2004 CHEVROLET AVEO Complaints

INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) MY NAME IS [XXX], I HAVE A 2004 CHEVROLET AVEO LS WITH A 1.6L ENGINE. ON MAY 21 OF 2010 WHEN I WAS ON MY WAY TO SCHOOL LODI CA, TO SACRAMENTO CA, THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING CRACKED. I WAS UNABLE TO MAKE IT TO CLASS AND HAD TO PAY OVER 100.00 DOLLARS TO GET MY VEHICLE TOWED. WHEN I GOT THE CAR HOME I NOTICED THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS MADE OF A "PLASTIC" MATERIAL. HOW COULD SOMETHING THAT FLOWS COOLANT AND HOLDS SUCH AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE COOLING SYSTEM BE MADE OF "PLASTIC." I THEN DID SOME RESEARCH ON THE PART, AND FINDING OUT THAT THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH A FACTORY CORRECT REPLACEMENT. SO THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME IT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE IS AT 125,000 MILES AND HAS BEEN WELL MAINTAINED, ALL NECESSARY TUNE-UPS, OIL CHANGES, TRANS. FLUID CHANGES, COOLANT FLUSH, PLUGS, ECT. I ALSO KNOW THIS IS NOT THE ONLY AVEO THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO MULTIPLE TIMES. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM FOR THE AVEO. ONCE AGAIN, WHY IS SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT MADE OF "PLASTIC?" I FEEL THAT THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD, FOR EXAMPLE, IF THE ENGINE GOT TO A HIGHER TEMP. THAN IT DID, I WOULD BE LOOKING AT A WARPED HEAD, ARE EVEN WORSE, A CRACKED BLOCK. THAT COULD CAUSE MAJOR DAMAGE AND EVEN A WRECK. I ALSO FEEL CHEVROLET SHOULD TAKE RESPONSIBILITY IN THIS POOR JUDGMENT OF A PART. A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED AND A BETTER QUALITY PART SHOULD BE USED. I AM NOW FORCED TO REPLACE THIS PART WITHOUT ANY ASSISTANCE FROM CHEVROLET, AND IT IS NOT CHEAP. I AM A COLLEGE STUDENT THAT BOUGHT THIS CAR FOR THE ECONOMICAL AND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS "RELIABILITY" VALUE. IF THERE IS ANYTHING YOU CAN DO I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. I AND A LOT OF OTHER PEOPLE WOULD FEEL A RECALL IS DUE FOR THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING. [XXX] *TR

ON MY DAUGHTERS 2004 CHEVY AVEO I HAD THE TIMING BELT, WATER PUMP, AND T'BELT TENSIONER REPLACED AT 59826 MILES, PER MANUFACTURES RECOMMENDATION. ABOUT 20000 MILES LATER THE IDLER PULLEY BROKE, DESTROYED ENGINE. GM HAS NOT RECOMMENDED REPLACING THIS PART PER THEIR MAINTENANCE SCHEDULE , WHY NOT? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNED A 2004 CHEVROLET AVEO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THREE DEER. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND THE CONTACT WAS INJURED. THE CONTACT WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 45,300.

5 MONTHS AGO, WE REPLACED OUR 2004 CHEVY AVEO'S ENGINE DUE TO TIMING BELT FAILURE AND HAD A NEW ONE PUT IN. TODAY (2 WEEKS AFTER) OUR CAR BROKE DOWN AGAIN DUE TO TIMING BELT FAILURE WE ARE FINDING OUT WE ARE NEEDING TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AGAIN! *TR

SMELLED SMOKE GOT ALMOST HOME SAW SMOKE WHITE IN COLOR OPENED HOOD AND SAW THE HOUSING ON THE THERMOSTAT WAS BLOWN AND FLUID SPRAYING OUT WITH STEAM. *TR

WHEN STARTING THE CAR AND THEN TRYING TO SHIFT FROM "P" TO "D" WILL NOT MOVE HAVE TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF PUT KEY IN SHIFT LOCK HOLE AND THEN SHIFT TO "N" AND THEN DEPRESS THE BRAKE, START THE VEHICLE THEN SHIFT DOWN TO "D" OR UP TO "R". *TR

ENGINE DESTROYED BY TIMING CHAIN FAILURE. TIMING CHAIN FAILURE RESULTED IN DAMAGED PISTONS AND VALVES. VEHICLE HAD 95,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

THE TIMING BELT ON MY 2004 CHEVY AVEO BROKE AT 55,000 MILES. GM RECOMMENDS THAT THE TIMING BELT ON AVEOS BE REPLACED AT 60,000 MILES. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS REPORTS OF AVEO TIMING BELTS BREAKING BETWEEN 50,000 TO 56,000 MILES; HOWEVER, GM HAS NOT POSTED A WARNING ON THEIR WEBSITE, NOR HAVE DEALERSHIPS BEEN INFORMED. A CLOSER INSPECTION OF MY CAR REVEALED THAT THE IDLER PULLEY, WHICH IS MADE OF PLASTIC, MELTED AND MOLDED ITSELF TO THE ENGINE BLOCK, WHICH IS WHAT CAUSED THE BELT TO BREAK. *TR

VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP OCT. 2009 NO COMPRESSION REPAIR CLEAN CARBON FROM ENGINE. HAD TIMING BELT REPLACED AT THIS TIME AS PREVENTATIVE MAINT. ENGINE FAILURE ON HIGHWAY MARCH 2010. IDLER PULLEY BROKE BENT ALL VALVES AND BROKE 1 NEED TO REPLACE ENGINE. HAVE READ MANY COMPLAINTS ON LINE SAME ISSUE WITH 04 & 05 CHEVY AVEO

ELECTRICAL PROBLEM OF ALL KINDS, SEATBELT LIGHT WONT SHUT OFF, AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT COMES ON WON'T GO OFF,OVERHEAD LIGHT WONT WORK, OIL LIGHT COMES ON. TAKE IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY JUST RESET IT, THEN IT HAPPENS AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND AGAIN..STARTED AT 500 MILES AND CONTINUES THRU TODAY AT 45000 MILES...JUST A REAL PAIN, HAD TO BY ONE OF THE RESET TOOL CAUSE THE GARAGE STARTED CHARGING ME $50.00 TO CHECK AND RESET IT.. *TR