
Black plate (8,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Power Lumbar
Press the front or rear of the control to increase or
decrease lumbar support.
See Power Lumbar on page 2‑6.
Second Row Seats
The seatbacks can be folded flat.
For detailed instructions for lowering the seatback(s),
seeSplit Folding Rear Seat on page 2‑12.
1-8

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Section 2 Seats and Restraint System
Head Restraints. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2
Front Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Manual Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4
Seat Height Adjuster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Power Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5
Power Lumbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6
Heated Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7
Reclining Seatbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8
Passenger Folding Seatback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10
Rear Seats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Split Folding Rear Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12
Safety Belts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
Safety Belts: They Are for Everyone . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14
How to Wear Safety Belts Properly . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-19
Lap-Shoulder Belt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-28
Safety Belt Use During Pregnancy . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Safety Belt Extender . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-33
Child Restraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-34
Older Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-34
Infants and Young Children . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-36
Child Restraint Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-40 Where to Put the Restraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-42
Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children
(LATCH) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-43
Securing a Child Restraint in a Rear Seat Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-51
Securing a Child Restraint in the Right Front Seat Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-54
Airbag System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-58
Where Are the Airbags? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-61
When Should an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-63
What Makes an Airbag Inflate? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-64
How Does an Airbag Restrain? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-64
What Will You See After an Airbag Inflates? . . . 2-65
Passenger Sensing System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-66
Servicing Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . 2-72
Adding Equipment to Your Airbag-Equipped Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-72
Restraint System Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2-73
Checking the Restraint Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-73
Replacing Restraint System Parts After a Crash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-74
2-1

Black plate (10,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Passenger Folding Seatback
Your vehicle has a front passenger seat that folds flat.
{WARNING:
If you fold the seatback forward to carry longer
objects, such as skis, be sure any such cargo is
not near an airbag. In a crash, an inflating airbag
might force that object toward a person. This
could cause severe injury or even death. Secure
objects away from the area in which an airbag
would inflate. For more information, seeWhere
Are the Airbags?
on page 2‑61and Loading the
Vehicle on page 5‑22.
{WARNING:
Things you put on this seatback can strike and
injure people in a sudden stop or turn, or in a
crash. Remove or secure all items before driving.
To fold the seatback, do the following: 1. Move the front passenger seat rearward to ensure there is enough room to fold the seatback forward.
See Manual Seats
on page 2‑4for more
information. The head restraint may need to be
removed if the seat is not able to be moved fully
rearward. If removing the head restraint, store it so
that it will not move while the vehicle is in motion.
2. Make sure that the seatback is in an upright position. Use the recliner lever located on the
outboard side of the seat to move the seatback to
the upright position.
2-10

Black plate (12,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Rear Seats
Split Folding Rear Seat
The seatbacks can be folded flat.
To lower the rear seatback(s):1. Move the front seat forward and/or put the front seatback in an upright position so it does not
interfere with folding the rear seatback forward.
2. Open the rear door while the vehicle is parked.
3. The rear head restraint may need to be removed if it interferes with the front seat when the front seat
is moved back in place. If removed, store the head
restraint where it cannot move while the vehicle is
in motion.
Notice: Folding a rear seat with the safety belts still
fastened may cause damage to the seat or the
safety belts. Always unbuckle the safety belts and
return them to their normal stowed position before
folding a rear seat.
4. Move the safety belt out of the way before lowering the seatback. Do not let the safety belt get caught
between the seatback and seat cushion as the
seatback is folded.
2-12

Black plate (46,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
To assist you in locating
the top tether anchors,
this symbol is located
next to each top tether
anchor.
On vehicles equipped with rear seats, the top tether
anchor symbols for the rear outboard positions are on
the lower side of the quarter panels. The top tether
anchor symbols for the rear center position are on the
storage compartment and cargo mat, if equipped.
On vehicles without rear seats, the top tether anchor
symbol is on the lower side of the quarter on the
passenger side, behind the second row door.
If the vehicle is a panel van equipped with a cargo
partition, see the “Cargo Partition Owner Manual
Supplement” for the top tether anchor location and
routing instructions.
Vehicles with Rear Seats
The rear outboard top tether anchors are located on the
cargo floor behind the rear seats.
The rear center top tether anchor is located in a storage
compartment behind the rear seats. Lift the lid of the
storage compartment to access the anchor. You may
have to fold back the cargo mat to access the storage
compartment and the top tether anchor for the rear
center seating position.
Be sure to use an anchor located on the same side of
the vehicle as the seating position where the child
restraint will be placed.
2-46

Black plate (49,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Notice:Do not let the LATCH attachments rub
against the vehicle’ s safety belts. This may damage
these parts. If necessary, move buckled safety belts
to avoid rubbing the LATCH attachments.
Do not fold the empty rear seat with a safety belt
buckled. This could damage the safety belt or the
seat. Unbuckle and return the safety belt to its
stowed position, before folding the seat.
1. Attach and tighten the lower attachments to the lower anchors. If the child restraint does not have
lower attachments or the desired seating position
does not have lower anchors, secure the child
restraint with the top tether and the safety belts.
Refer to your child restraint manufacturer
instructions and the instructions in this manual.
1. 1. Find the lower anchors for the desired seating position.
1. 2. Put the child restraint on the seat.
1. 3. Attach and tighten the lower attachments on the child restraint to the lower anchors. 2. If the child restraint manufacturer recommends that
the top tether be attached, attach and tighten the
top tether to the top tether anchor, if equipped.
Refer to the child restraint instructions and the
following steps:
2. 1. To secure a child restraint in the rear center
seating position, find the storage
compartment behind the rear seats. You may
have to fold back the cargo mat to access the
storage compartment and the top tether
anchor.
Lift the lid of the storage compartment to
access the top tether anchor for the rear
center seating position.
2. 2. To secure a child restraint in the rear outboard seating positions, find the top tether
anchor located on the cargo floor behind the
rear seats.
Be sure to use an anchor located on the
same side of the vehicle as the seating
position where the child restraint will be
placed.
2-49

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

Black plate (27,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
{WARNING:
Do not load the vehicle any heavier than the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR),
or either the maximum front or rear Gross
Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). If you do, parts
on the vehicle can break, and it can change
the way the vehicle handles. These could
cause you to lose control and crash. Also,
overloading can shorten the life of the
vehicle.
Notice :Overloading the vehicle may cause
damage. Repairs would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. Do not overload the vehicle.
If you put things inside your vehicle —like
suitcases, tools, packages, or anything
else —they will go as fast as the vehicle goes.
If you have to stop or turn quickly, or if there is a
crash, they will keep going.
{WARNING:
Things you put inside your vehicle can strike
and injure people in a sudden stop or turn,
or in a crash.
.Put things in the cargo area of your
vehicle. Try to spread the weight evenly.
.Never stack heavier things, like
suitcases, inside the vehicle so that some
of them are above the tops of the seats.
.Do not leave an unsecured child restraint
in your vehicle.
.When you carry something inside the
vehicle, secure it whenever you can.
.Do not leave a seat folded down unless
you need to.
5-27