
Black plate (23,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Battery
This vehicle has a maintenance free battery located in
the cargo area. Access to the battery is not necessary
to jump start the vehicle. There are positive (+) and
negative (−) terminals in the engine compartment.
SeeBattery
on page 6‑33andJump Startingon
page 6‑34.
Roadside Assistance Program
U.S.: 1-800-CHEV-USA (1-800-243-8872)
TTY Users: 1-888-889-2438
Canada: 1-800-268-6800
As the owner of a new Chevrolet, you are automatically
enrolled in the Roadside Assistance program. This
program provides technically trained advisors who are
available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, minor repair
information or towing arrangements.
For more information see Roadside Assistance Program
on page 8‑6.
Roadside Assistance and OnStar
If you have a current OnStar subscription, press theQbutton and the current GPS location will be sent to
an OnStar Advisor who will assess your problem,
contact Roadside Assistance, and relay exact location
to get you the help you need.
Online Owner Center
The Online Owner Center is a complimentary service
that includes online service reminders, vehicle
maintenance tips, online owner manual, special
privileges and more.
Sign up today at: www.chevyownercenter.com (U.S.)
or www.gm.ca (Canada).
OnStar®
For vehicles with an active OnStar subscription, OnStar
uses several innovative technologies and live advisors
to provide a wide range of safety, security, navigation,
diagnostics, and calling services.
Automatic Crash Response
In a crash, built‐in sensors can automatically alert an
OnStar advisor who is immediately connected to the
vehicle to see if you need help.
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Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Shifting Out of Park (Automatic
Transmission)
This vehicle is equipped with an electronic shift lock
release system. The shift lock release is designed to:
.Prevent ignition key removal unless the shift lever
is in P (Park) with the shift lever button fully
released, and
.Prevent movement of the shift lever out of P (Park)
unless the ignition is in ON/RUN or ACC/
ACCESSORY and the regular brake pedal is
applied.
The shift lock release is always functional except in the
case of a an uncharged or low voltage (less than 9 volt)
battery.
If the vehicle has an uncharged battery or a battery with
low voltage, try charging or jump starting the battery.
See Jump Starting
on page 6‑34for more information.
To shift out of P (Park): 1. Apply the brake pedal.
2. Then press the shift lever button.
3. Move the shift lever to the desired position. If you still are unable to shift out of P (Park):
1. Fully release the shift lever button.
2. While holding down the brake pedal, press the shift lever button again.
3. Move the shift lever to the desired position.
If you still cannot move the shift lever from P (Park),
consult your dealer or a professional towing service.
Parking the Vehicle (Manual
Transmission)
Before leaving the vehicle, fully press the clutch pedal
down, move the shift lever into R (Reverse), and firmly
apply the parking brake. Once the shift lever has been
placed in R (Reverse) with the clutch pedal pressed
down, the ignition key can be turned to LOCK/OFF, then
remove the key and release the clutch pedal. See
Manual Transmission Operation on page 3‑29.
If parking on a hill and pulling a trailer, see Towing a
Trailer (Automatic Transmission)
on page 5‑31or
Towing a Trailer (Manual Transmission) on page 5‑37.
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Black plate (4,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
allowing realistic following distances eliminates a lot of
unnecessary braking. That means better braking and
longer brake life.
If the engine ever stops while the vehicle is being
driven, brake normally but do not pump the brakes.
If the brakes are pumped, the pedal could get harder to
push down. If the engine stops, there will still be some
power brake assist but it will be used when the brake is
applied. Once the power assist is used up, it can take
longer to stop and the brake pedal will be harder
to push.
If the vehicle has Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and
the 2.0L turbocharged engine, it also has a hydraulic
brake boost feature which supplements the power brake
system to maintain consistent brake performance under
conditions of low brake booster vacuum. Low brake
booster vacuum conditions can include initial start up
after the vehicle has been parked for several hours,
very frequent brake stops, or high altitude driving. When
hydraulic brake boost is active, minor brake pulsation or
movement might be felt but this is normal. If brake pedal
feel changes or the brake pedal feels hard to push, the
system might not be receiving the intended brake boost
and the SVC BRAKE SYSTEM DIC message may be
displayed.
Adding non‐dealer accessories can affect vehicle
performance. SeeAccessories and Modifications
on
page 6‑3.
Antilock Brake System (ABS)
The vehicle might have the Antilock Brake
System (ABS), an advanced electronic braking
system that helps prevent a braking skid.
If the vehicle has ABS,
this warning light on the
instrument panel comes
on briefly when the
vehicle is started.
When the engine is started, or when the vehicle begins
to drive away, ABS checks itself. A momentary motor or
clicking noise might be heard while this test is going on,
and it might even be noticed that the brake pedal
moves or pulses a little. This is normal.
Let us say the road is wet and you are driving safely.
Suddenly, an animal jumps out in front of you. You slam
on the brakes and continue braking. Here is what
happens with ABS:
A computer senses that the wheels are slowing down.
If one of the wheels is about to stop rolling, the
computer will separately work the brakes at each wheel.
5-4

Black plate (1,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Section 6 Service and Appearance Care
Service. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
Accessories and Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-3
California Proposition 65 Warning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
California Perchlorate Materials Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Doing Your Own Service Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4
Adding Equipment to the Outside of the Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5
Gasoline Octane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Gasoline Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
California Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7
Fuel E85 (85% Ethanol) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8
Fuels in Foreign Countries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Filling the Tank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9
Filling a Portable Fuel Container . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12
Checking Things Under the Hood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6-12
Hood Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13
Engine Compartment Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16
Engine Oil Life System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19
Engine Air Cleaner/Filter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20
Automatic Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21
Manual Transmission Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22
Hydraulic Clutch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22 Cooling System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22
Engine Coolant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24
Engine Overheating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-28
Windshield Washer Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-30
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-33
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-34
Headlamp Aiming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-38
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-41
Halogen Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-41
Headlamps, Front Turn Signal, and Parking Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-41
Center High-Mounted Stoplamp (CHMSL) . . . . . 6-43
Taillamps, Turn Signal, Stoplamps and Back-up Lamps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-44
License Plate Lamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-45
Replacement Bulbs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-45
Windshield Wiper Blade Replacement . . . . . . . . . . .6-46
Tires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-47
Tire Sidewall Labeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-48
Tire Terminology and Definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-51
Inflation - Tire Pressure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-54
Tire Pressure Monitor System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-55
Tire Pressure Monitor Operation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-57
Tire Inspection and Rotation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-60
6-1

Black plate (15,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
A. Windshield Washer Fluid Reservoir. See“Adding
Washer Fluid” underWindshield Washer Fluidon
page 6‑30.
B. Pressure Cap. See Cooling System on page 6‑22.
C. Coolant Recovery Tank. See “Checking Coolant”
under Engine Coolant on page 6‑24.
D. Engine Air Cleaner/Filter. See Engine Air Cleaner/
Filter on page 6‑20.
E. Electric Engine Cooling Fan (Out of View). See Cooling System Cooling System on page 6‑22.
F. Engine Oil Fill Cap. See “When to Add Engine Oil”
under Engine Oil on page 6‑16. G. Engine Oil Dipstick (Out of View). See
“Checking
Engine Oil” underEngine Oil on page 6‑16.
H. Brake Master Cylinder Reservoir. See Brakeson
page 6‑30and Hydraulic Clutch on page 6‑22.
I. Remote Positive (+) Terminal. See Jump Starting
on page 6‑34.
J. Engine Compartment Fuse Block. See Engine
Compartment Fuse Block on page 6‑104.
K. Remote Negative (−) Terminal (Out of View). See Jump Starting on page 6‑34.
6-15

Black plate (33,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Replacing Brake System Parts
The braking system on a vehicle is complex. Its many
parts have to be of top quality and work well together if
the vehicle is to have really good braking. The vehicle
was designed and tested with top-quality brake parts.
When parts of the braking system are replaced—for
example, when the brake linings wear down and new
ones are installed —be sure to get new approved
replacement parts. If this is not done, the brakes might
not work properly. For example, if someone puts in
brake linings that are wrong for the vehicle, the balance
between the front and rear brakes can change —for the
worse. The braking performance expected can change
in many other ways if the wrong replacement brake
parts are installed.
Battery
Refer to the replacement number on the original battery
label when a new battery is needed.
The battery is located in the cargo area. Access to the
battery is not necessary to jump start the vehicle. See
Jump Starting on page 6‑34.
{DANGER:
Battery posts, terminals, and related accessories
contain lead and lead compounds, chemicals
known to the State of California to cause cancer
and reproductive harm. Wash hands after
handling.
Vehicle Storage
{WARNING:
Batteries have acid that can burn you and gas
that can explode. You can be badly hurt if you are
not careful. See Jump Starting
on page 6‑34for
tips on working around a battery without
getting hurt.
Infrequent Usage: Remove the black, negative (−) cable
from the battery to keep the battery from running down.
Extended Storage: Remove the black, negative (−)
cable from the battery or use a battery trickle charger.
6-33

Black plate (34,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
Jump Starting
For more information about the vehicle battery, see
Battery on page 6‑33.
If the vehicle's battery has run down, you may want to
use another vehicle and some jumper cables to start the
vehicle. Be sure to use the following steps to do it
safely.
{WARNING:
Batteries can hurt you. They can be dangerous
because:
.They contain acid that can burn you.
.They contain gas that can explode or ignite.
.They contain enough electricity to burn you.
If you do not follow these steps exactly, some or
all of these things can hurt you.
Notice: Ignoring these steps could result in costly
damage to the vehicle that would not be covered by
the warranty.
Trying to start the vehicle by pushing or pulling it
will not work, and it could damage the vehicle.
1. Check the other vehicle. It must have a 12-volt battery with a negative ground system. Notice:
If the other vehicle's system is not a
12-volt system with a negative ground, both
vehicles can be damaged. Only use vehicles with
12-volt systems with negative grounds to jump start
your vehicle.
2. Get the vehicles close enough so the jumper cables can reach, but be sure the vehicles are not
touching each other. If they are, it could cause a
ground connection you do not want. You would not
be able to start the vehicle, and the bad grounding
could damage the electrical systems.
To avoid the possibility of the vehicles rolling, set
the parking brake firmly on both vehicles involved
in the jump start procedure. Put an automatic
transmission in P (Park) or a manual transmission
in N (Neutral) before setting the parking brake.
Notice: If you leave the radio or other accessories
on during the jump starting procedure, they could
be damaged. The repairs would not be covered by
the warranty. Always turn off the radio and other
accessories when jump starting the vehicle.
3. Turn off the ignition on both vehicles. Unplug unnecessary accessories plugged into the
cigarette lighter or the accessory power outlet.
Turn off the radio and all lamps that are not
needed. This will avoid sparks and help save both
batteries. And it could save the radio!
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Black plate (35,1)Chevrolet HHR Owner Manual - 2011
4. Open the hood on the other vehicle and locate thepositive (+) and negative (−) terminal locations on
that vehicle.
You will not see the battery of your vehicle under
the hood. It is located in the rear cargo area. You
will not need to access your battery for jump
starting. The vehicle has a remote positive (+) and
a remote negative (−) jump starting terminal.
Locate the remote
positive terminal which is
located under a red
tethered cap on the
engine compartment fuse
block. Remove the cap to
access the terminal.
Do not remove fuse block cover to jump start the
vehicle.
Locate the remote
negative (−) ground
terminal, marked GND (−),
which is located at the
front of the engine
compartment on the driver
side of the vehicle.
See Engine Compartment Overview
on page 6‑14for more information on the location of the
positive (+) and negative (−) terminals on the
vehicle.
{WARNING:
An electric fan can start up even when the engine
is not running and can injure you. Keep hands,
clothing and tools away from any underhood
electric fan.
6-35