
Black plate (65,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
What Will You See After an Airbag
Inflates?
After the frontal airbags inflate, they quickly deflate, so
quickly that some people may not even realize an
airbag inflated. Roof-rail airbags may still be at least
partially inflated for some time after they deploy. Some
components of the airbag module may be hot for
several minutes. For location of the airbag modules, see
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? on page 2‑64.
The parts of the airbag that come into contact with you
may be warm, but not too hot to touch. There may be
some smoke and dust coming from the vents in the
deflated airbags. Airbag inflation does not prevent the
driver from seeing out of the windshield or being able to
steer the vehicle, nor does it prevent people from
leaving the vehicle.
{WARNING:
When an airbag inflates, there may be dust in the
air. This dust could cause breathing problems for
people with a history of asthma or other breathing
trouble. To avoid this, everyone in the vehicle
should get out as soon as it is safe to do so.
If you have breathing problems but cannot get out
of the vehicle after an airbag inflates, then get
fresh air by opening a window or a door. If you
experience breathing problems following an airbag
deployment, you should seek medical attention.
The vehicle has a feature that may automatically unlock
the doors, turn on the interior lamps and hazard warning
flashers, and shut off the fuel system after the airbags
inflate. You can lock the doors, turn off the interior
lamps and hazard warning flashers by using the
controls for those features.
2-65

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Section 3 Features and Controls
Keys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4
Remote Vehicle Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-6
Doors and Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-8
Power Door Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Delayed Locking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9
Automatic Door Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Programmable Automatic Door Unlock . . . . . . . . 3-10
Rear Door Security Locks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10
Lockout Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Rear Side Cargo Door . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Liftgate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11
Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-15
Power Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-16
Sun Visors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17 Theft-Deterrent Systems
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3-17
Content Theft-Deterrent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-17
PASS-Key
®III+ Electronic Immobilizer . . . . . . . . . 3-19
PASS-Key®III+ Electronic Immobilizer
Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-19
Starting and Operating Your Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . .3-20
New Vehicle Break-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-20
Ignition Positions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-21
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Starting the Engine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-24
Engine Coolant Heater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-25
Automatic Transmission Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-26
Manual Transmission Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-29
Parking Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-30
Shifting Into Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . 3-31
Shifting Out of Park (Automatic Transmission) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-33
Parking the Vehicle (Manual Transmission) . . . . 3-33
Parking Over Things That Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Engine Exhaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-34
Running the Vehicle While Parked . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-35
3-1

Black plate (3,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Keys
{WARNING:
Leaving children in a vehicle with the ignition key
is dangerous for many reasons. Children or others
could be badly injured or even killed. They could
operate the power windows or other controls or
even make the vehicle move. The windows will
function with the keys in the ignition and children
could be seriously injured or killed if caught in the
path of a closing window. Do not leave the keys in
a vehicle with children.
The key can be used for the ignition and the driver's
door lock.
The key has a transponder in the key head that
matches a decoder in the vehicle's steering column. If a
replacement key or any additional keys are needed, you
must purchase it from your dealer.
The key has a bar-coded key tag that the dealer or
qualified locksmith can use to make new keys. Store
this information in a safe place, not in your vehicle.
3-3

Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Notice:If the keys get locked in the vehicle, it may
have to be damaged to get them out. Always carry a
spare key.
If you are locked out of your vehicle, contact Roadside
Assistance. See Roadside Assistance Program
on
page 8‑6for more information.
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
See Radio Frequency Statementon page 8‑17for
information regarding Part 15 of the Federal
Communications Commission (FCC) rules and Industry
Canada Standards RSS-210/220/310.
If there is a decrease in the RKE operating range,
try this:
.Check the distance. The transmitter may be too far
from the vehicle. Stand closer during rainy or
snowy weather.
.Check the location. Other vehicles or objects may
be blocking the signal. Take a few steps to the left
or right, hold the transmitter higher, and try again.
.Check the transmitter's battery. See “Battery
Replacement” later in this section.
.If the transmitter is still not working correctly, see
your dealer or a qualified technician for service.
Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) System
Operation
The Remote Keyless Entry (RKE) transmitter functions
work up to 60 feet (18 m) away from the vehicle.
There are other conditions which can affect the
performance of the transmitter. See Remote Keyless
Entry (RKE) System on page 3‑4.
With Remote Start
and Remote Rear Doors Shown, Without Similar
/(Remote Vehicle Start): For vehicles with this
feature, press to start the engine from outside the
vehicle using the RKE transmitter. See Remote Vehicle
Start
on page 3‑6for additional information.
3-4

Black plate (5,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Q(Lock):Press to lock all the doors. The interior
lamps turn off after all of the doors are closed.
If enabled through the Driver Information Center (DIC),
the parking lamps flash once to indicate locking has
occurred. If enabled through the DIC, the horn chirps to
indicate locking has occurred. See “LOCK HORN”
under DIC Vehicle Personalization
on page 4‑45for
more information.
Pressing
Qmay arm the content theft-deterrent system.
See Content Theft-Deterrent on page 3‑17.
K(Unlock): Press once to unlock the driver door.
If enabled through the DIC, the horn chirps to indicate
unlocking has occurred. See “UNLOCK HORN”under
DIC Vehicle Personalization
on page 4‑45for more
information. If
Kis pressed again within five seconds,
all remaining doors and the liftgate unlock. The interior
lamps come on and stay on for 20 seconds or until the
ignition is turned on. If enabled through the DIC, the
parking lamps flash twice to indicate unlocking has
occurred and the high beams and parking lamps may
turn on and stay on for 20 seconds or until a door is
opened. See LIGHT FLASH and EXT (Exterior) LIGHTS
under DIC Vehicle Personalization
on page 4‑45for
additional information.
L(Vehicle Locator/Panic Alarm): Press and release
to activate the vehicle locate feature. The horn chirps
three times and the headlamps and parking lamps flash
three times.
Press and hold
Lfor three seconds to sound the panic
alarm. The horn chirps and the headlamps and parking
lamps flash for 30 seconds. Press
Lagain to cancel
the panic alarm.
Remote Rear Door Operation (Panel)
*: Press and hold for about one second to open the
rear driver side door.
+: Press and hold for about one second to open the
rear passenger side door.
Programming Transmitters to the
Vehicle
Only RKE transmitters programmed to the vehicle will
work. If a transmitter is lost or stolen, a replacement can
be purchased and programmed through your dealer.
When the replacement transmitter is programmed to the
vehicle, all remaining transmitters must also be
programmed. Any lost or stolen transmitters no longer
work once the new transmitter is programmed. Each
vehicle can have up to four transmitters programmed
to it.
3-5

Black plate (7,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
To start the engine using the remote start feature:1. Aim the RKE transmitter at the vehicle.
2. Press and release the transmitter's lock button, then immediately press and hold the remote
vehicle start button for four seconds or until the
vehicle's turn signal lamps flash.
When the vehicle's engine starts, the parking
lamps will turn on and remain on while the engine
is running. The vehicle's doors will be locked.
3. If it is the first remote start since the vehicle has been driven, repeat these steps, while the engine
is still running, to extend the engine running time
by 10 minutes. Remote start can be extended
one time.
After entering the vehicle during a remote start, insert
and turn the key to ON/RUN to drive the vehicle.
After a remote start, the engine will automatically shut
off after 10 minutes unless a time extension has been
done or the vehicle's key is inserted into the ignition
switch and turned to ON/RUN.
The maximum number of remote starts between ignition
cycles with the key is two.
If the remote start procedure is used again before the
first 10 minute time frame has ended, the first
10 minutes will immediately expire and the second
10 minute time frame will start. After your vehicle's engine has been started two times
using the remote start button, the vehicle's ignition
switch must be turned to ON/RUN and then back to
LOCK/OFF using the key before the remote start
procedure can be used again.
To manually shut off the engine after a remote start:
.Aim the RKE transmitter at the vehicle and press
the remote start button until the parking lamps
turn off.
.Turn on the hazard warning flashers. See
Hazard
Warning Flashers on page 4‑3.
.Insert the vehicle's key into the ignition switch and
turn the switch to ON/RUN and then back to
LOCK/OFF.
The remote vehicle start feature will not operate if:
.The vehicle's key is in the ignition.
.The vehicle's hood is open
.The hazard warning flashers are on.
.There is an emission control system malfunction.
See Malfunction Indicator Lamp on page 4‑33.
.The engine coolant temperature is too high.
.The oil pressure is low.
.Two remote vehicle starts have already been
provided.
3-7

Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Doors and Locks
Door Locks
{WARNING:
Unlocked doors can be dangerous.
.Passengers, especially children, can easily
open the doors and fall out of a moving
vehicle. When a door is locked, the handle will
not open it. The chance of being thrown out of
the vehicle in a crash is increased if the doors
are not locked. So, all passengers should
wear safety belts properly and the doors
should be locked whenever the vehicle is
driven.
.Young children who get into unlocked vehicles
may be unable to get out. A child can be
overcome by extreme heat and can suffer
permanent injuries or even death from heat
stroke. Always lock the vehicle whenever
leaving it.(Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
.Outsiders can easily enter through an
unlocked door when you slow down or stop
your vehicle. Locking your doors can help
prevent this from happening.
There are several ways to lock and unlock your vehicle.
To lock the driver's door from the outside, turn the key
clockwise. To unlock the door, turn the key
counterclockwise.
You can also use the remote keyless entry transmitter
to lock and unlock the doors.
From the inside, use the manual lock knobs on each
door or the power door lock switch to lock and unlock
all doors.
3-8

Black plate (9,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Power Door Locks
Driver's side shown,
Passenger's side similar The power door lock
switches are located on
the driver's and front
passenger's door next to
the door handle.
Press the top of the switch to unlock the doors. Press
the bottom of the switch to lock the doors.
Delayed Locking
This feature will delay the actual locking of the doors
and liftgate when the power door lock switch or remote
keyless entry transmitter is used to lock the vehicle.
If any door is open when locking the vehicle, three
chimes will sound signaling that the delayed locking
feature is active. Five seconds after the last door is
closed, all of the doors and liftgate will lock. The turn
signal lamps will flash to indicate that the doors have
been locked. To cancel the delay and lock the doors
immediately, press the lock button a second time.
If the key is in the ignition this feature will not lock the
doors.
If your vehicle has a Driver Information Center (DIC),
you can disable this function. See DIC Vehicle
Personalization on page 4‑45.
3-9