This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Aveo. The contact stated in the engine coolant that the plastic elbow shattered causing the vehicle to over heat while driving 60 mph. The thermostat started running hot and the vehicle was smoking. The contact drove onto the emergency lane and as the hood opened the plastic piece on the thermostat blew apart. No one was injured. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic. The plastic component on the thermostat had to be replaced with a metal piece. The dealer was notified of the failure and offered no assistance. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 73,000.
I do have complaint that I would like to file. It is regards to 2004-2007 Chevrolet Aveos. I had bought my 2005 Aveo brand new from Chevy. It is now my sons car. He was driving the car at 45 mph came to a stop light and the car just stopped. What had happened is the thermostat housing had blown apart. It is a 2 piece plastic piece of junk. A thermostat housing should never blow apart. In 2008 Chevy starting putting metal ones on the car. One week before this happened my son was traveling with his 2.5 year old daughter in the back roads of pa heading down to visit his grandfather. If this had happened at that time there are long stretches of desolate road and with the mountains many times cell phones do not work. He and my granddaughter could have been in a lot of trouble. I cannot believe that this has not been brought to your attention before, it is all over the web. I will include some links below. This problem warped the head and could have done lower engine damage and Chevy just walks away, not our problem. Anyone who knows about cars knows a thermostat housing should not blow apart. Chevy has put an inferior quality that is prone to failure in a critical area of a cars cooling system. There was nothing mechanically wrong with this car prior to this incident. townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.F117C65/www.automotiveforums.com/T880909-beware_aveo_S_plastic_T_stat_housing.html ?Q=&page=1.
2005 Chevy Aveo broken timing belt warped valves after 89,535 miles. Car was never inspected by dealership prior to selling car. Taken in numerous times because of check engine light on or flashing. Purchased car 5-21-10.
While driving I noticed a smoke coming from under the hood. I looked down to see my engine temp indicator on hot. I wasn't far from my home luckily at the time, so I drove it home. I opened my hood a couple minutes later to find water sizzling on my thermostat housing. (which is constructed of two pieces of plastic, glued together) I tried to look up info on it and came across all kinds of people complaining about this exact same problem with their 2004-2005 Chevy Aveo ls. The earliest complaint I saw was as early as January of 2009. After looking at your website, I found out that there is no recalls on this item at all. Also, the only place to get a new one is at the dealership for $91 and that is without labor cost. In addition, it is not covered under warranty.
The thermostat housing broke from the engine block and burst through the plastic housing. I was on the freeway coming home from work when steam began pouring out the exhaust and from under my hood. Last year, a plastic bolt on the engine broke and sent two rods through the manifold; I got a new engine. I would think twice about this car.
- San Rafael, CA, USA
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2005 Chevy Aveo: Plastic thermostat housing broke, spraying motor with coolant, shorting out plug wires and warping the head. The car has 78,000 miles. Requires head replacement/ repair, and gaskets.
Driving home from work on 8/26/2010, the thermostat housing just split in have on my 2005 Chevy Aveo ls. The antifreeze spilled out and I needed to have the car towed. The thermostat housing is made of cheap pvc pipe like material and is in two pieces that appear to be glued together. A very low grade risky design in my opinion. The replacement part is only available from a GM dealer at a cost of $98 plus tax. The replacement part is made of sturdy aluminum. It appears to be a better design and structurally sound. My complaint is, GM obviously knew this part was substandard. Evidence of that is the reengineered replacement part. GM should have recalled the Chevy Aveo's and replaced the cheap/defective thermostat housing instead of not informing owners of the defect, and allowing the part to fail on the open road. Further, the cost of $98 plus tax for the upgraded thermostat housing should not passed on to the owner/customer. GM should refund that cost and/or recall the vehicles for free replacement. This is a safety concern, especially when you break down on a interstate highway, in a small compact Chevy Aveo, with small children in the car. I have read hundreds of blogs online of Chevy Aveo owners this same part has failed on (after mine failed). It's appalling that there has not been a recall on this issue, and that the NHTSA has not forced GM to recall the vehicles with this cheap/faulty thermostat housing. It's not only a safety issue, but no engine light comes on when this happens, so a person can continue driving and cause further serious damage to the car if the engine block seizes up, etc.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Aveo. While driving 50 mph, the thermostat failed and the vehicle began vibrating and lunging forward. The contact took the vehicle to a local repair shop. He was advised that the antifreeze/coolant was spilling onto the engine, causing the vehicle to vibrate. The contact is concerned that the failure occurred since the thermostat and housing were made out of plastic and mounted into the vehicle with adhesive. The manufacturer stated that there was a metal replacement part being manufactured. The VIN was not available. The failure and current mileages were approximately 70,000.
The clock on my 2005 Chevy Aveo does not work continuously. Sometimes the display works and sometimes it does not. As for safety issues, the plastic thermostat housing broke while driving down the road last week. After pricing replacement plastic parts, we opted to purchase the metal one, which can only be purchased from the dealer and which is more than twice the price of the plastic ones. We still had a leak, so we called a local Napa store and purchased a gasket for under $2. after removing and then attempting to replace the part again, one of the bolt holes broke off. Isn't the metal supposed to be more durable? all this has happened in less than a week and the dealer refuses to stand behind the part. Not only was the plastic piece shoddy, so is the metal one and so is Chevrolet's customer service.
The thermostat housing blew apart and I was 75 miles away from home on a Sunday. I replaced it with and 12 days later it blew apart again. My car has been in a reliable garage now for 2 weeks and they can't get the part. No local dealers have the part and the warehouse is "out of stock". I had a 7 year old child in my car. This should have been a recall by GM and I intend to go as far as the CEO if I have to. This is costing me a great deal of money to rent a car. I want my money back from GM along with a letter of apology. Shame on them.
Normal driving of vehicle plastic thermostat housing unit broke in half and exploded coolant over the engine and windshield of vehicle. Called the dealer and was informed that they know that the part is faulty and wears out in under 40,000 miles and have redesigned the part using pot metal which will now cost $89.99 to replace. This is the second time we have had to replace this same part on this car in the three years we have owned it. So they know the part is faulty and then charge five time what the original parts replacement cost was because they know you have to replace it through them.
I traded in a 2004 P.T.cruiser to get a 2005 Chevy Aveo at the time it had 21000 miles when I got it. My warranty was good till 36000. I had lots of issues with a noise that still to this day has not been corrected even after three attempts under my car by the Chevy service dept. I then had a computer recall or something that had to be replaced I also had a gas cap that malfunctioned and a clock that had to be replaced. Those are the non life threatening issues. I had an incident inside of the original warranty where the car threw parts out of the engine. It was the serpentine belt and the bracket that was metal that it was mounted on broke out of the engine as I was driving it. I am currently at 55000 and I have the power train on it. In the last month I have had the car in my possession 1 week the rest it's been in the service dept. A month ago the plastic and yes that's plastic housing for the thermostat blew apart on the interstate causing us to have to dial 911 to get help because we were trapped. Two weeks ago it spit out the timing belt and the valves got bent and the valve cover was damaged. We don't know what particles ended up in the engine for now. I have contacted Chevrolet on all these issues and I asked them before my warranty went out and right after the first incident to give me back the money for the car. They called me today and said I didn't have a case because the warranty was out I reminded them I had been asking since before at the first incident with the serpentine and bracket and they said sorry the warranty is out. I reminded them I have pictures of those parts and can prove it but that still wasn't good enough! I spoke to hannah a district specialist today and that is who lied to herself and said these occurrences were after the warranty. I have proof can you please help before my family dies and then we have dependents who will own the very company the gov't is trying to bail out. I need you to intervene before I go to court over this.
My daughter was driving our 2005 Chevy Aveo when she noticed smoke coming from under the hood, she contacted me and I came and saw anti-freeze all over engine compartment, it is when I noticed the thermostat housing split at seam. We got the car home using 3.5 gallons of anti-freeze and several stops to let engine cool. I have read hundreds of postings on different websites with people having the same problem. This part is two plastic parts sealed together with the thermostat between them. I have noticed that Chevy knew of this problem happening from 30K-50K mileage on the vehicles and the new replacement part is now metal. Once I get the part and install it I will have to pay to have the engine checked since most of the complaints also mention the head warping due to the heat caused by the thermostat housing breaking.
In the beginning I had no problems with the car whatsoever. Then the thermostat housing blew apart causing the engine to overheat and blowing the head gasket. Neither Chevy or my extended warranty company (Toyota) would cover the repair. I had to spend over one hundred dollars on just the thermostat housing and over three hundred to get the problem diagnosed. The car still sits in my driveway broken. I had to spend another four hundred and fifty dollars to get the head repaired and to buy the new gaskets. Just got the car back together and still doesn't run right.
Was driving on the expressway, when the thermostat housing broke. The car's mileage was 34, 500. Called dealership since the was still under warranty and the dealer told me that the part was not covered. I had to pay upfront for the part and had it replaced. Also the car now starts to shake and the hold light keeps flashing. This happens about twice a week.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Branford, CT, USA