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2011 Chevrolet HHR

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 2011 HHR.

Body SUV

The 2011 Chevrolet HHR is a compact SUV that, with its 5-quart oil capacity and recommended 5W-30 viscosity, reflects a straightforward maintenance profile typical of its platform. This model year recorded 203 total owner complaints—the lowest in the HHR’s 2006–2011 production run, compared to the 2006 peak of 1,006—though its most common issue involved the fuel/propulsion system, and it was subject to three recalls. As the final year of the generation, the 2011 HHR represents the model’s most reliable point in terms of owner-reported problems, but the persistent fuel-system complaints and recall count indicate that even this best-performing year still carried notable concerns.

Model year2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006

Quick specs

Fluid capacities, tune-up values and fuel economy at a glance.

Engine oil capacity5 qtOEM · verified

Engine oil type5W-30OEM · verified

Fitment & sizes

Replacement part sizes and factory part numbers — battery, bulbs, filters and belts.

From the factory this vehicle uses a BCI 90 · 600 CCA battery, OE oil filter 12580255. Each part links to every other vehicle that shares it, so a part you already stock may fit more of your fleet than you'd expect.

Battery groupBCI 90 · 600 CCAOEM · verified

Tire sizeP215/55R16OEM · verified

OE service part numbers OEM · verified

Engine oil filter	12580255 alt 12605566
Engine air filter	22731072
Spark plug	12681663
Front wiper blades	84574892
Serpentine belt	12634319
Thermostat	12622410 alt 03522676
Cabin air filter	52493319

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length	176.4 in
Overall width	69.3 in
Overall height	65.4 in
Wheelbase	103.5 in
Curb weight	3155 lb
Track (front / rear)	59.1 / 58.7 in
Weight distribution (front / rear)	57/43

Performance & power Independent road tests

0–60 mph, quarter-mile, horsepower and torque from independent road tests.

Independent road tests for the HHR of this era, listed by trim and engine — this page spans more than one engine, so no single horsepower figure is shown.

6.2–9.4 sec0–60 mph (tested)quickest 6.20 sec — 2008 SS Wagon

Year	Trim / engine	0–60	¼ mile	HP	Drivetrain
2008	SS Wagon 2.0L Turbo I-4	6.20 sec	14.80 sec	260 hp	FWD
2006	2LT Wagon 2.4L I-4	7.90 sec	16.20 sec	172 hp	FWD
2006	2LT Wagon 2.4L I-4	8.00 sec	16.10 sec	172 hp	FWD
2006	2LT Wagon 2.4L I-4	8.90 sec	16.90 sec	172 hp	FWD
2006	2LT Wagon 2.4L I-4	9.00 sec	16.60 sec	172 hp	FWD
2006	2LT Wagon 2.4L I-4	9.40 sec	16.90 sec	172 hp	FWD

Service quick specs OEM factory data

Capacities, torques and tune-up values from the factory service manual.

This engine holds 5 qt of 5W-30 engine oil, DOT 3 brake fluid. Torque the oil drain plug to 18.0 ft-lbs. The firing order is 1-3-4-2.

Lubricants & capacities

Automatic Transmission Fluid	ATF
Automatic Transmission Fluid Capacity	7
Brake Fluid	DOT 3
Engine Coolant	DEX-COOL OR EQUIVALENT
Engine Oil	5W-30
Engine Oil Capacity	5 qt
Engine Oil	5W-30 · SAE 0W
Engine Oil Capacity	5.0 qt

Engine torques

Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts	7.4 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts	10 ft-lbs
Intake Manifold to Engine Bolts	7.4 ft-lbs
Exhaust Manifold to Cylinder Head Bolts	10 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug	18.0 ft-lbs
Engine Oil Pan Drain Plug	18.0 ft-lbs
Engine Valve Cover Bolts	7.4 ft-lbs

Chassis torques

Front Wheel Hub

155 ft-lbs

Ignition

Cylinder Firing Order

1-3-4-2

Battery & A/C

Refrigerant	R134a
Refrigerant Capacity	.90 lbs
Oil Group	PAG
Oil Type	46
Oil Capacity	4.00 oz
Standard BCI Group Number	90
Standard BCI Cranking Performance	600 cca
Standard BCI Group Number	90

Service checks

Pressure Test	20 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief	20 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature	188-206 °F
Pressure Test	15 psi
Radiator Cap Pressure Relief	15 psi
Thermostat Opening Temperature	188-206 °F
Injector Primary Resistance	11-14 @ 50-90 degreesF ohms
Engine Compression	100

Brakes

Brake Application	WITH FN3 (16 inch) CALIPER PR NOS. 1LH/1ZG
Torque Caliper to Bracket	26 ft-lbs
Torque to Knuckle	85 ft-lbs
Minimum Pad Thickness	Front: 0.030; Rear: 0.030 specification
Brake Application	WITH FN3 (16 inch) CALIPER PR NOS. 1LH/1ZG
Rotor Max Parallel Variation	0.001 in
Rotor Runout Limit	0.002 in
Rotor Nominal Thickness From	1.023 in

Multi-step torque procedures OEM · verified

Crankshaft Pulley and/or Damper Bolts — tightening sequence 1 stages

74 ft. lbs., step 2: 125

74 ft. lbs

Factory maintenance schedule OEM · verified

Normal service, condensed from the factory interval matrix.

Under the factory schedule, replace the spark plugs every 100,000 mi; coolant at 150,000 mi. The big-interval services (at 150,000 mi for coolant, and the transmission fluid) are the ones owners most often skip — on a lower-mileage example, assume the original fluids are still in it and check them first.

Every 7,500 mi	Tire & Wheel Assembly (rotate)
Every 25,000 mi	Cabin Air Filter (replace)
Every 50,000 mi	Engine Air Filter Element (replace) · Fuel Evaporative Emission Control System (inspect)
Every 100,000 mi	Spark Plug Wires (inspect) · Spark Plugs (replace)
At 150,000 mi	Accessory Drive Belt (inspect) · Engine Coolant System (drain, flush & refill)

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

Federal data places the 2011 Chevrolet HHR at the favorable end of a generation-long downward trajectory, with owner complaints plummeting to 203 from 515 in 2010 and a high of 1006 in 2006, while recalls fell to a dataset-low of three versus four to six annually across all earlier model years. Complaints trended downward from 2006 through 2009, reversed slightly in 2010, then dropped sharply for 2011, and investigations held at zero as they had in most years except 2008 and 2009. Technical service bulletins remained elevated at 1130, virtually identical to 2010’s 1137 but well above the 759 recorded in 2006, indicating sustained factory service guidance even as formal complaints and recalls diminished. The leading complaint categories for 2011 were Fuel/Propulsion System, Structure, Unknown Or Other, and Engine, and the dataset records 13 crash-related and 3 fire-related complaints without specifying root causes. With the lowest complaint volume and fewest recalls of any year in this record and no federal investigations, 2011 represents the most favorable model year to buy within this generation.

Open recalls

NHTSA campaigns

1130

Service bulletins

Manufacturer communications

ODI investigations

Office of Defects Investigation

203

Owner complaints

13 involved a crash · 3 a fire

NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars

Rollover★★★★★

Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

’06 ’07 ’08 ’09 ’10’11

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 203 complaints on record, top 8 components.

Fuel/Propulsion System39

Structure17

Unknown Or Other12

Engine12

Air Bags12

Steering9

Electrical System,Air Bags8

Electrical System7

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 3 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

14V171000Electrical System:IgnitionReported 10/04/2014

General Motors LLC (GM) is recalling certain model year 2005-2010 Chevrolet Cobalt, 2006-2011 Chevrolet HHR, 2007-2010 Pontiac G5, 2006-2010 Pontiac Solstice, 2003-2007 Saturn Ion, and 2007-2010 Saturn Sky vehicles. In… Remedy: General Motors will notify owners, and for vehicles that were built with the defective ignition cylinder and have not previously had the ignition cylinder replaced with the…

14V047000Air BagsReported 10/02/2014

This defect can affect the safe operation of the airbag system. Until this recall is performed, customers should remove all items from their key rings, leaving only the ignition key. The key fob (if applicable), should… Remedy: GM will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ignition switch, free of charge. An interim notification was issued to owners of 2007 and earlier models on March 10, 2014…

Technical service bulletins NHTSA · verified

Showing 5 of 1130 bulletins on record with NHTSA.

Bulletin	Date	Component	Summary
PIT3271Q	2026-04-01	Unknown Or Other	This preliminary information communicates information about how to determine if a wheel…
PIP6104	2026-03-09	Unknown Or Other	This Preliminary information communicates the steps on how to save a GDS2 Session Log and…
PIP4902V	2026-03-09	Unknown Or Other	This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIP4902U	2026-01-08	Unknown Or Other	This preliminary information advises a dealer on how to email GDS2 session logs into…
PIT5214G	2025-11-20	Unknown Or Other	This Preliminary Information communication provides information to the technician about…

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420

Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1

P0300

Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected

P0171

System too lean — Bank 1

P0455

Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak

P0128

Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature

P0442

Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN

Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific HHR. OEM

Build data

Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.

Recalls

Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Vehicles with shared specs

Find every vehicle that shares this one's battery, bulbs, oil capacity, platform or parts.

Group 90 battery Vehicles taking 5 qt Engine oil filter 12580255 Engine air filter 22731072 Spark plug 12681663 Front wiper blades 84574892

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Vehicle recalls & TSBs OBD-II trouble codes Torque specifications Maintenance schedules Fluid capacities & specs

Frequently asked

How much oil does the 2011 HHR take?

5 qt of 5W-30 MEETING GM DEXOS 1 SPECIFICATION, per the factory manual.

Does the 2011 HHR have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.