2011 CHEVROLET HHR warning

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 (12,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Open the liftgate by pressing the touchpad located in
the handle above the license plate. Once slightly
opened, the liftgate will rise by itself. Lamps in the rear
of the vehicle will come on, illuminating the rear cargo
area, unless the dome lamp lever is in the off position.
For more information, seeDome Lamp on page 4‑14.
Notice: If you open the liftgate without checking for
overhead obstructions such as a garage door, you
could damage the liftgate or the liftgate glass.
Always check to make sure the area above and
behind the liftgate is clear before opening it.
{WARNING:
Exhaust gases can enter the vehicle if it is driven
with the liftgate, trunk/hatch open, or with any
objects that pass through the seal between the
body and the trunk/hatch or liftgate. Engine
exhaust contains Carbon Monoxide (CO) which
cannot be seen or smelled. It can cause
unconsciousness and even death.
(Continued)
WARNING: (Continued)
If the vehicle must be driven with the liftgate,
or trunk/hatch open:
.Close all of the windows.
.Fully open the air outlets on or under the
instrument panel.
.Adjust the Climate Control system to a setting
that brings in only outside air and set the fan
speed to the highest setting. See Climate
Control System in the Index.
.If the vehicle is equipped with a power liftgate,
disable the power liftgate function.
For more information about carbon monoxide, see
Engine Exhaust on page 3‑34.
3-12

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Windows
{WARNING:
Leaving children, helpless adults, or pets in a
vehicle with the windows closed is dangerous.
They can be overcome by the extreme heat and
suffer permanent injuries or even death from heat
stroke. Never leave a child, a helpless adult, or a
pet alone in a vehicle, especially with the windows
closed in warm or hot weather.
The vehicle aerodynamics are designed to improve fuel
economy performance. This may result in a pulsing
sound when either rear window is down and the front
windows are up. To reduce the sound, open either a
front window or the sunroof (if equipped).
3-15

Black plate (16,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Power Windows
{WARNING:
Leaving children in a vehicle with the keys 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 and they could be seriously injured or
killed if caught in the path of a closing window.
Do not leave keys in a vehicle with children.
When there are children in the rear seat use the
window lockout button to prevent unintentional
operation of the windows.
Driver's Side Shown
The power window controls are located on each of the
side doors. The driver's door also has switches that
control the passenger and rear windows.
Press the switch to lower the window. Pull up on the
front edge of the switch to raise the window.
The power windows work when the ignition has been
turned to ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/RUN or when
Retained Accessory Power (RAP) is active. See
Retained Accessory Power (RAP)
on page 3‑24.
3-16

Black plate (22,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
3. Come to a complete stop, shift to P (Park), andturn the ignition to LOCK/OFF. On vehicles with an
automatic transmission, the shift lever must be in
P (Park) to turn the ignition switch to the LOCK/
OFF position.
4. Set the parking brake. See Parking Brake
on
page 3‑30.
The steering can bind with the wheel turned off center.
If this happens, move it from right to left while turning
the key to ACC/ACCESSORY. If this does not work,
then the vehicle needs service.
{WARNING:
If you have a manual transmission removing the
key from the ignition switch will lock the steering
column and result in a loss of ability to steer the
vehicle. This could cause a collision. If you need
to turn the engine off while the vehicle is moving,
turn the key to ACC/ACCESSORY. ACC (ACC/ACCESSORY):
This position operates
some of the electrical accessories. It unlocks the
steering wheel and ignition.
R (ON/RUN): This is the position in which you can
operate the electrical accessories and to display some
instrument panel cluster warning and indicator lights.
The switch stays in this position when the engine is
running.
If you leave the key in the ACC/ACCESSORY or ON/
RUN position with the engine off, the battery could be
drained. You may not be able to start the vehicle if the
battery is allowed to drain for an extended period
of time.
/ (START): This position starts the engine. When the
engine starts, release the key. The ignition switch will
return to ON/RUN for driving.
A warning tone will sound when the driver door is
opened, the ignition is in LOCK/OFF or ACC/
ACCESSORY and the key is in the ignition.
3-22

Black plate (26,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
To Use the Engine Coolant Heater
1. Turn off the engine.
2. Open the hood and unwrap the electrical cord. Theelectrical cord is located on the passenger side of
the vehicle near the headlamp and the radiator.
3. Plug it into a normal, grounded 110-volt AC outlet.
{WARNING:
Plugging the cord into an ungrounded outlet could
cause an electrical shock. Also, the wrong kind of
extension cord could overheat and cause a fire.
You could be seriously injured. Plug the cord into
a properly grounded three-prong 110-volt AC
outlet. If the cord will not reach, use a heavy-duty
three-prong extension cord rated for at least
15 amps.
4. Before starting the engine, be sure to unplug and store the cord as it was before to keep it away from
moving engine parts, to prevent damage.
The length of time the heater should remain plugged in
depends on several factors. Ask a dealer in the area
where you will be parking the vehicle for the best advice
on this.
Automatic Transmission Operation
If the vehicle has an automatic transmission, the shift
lever is located on the console between the seats.
There are several
different positions for the
automatic transmission.
P (Park): This position locks the front wheels. It is the
best position to use when starting the engine because
the vehicle cannot move easily.
{WARNING:
It is dangerous to get out of the vehicle if the shift
lever is not fully in P (Park) with the parking brake
firmly set. The vehicle can roll.
(Continued)
3-26

Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
WARNING: (Continued)
Do not leave the vehicle when the engine is
running unless you have to. If you have left the
engine running, the vehicle can move suddenly.
You or others could be injured. To be sure the
vehicle will not move, even when you are on fairly
level ground, always set the parking brake and
move the shift lever to P (Park). SeeShifting Into
Park (Automatic Transmission)
on page 3‑31.
If you are pulling a trailer, see Towing a Trailer
(Automatic Transmission)
on page 5‑31or
Towing a Trailer (Manual Transmission)
on
page 5‑37
.
Make sure the shift lever is fully in P (Park) before
starting the engine. The vehicle has an automatic
transmission shift lock control system. You have to fully
apply the regular brakes first and then press the shift
lever button before the vehicle can shift from P (Park)
when the ignition key is in ON/RUN. If the vehicle
cannot shift out of P (Park), ease pressure on the shift
lever and push the shift lever all the way into P (Park)
as you maintain brake application. Then press the shift
lever button and then move the shift lever into another
gear. See Shifting Out of Park (Automatic Transmission)
on page 3‑33. R (Reverse):
Use this gear to back up.
Notice: Shifting to R (Reverse) while the vehicle is
moving forward could damage the transmission.
The repairs would not be covered by the vehicle
warranty. Shift to R (Reverse) only after the vehicle
is stopped.
To rock your vehicle back and forth to get out of snow,
ice, or sand without damaging the transmission, see If
Your Vehicle is Stuck in Sand, Mud, Ice, or Snow
on
page 5‑21.
N (Neutral): In this position, the engine does not
connect with the wheels. To restart the engine when the
vehicle is already moving, use N (Neutral) only. Also,
use N (Neutral) when the vehicle is being towed.
{WARNING:
Shifting into a drive gear while the engine is
running at high speed is dangerous. Unless your
foot is firmly on the brake pedal, the vehicle could
move very rapidly. You could lose control and hit
people or objects. Do not shift into a drive gear
while the engine is running at high speed.
3-27

Black plate (30,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Shift Speeds
{WARNING:
If you skip a gear when you downshift, you could
lose control of the vehicle. You could injure
yourself or others. Do not shift down more than
one gear at a time when you downshift.
Up-Shift Light
If the vehicle has a
manual transmission,
there may be an up-shift
light. This light will show
you when to shift to the
next higher gear for the
best fuel economy.
When this light comes on, you can shift to the next
higher gear if weather, road, and traffic conditions let
you. For the best fuel economy, accelerate slowly and
shift when the light comes on.
While accelerating, it is normal for the light to go on and
off if you quickly change the position of the accelerator.
Ignore the light when downshifting.
Parking Brake
The parking brake lever is located between the front
seats.
{WARNING:
If the front passenger seat back is folded down,
the armrest may make it awkward to grab and pull
up the parking brake lever. If the lever is not
pulled up far enough, the vehicle may roll and you (Continued)
3-30