2004 CHEVROLET AVEO Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET AVEO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE FLOOR MAT SENSOR AND CLOCK SPRING NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 72,950.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET AVEO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE KEY WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION, IT WAS EXTREMELY HOT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT MECHANICS. THE TECHNICIANS WERE UNABLE TO PROPERLY DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

WHILE IN MY DRIVEWAY, I WENT TO TURN IGNITION ON, AND CAR WOULD NOT START. RADIO TURNED OFF. IT WAS NOT UNTIL I FLOORED THE PEDAL THAT THE GAS AND MOTOR STARTED. IT HAPPENS OFF AND ON. ALSO THE KEY AND IGNITION SWITCH ENTRY AREA ARE EXTREMELY HOT. I AM WORRIED THIS IS IN FACT ONE OF THE IGNITION PROBLEMS THAT CHEVY DID NOT LIST OR IS REFUSING TO FIX. PLEASE HELP,. IT IS NOT THE BATTERY. UPDATED 12/8/2014 *JS

THIS IS THE SAME VEHICLE AS NHTSA INCIDENT 10393028 (SNAPPED PLASTIC THERMOSTAT HOUSING UNIT). DRIVING ON A MULTIPLE LANE FREEWAY AT ~65MPH AND THE TIMING BELT SNAPPED (HIGH PITCHED WHISTLE LIKE THE CAR WINDOW WAS SLIGHTLY OPEN). IMMEDIATELY LOST ALL SPEED CONTROL AND BEGAN RAPIDLY DECELERATING. THANKFULLY, WAS IN RIGHT HAND LANE AND WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF THE NEXT AVAILABLE EXIT. LIKELY WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED HAD I BEEN IN ANY OTHER LANE IN MORNING TRAFFIC AND LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE. ONCE STOPPED, CAR COULD NOT BE TURNED BACK ON AND WOULD NOT MOVE UNTIL TURNED INTO ACC MODE WHERE IT FINALLY ALLOWED ME TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. HAD TO BE TOWED, EVENTUALLY TO THE DEALERSHIP. ENGINE DAMAGE WAS CATASTROPHIC AND REQUIRED EXTENSIVE AND EXPENSIVE REPAIRS (3 WEEKS AND APPROXIMATELY $2,700). SNAPPED TIMING BELT ALSO BENT PISTONS AND VALVES AND REQUIRED THE WATER PUMP TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS CLEARLY A KNOWN ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE DEALT WITH BY CHEVROLET, RATHER THAN HIDING BEHIND THE 60,000 MILE REPLACEMENT, WHICH IS LAUGHABLY LOW FOR A TIMING BELT. FURTHER - MY TIMING BELT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN REPLACED AT 50,000 MILES AND THUS NOT ONLY DID A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP LIE TO ME, THEY PUT MY LIFE AT RISK BY KNOWING THIS WAS AN ISSUE THAT WOULD INEVITABLY OCCUR LONG BEFORE THE NEXT SCHEDULED BELT REPLACEMENT. THIS CAR HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED WITH OIL CHANGES EVERY 3,000 MILES AND ONLY 5,000-10,000 MILES DRIVEN/YEAR. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THE TIMING BELT TO SNAP OTHER THAN BEING A FAULTY PART THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED. *TR

I WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25MPH WHEN SUDDENLY I HEARD A STRANGE, LOUD RUBBING/ CLATTERING NOISE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. I PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. MY BOYFRIEND, WHO IS A MECHANIC, LOOKED AT THE ENGINE AND SAID THE TIMING BELT WAS BROKEN. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT RESTART AND HAD TO BE TOWED. NOW I AM FINDING OUT THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM IN THIS PARTICULAR 4 CYLINDER GM VEHICLE. THIS ENGINE IS AN INTERFERENCE ENGINE. THIS MEANS THAT THE ONLY THING PREVENTING THE VALVES FROM STRIKING THE PISTONS DURING VEHICLE OPERATION IS THE TIMING BELT. IF/ WHEN IT BREAKS, IT CAUSES CATASTROPHIC ENGINE DAMAGE, OFTEN REQUIRING ENGINE REPLACEMENT. ONE OR MORE OF THE TIMING BELT PULLEYS ARE MADE OF PLASTIC. WHEN THE TIMING BELT PULLEY BREAKS, SHARDS OF PLASTIC SNAP OFF AND BECOME LODGED INSIDE OF THE ENGINE, RENDERING THE ENGINE USELESS. ALSO, AT HIGH RATE OF SPEED, THE VALVES BECOME BENT WHEN THE BELT/ PULLEY(S) MALFUNCTIONS. THIS IS BOTH COSTLY AND DANGEROUS TO THE CONSUMER, AND THE MANUFACTURER SHOULD HAVE MADE ALL PULLEYS AND MOVING PARTS ON THE ENGINE OUT OF METAL INSTEAD OF PLASTIC. *TR

I STOPPED AT STOP SIGN MOVED THROUGH INTERSECTION THE SUDDENLY DOVE TO THE DITCH .I WAS MOVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS ON I75 5 MINUTES EARLIER THEN TURNED ON THE SIDE ROAD S TO MY HOME .THE RACK AND PINION BROKE IN TWO SENDING ME INTO DITCH. IF THIS HAPPENED 10 MINUTES EARLIER I WOULD BE DEAD. *TR

DRIVER SEAT BELT BUCKLE FROZE UP AND THE BUCKLE WOULD NOT ENGAGE. THIS BUCKLE HAS EXHIBITED DIFFICULTY IN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS. MANY TIMES WOULD HAVE TO PUSH BELT INTO SLOT 2X OR 3X BEFORE THE BUCKLE WOULD CATCH. NEVER THOUGHT IT WOULD BE A ISSUE. THANK GOD MY DAUGHTER WASN'T DRIVING TO SCHOOL AND THE THING LOCKED UP OR SOMETHING. NOW, IT WILL COST APPROX. $200 TO HAVE JUST THE BUCKLE REPLACED AT THE ORIGINAL DEALERSHIP I PURCHASED IT FROM. ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT THERE ARE TOO MANY PROBLEMS WITH THE AVEO SEAT BELTS STARTING FROM 2004. I LIKED THIS LITTLE CAR BUT I AM DONE. I THINK I'LL STICK WITH DODGE. THIS IS JUST MY OPINION. UNFORTUNATELY, THERE ARE OVER 1800 COMPLAINTS ON THIS VEHICLE BETWEEN 2004 AND 2011; THE MOST BEING 2004 AND 2005. I THINK MY ISSUE JUST SLIDE PAST THEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 CHEVROLET AVEO. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE TRAVELING 55 MPH, THE TIMING BELT FAILED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE VALVES. THE CONTACT SPOKE TO A DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE BELT AND VALVES WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 140,000. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR ON MY LUNCH BREAK, AND HAD JUST MADE A LEFT TURN ONTO A MAJOR HIGHWAY. ABOUT 5 SECONDS AFTER I MADE THE TURN, I FELT A JOLT AND HEARD AN ODD GRINDING SOUND. MY CAR LOST POWER AND ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS CAME ON. I WAS FORTUNATELY ABLE TO SAFELY STEER THE CAR FROM THE LEFT LANE TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER BEFORE IT FINALLY STOPPED. I HAD THE ADDED FORTUNE OF BREAKING DOWN IN FRONT OF A REPAIR SHOP. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT MY TIMING BELT HAD BROKEN AND HAD BENT ALL THE VALVES IN THE ENGINE. IT TOOK 5 DAYS AND $1875 TO FIX. I HAVE SEEN DOZENS OF OTHER COMPLAINTS FROM AVEO OWNERS ABOUT TIMING BELT FAILURES LONG BEFORE THE RECOMMENDED 100K REPLACEMENT MARK, BUT CHEVROLET REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM AND WON'T ISSUE A RECALL. *TR

IT'S THE 3RD TIME IT HAS HAPPENED. IT OCCURRED TWICE WITH MY DAUGHTER AND HER BABY IN THE CAR, TODAY WHEN I PICKED MY KID UP FROM SCHOOL; THE CAR CUT OFF WHILE IN MOTION. I HAVE CHANGED THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR, CRANK SENSOR, COOLING TEMPERATURE SENSOR, 15 AMP FUSE TWICE, REPLACED THE HEAD GASKET, SEALANT, EGR VALVE AND EGR GASKET. CLEANED OFF ALL OIL RESIDUE ON ENGINE, ON HEAD GASKETS, ON SPARK PLUGS. RECENTLY REPLACED THERMOSTAT, RADIATOR, TIMING BELT AND HAVE ALSO DID A TRANSMISSION OIL CHANGE. THE CAR IS NOT WORKING APPROPRIATELY. *TR