (TCS) Indicator/Warning
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-31
Engine Coolant Temperature Warning Light . . . . 4-32
Engine Coolant Temperature Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . 4-32
Tire Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33
Malfunction Indicator Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-33
Oil Pressure Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
Security Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-36
4-1

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Turn Signal/Multifunction Lever
The lever on the left side of the steering column
operates the following:
G:Turn and Lane-Change Signals
5 3:Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
O:Exterior Lamp Control
Flash-to-Pass.
Information for these features is on the pages following.
Turn and Lane-Change Signals
An arrow on the
instrument panel cluster
flashes in the direction of
the turn or lane change.
Move the lever all the way up or down to signal a turn.
Raise or lower the lever until the arrow starts to flash to
signal a lane change. Hold it there until the lane change
is complete.
The lever returns to its starting position when it is
released.
If after signaling a turn or a lane change the arrows
flash rapidly or do not come on, a signal bulb could be
burned out.
Have the bulbs replaced. If the bulb is not burned out,
check the fuse. See Fuses and Circuit Breakers
on
page 6‑101.
4-4

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Headlamp High/Low-Beam Changer
To change the headlamps from low beam to high beam,
push the turn signal lever away from you.
This indicator light
appears on the instrument
panel cluster when the
high beams are on.
To change the headlamps from high beam to low beam,
pull the turn signal lever toward you.
Flash-to-Pass
To signal to a driver in front of you that you want to
pass, pull the turn signal/multifunction lever until the
high-beam headlamps come on. Then release the lever
to turn them off.
Windshield Wipers
The windshield wiper lever is on the right side of the
steering wheel.
Move the lever to one of the following positions:
1 (High Speed): Fast wipes.
6 (Low Speed): Slow wipes.
& (Delay): Sets a delay between wipes.
6(Delay/Intermittent Speed Sensitive): When the
lever is in the delay position, turn the band up for more
frequent wipes or down for less frequent wipes.
During intermittent wiping mode, the delay cycle time is
sensitive to vehicle speed. As the vehicle speed
increases the delay cycle time decreases and wiper
movement occurs more frequently.
4-5

Black plate (6,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
9(Off): Turns the windshield wipers off.
8 (Mist): Single wipe, move the lever to
zand then
release it. Several wipes, hold lever on
zlonger.
As an added safety feature, if the wipers are on for
more than 15 seconds, the vehicle's headlamps turn on
automatically. They turn off 15 seconds after the wipers
are turned off.
Clear snow and ice from the wiper blades before using
them. If frozen to the windshield, carefully loosen or
thaw them. Damaged wiper blades should be replaced.
See Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement
on
page 6‑46.
Heavy snow or ice can overload the wiper motor.
A circuit breaker will stop the motor until it cools down.
Windshield Washer
To wash the windshield, press the button at the end of
the lever until the washers begin.
{WARNING:
In freezing weather, do not use your washer until
the windshield is warmed. Otherwise the washer
fluid can form ice on the windshield, blocking your
vision.
When the button is released, the washers will stop, but
the wipers will continue to wipe for about three times or
will resume the speed being used before.
4-6

Black plate (11,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Headlamps
The lever on the left side of the steering column
operates the exterior lamps.
The exterior lamp switch has the following
four positions:
2(Headlamps): Turns on the headlamps, parking
lamps, and taillamps.
; (Parking Lamps): Turns on the parking lamps and
taillamps only. AUTO (Automatic Headlamp System):
Automatically
turns on the Daytime Running Lamps during daytime,
and the headlamps, parking lamps, and taillamps at
night.
P (Off/On): This position is the momentary Off/On
switch for the Automatic Headlamp System. In Canada,
this only works when the vehicles with an automatic
transmission are in P (Park) and vehicles with a manual
transmission have the parking brake set and the vehicle
is not moving.
When operating in AUTO, a momentary turn of the
switch to off/on will turn off the Automatic Headlamp
System. An AUTO LIGHTS OFF message displays on
the Driver Information Center (DIC) and a chime will
sound. Turning the switch to off/on again will turn the
Automatic Headlamp System back on. An AUTO
LIGHTS ON message displays on the DIC. The
Automatic Headlamp System is always turned on at the
beginning of an ignition cycle for vehicles with manual
transmission.
4-11

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Wiper Activated Headlamps
The headlamps and parking lamps are activated
15 seconds after the windshield wipers are turned on.
For this feature to work, automatic lighting must be
enabled. SeeHeadlamps
on page 4‑11for additional
information.
When the ignition is turned off, the wiper-activated
headlamps will immediately turn off. They also turn off
15 seconds after the windshield wiper control is
turned off.
Headlamps on Reminder
If the drivers door is opened with the ignition off and the
lamps on, a warning chime will sound. This indicates
that the headlamps are still on.
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL)
Daytime Running Lamps (DRL) can make it easier for
others to see the front of your vehicle during the day.
Fully functional daytime running lamps are required on
all vehicles first sold in Canada. The vehicle has a light sensor on top of the instrument
panel. Do not cover this sensor or the headlamps will
come on when they are not needed.
The DRL system will make the headlamps come on at
reduced brightness when the following conditions
are met:
.The ignition is on.
.The exterior lamp control is turned to AUTO.
.The light sensor detects daytime light.
.The shift lever is not in P (Park).
While the DRL system is on, the taillamps, sidemarker
lamps, and instrument panel lights will not be on.
For vehicles with an Automatic Transmission, the
DRL system is off any time the vehicle is in P (Park).
For vehicles with a Manual Transmission, the DRL
system will be off when the vehicle is first started, the
park brake is applied, and the vehicle has not moved.
The DRL system on U.S. vehicles can also be turned
off by using the off/on switch for one ignition cycle.
The regular headlamp system should be turned on
when needed.
4-12

Black plate (13,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Automatic Headlamp System
When it is dark enough outside, the automatic system
turns on the headlamps at the normal brightness along
with other lamps such as the taillamps, sidemarker,
parking lamps, instrument panel lights, and interior
switch backlighting.
Do not cover the light sensor, located on top of the
instrument panel. If the sensor is covered the
headlamps may remain on when they are not needed.
If the vehicle is driven through a parking garage,
overcast weather or a tunnel, the automatic headlamp
system may turn on.
There is a delay in the transition between the daytime
and nighttime operation of the automatic lamp control
system so that driving under bridges or bright overhead
street lights does not affect the system. The automatic
lamp control system will only be affected when the light
sensor sees a change in lighting lasting longer than this
delay.
If the vehicle is started in a dark garage, the automatic
lamp system turns on immediately. Once the vehicle
exits the garage, it will take about 20 seconds for the
automatic lamp system to change to DRL if it is light
outside. During that delay, the instrument panel cluster
may not be as bright as usual. Make sure theinstrument panel brightness control is in the full bright
position. See
Instrument Panel Brightnesson
page 4‑14.
To idle the vehicle with the system off, turn the ignition
on and turn the exterior light switch to the off/on
position. For vehicles first sold in Canada, the
transmission must stay in P (Park) for this function or
the parking brake must be set for vehicles with manual
transmissions.
Turn on the regular headlamps when they are needed.
Fog Lamps
For vehicles with fog lamps, the button is located on the
instrument panel, to the right of the steering wheel.
The ignition must be on to use the fog lamps.
#: Press to turn the fog lamps on and off. An indicator
light on the button comes on when the fog lamps
are on.
The parking lamps automatically turn on and off when
the fog lamps are turned on and off.
The fog lamps will turn off while the high-beam
headlamps are turned on.
Some localities have laws that require the headlamps to
be on along with the fog lamps.
4-13

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Electric Power Management
This vehicle has Electric Power Management (EPM), an
advanced control system. It estimates the battery's
temperature and state of charge and then adjusts the
voltage for best performance and extended life of the
battery.
When the battery's state of charge is low, the voltage is
raised slightly to quickly put the charge back in. When
the state of charge is high, the voltage is lowered
slightly to prevent overcharging. If the vehicle has a
voltmeter gauge or voltage display on the Driver
Information Center (DIC), you may see the voltage
move up or down. This is normal. If there is a problem,
an alert will be displayed.
The battery can be discharged at idle if the electrical
loads are very high. This is true for all vehicles. This is
because the generator (alternator) may not be spinning
fast enough at idle to produce all the power that is
needed for very high electrical loads.
A high electrical load occurs when several of the
following loads are on: headlamps, high beams, fog
lamps, rear window defogger, climate control fan at high
speed, heated seats, engine cooling fans, trailer loads,
and loads plugged into accessory power outlets.
EPM works to prevent excessive discharge of the
battery. It does this by balancing the generator's output
and the vehicle's electrical needs. It can increaseengine idle speed to generate more power, whenever
needed. It can temporarily reduce the power demands
of some accessories.
Normally, these actions occur in steps or levels, without
being noticeable. In rare cases at the highest levels of
corrective action, this action may be noticeable to the
driver.
Battery Run-Down Protection
The vehicle has a battery saver feature designed to
protect the vehicle's battery.
When any interior lamp is left on and the ignition is
turned off, the battery rundown protection system
automatically turns the lamp off after 20 minutes. This
prevents draining of the battery.
Accessory Power Outlet(s)
Accessory power outlets can be used to connect
electrical equipment, such as a cell phone or
MP3 player.
The accessory power outlets are located on the
instrument panel below the climate controls and at the
rear of the center console. There may be an outlet in
the rear cargo area on the passenger side.
Remove the cover to access and replace when not
in use.
4-15