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.
I have a 2008 Aveo that I purchased from a Chevrolet dealership in russellville, ky. Since the 2nd day I owned it, it has been nothing but problems. Air bag sensors not working, have had this repaired three times. Yesterday the air bag light came on again. My biggest trouble has been with the throttle position sensor. Get a P2135 code that tells you to replace the entire throttle body. I did this ($300 part) did no good. The car has been in the shop for over 7 months in the 15 months I've owned the car. Computer has been "flashed" numerous times. Didn't work. GM customer care asked me to take the car to and authorized Chevrolet repair shop. I did. After 2 trips there and a total of 6 weeks in the shop, they tell me they think the problem is with the ECM engine control module. This part has an 8 year, 80,000 mile warranty. I bought the car with 76,000 mile on it. The problem has been documented by the Chevy dealership I purchased the car from for many thousands of miles prior to me purchasing the car. GM refused to honor the warranty because the car now has 82,000 miles. This is the thing that gets me. When I bought this car, they knew I was buying it for a daughter in college. They knew the car had these problems and sold it to me anyways. I had to purchase another car for my daughter. I am currently driving the Aveo to and from work. The lights that are currently "on" are the check engine light, the air bag light, and I can not allow a passenger in the car because, when they sit in the passenger seat the air bag light that indicates that the passenger side air bag is now engaged does not go off.
On July 21, 2014 at about 7:45 in the morning, my wife who was going to church went to the garage to use the Aveo. When she opened the door, she was met with dark smoke and smell of burned plastic. Then she saw the middle of the dashboard burned creating a big hole. Then I had the Aveo towed to the charles clark Chevrolet where I bought the Aveo for them to see. Then I went home and passing by the mailbox I got the mail and saw an envelope from General Motors. When I opened the envelope, I saw the letter of the recall of the Aveo due to the defective headlamp switch or daytime running lamp which generate heat which could melt headlamp switch and drl module causing fire. That was what happened to the Aveo. So I called GM and told them what happened. Then after several days of calls and an inspection by their engineers, I was told that the damage was beyond repair and they will pay a little over $4,000 because they will not repair the Aveo. I told them I do not agree because the Aveo was in good condition at seven years old, less than 16,000 mileage, the tires were still the original tires when bought and had never been brought to a repair shop. So I told them to repair the Aveo to its condition before the fire. I could not believe they cannot repair when they can create a new car. The recall was a safety-related defect and my wife was lucky she was not in the car when the fire happened. If the car was not burned, it would still be good for another seven years. With GM's proposal, my wife and I will incur a debt to get another car and when she retires as a nurse supervisor at Texas state veterans home in two or three years, we will be burdened with a loan past our retirement. My wife is 72 years old now. We don't want that to happen. The consumer was informed, the parts were not available. Updated 09/24/14. Updated 03/04/15.
My car has been having numerous airbag issues and electrical problems. The first issue with my airbags happened last year around this time. I took car to Chevy service center and they told me they had to replace whole frontal airbag senor and other systems. In may of this year airbag light came on again. Took car to Chevy service center and there were numerous fault codes particularly the passenger side airbag sensor. They told me that they believe there is a malfunction in the system but they were suggesting I replace the passenger airbag sensor. I asked GM to do a full system check on my airbag system but they refused. I could not afford the repairs so I did not have the issue fix. Also, I was not convinced that it would have solved the problem because they were not 100% sure since there were numerous fault codes. The next issue is hard to describe but when I am driving my car jerks and shakes and almost shuts down and starts back up at the same time. This happens whether I am standing by a light or fully in drive mode. I took car to shop but they could not diagnose issue because check engine light is not on and it does not happen all the time. Only when I drive my car for more than an 30 minutes to an hour.
On the Chevy Aveo, all model years, the park lock sitch, that also makes the brake lights work, sometimes doesn't function. This makes it impossible to shift out of park when the brake pedal is depressed, also the brake lights don't come on. Therefore, when driving the brake lights sometimes don't work, which is a very dangerous situation.
Air bag light came on and stayed on., dashboard clock and cd radio also went out. The Chevrolet servicing dealer suggested that the service codes reflected a short in wiring and the dashboard has to be removed to check the wire harness for the short. They wanted to charge me $315, manager continued to state also the sensor module for the airbag may be defective. Why do they charge for diagnosis when their diagnosis measures cannot find the problem and want to charge another $315 for further diagnosis?I with the I've checked with other Aveo owners and some have the same exact problem. I do believe there is a fault with this car. I do not know if the airbags will deploy if their is an accident with this car.
- Hackettstown, NJ, USA
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My grandmother has sought help because here key gets extremely hot. Her gear shifter locks up and she cant move it. The air bag light pops on and wont go off. Also she has asked multiple times at various dealers etc, about it and they tell her there are no recalls or anything known. We know their are problems with the daytime running light module but nobody seems to have any information on this... as I said this is for my grandmother.
Air bag light came on and stayed on. Upon inspection at dealership it was suggested that the clock and wiring from the airbag component to the clock be replaced to fix a sensor malfunction issue. Warned that if issue was not fixed, it was possible that the airbag would fail to deploy in the case of an accident.
To whom this may concern, I recently replaced a defective ignition cylinder and a ignition housing in my steering wheel column costing over four hundred dollars including labor cost. I have owned many old used cars and several new vehicles. I have never replaced a ignition switch. I am the original owner and still own this vehicle today. I have spent thousands of dollars on my automobile. The most expensive was the $1600. Dollar timing chain breakdown. It is really a shame new cars are built so that they do breakdown. Being the ignition switch and ignition housing I believe this problem should be recalled on Chevrolet Aveos, as well. This part was deemed to have broken due to the extreme nature of GMC ignition problem. Thank you for your time and all efforts. [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
I received NHTSA campaign number 14V26 in my email messages. I registered to receive them. I am not sure if the message was for an individual car or all cars involved. The message stated that 218,000 cars were involved. I gave the customer service representative the last 8 digits of my VIN. I am confused. My car is one of the cars involved. Why wasn't recalled? I have enclosed a copy of notice 14236. Report receipt date: May 19, 2014 NHTSA campaign number: 14V261000 component(s): Potential number of units affected: 218,000 all products associated with this recall details 2 associated documents manufacturer: General Motors llc summary: General Motors is recalling certain model year 2004-2008 Chevrolet Aveo vehicles equipped with daytime running lights (drl). In the affected vehicles, there may be heat generated within the drl module located in the center console in the instrument panel, which could melt the drl module. Consequence: If the drl module melts due to the heat generation, it could cause a vehicle fire. Remedy: The remedy for this recall campaign is still under development. The manufacturer has not yet provided a notification schedule. Owners may contact General Motors customer service at 1-800-222-1020 (Chevrolet). General Motors recall number for this campaign is 14236. I am confused. If I made a mistake explan the procedure. Is a recall for an individual car or all cars that are in the recall?
I purchased a used 2008 Chevy Aveo in June 2011. Nearly one year later I started having issues with it. June 2012 - valve cover gasket was cracked and caused smoking after an oil change. Repaired at dealership. Sept. 9, 2013 - sputtering and stalling. Was told it was due to a hold in the exhaust pipe. Replaced at dealership. Sept. 16, 2013 - still experiencing power issues. Was told I needed new spark plugs and wires. Replaced at dealership. Nov. 7, 2013 - engine light came on. Was told it was a faulty cam sensor. Replaced at dealership. Jan. 23, 2014 - engine light came on. Was told the oxygen sensor had failed. Replaced at dealership. April 20, 2014 - TPMS light finally went off after being on for 3 months. Air conditioner stopped working the same day. Was told it was an electrical issue (ac clutch). During the same visit an inspection found the right front top bushing worn, left lower bushing worn, and rear cross member bushing broken. I sent a letter to Chevrolet, expressing my disappointment in the quality of the Aveo. My other Chevy vehicles had been great, but this Aveo fell short. After speaking to someone in customer service, who"in response to my statement "individuals who purchase these kinds of economy cars are typically on a budget and can't afford the repairs the Aveo has needed due to its poor quality""simply told me that it was not her fault that I couldn't afford a better car. I will never buy another Chevy again.
In March the vehicle shut completely down and the fan belt popped and wrap around the motor and had damaged the timer belt. Two months later the vehicle was driven to the post office and when cranking it up to leave it wouldn't start because it had shut down again. September 27, 2013 the vehicle shut down the steering wheel locked up and couldn't be guided and ran into a fire hydrant.
The contact owns a 2008 Chevrolet Aveo. The contact stated that while traveling approximately 10 mph, the steering wheel seized. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 26,000. The consumer stated the vehicle would not start. Updated 11/18/13
Airbag light came on and has not gone off. I have had nothing but problems out of this vehicle. Mar 2010, I took the vehicle in to the dealer for making loud scrubbing noises when turning. I was told it was nothing. Oct 2010 it was electrical problems. I had 19,300 miles on the vehicle when the brake lights went out and check engine light was on. Oct 2012, it was electrical problems and the vehicle would not start at all. I had 30,300 miles on the vehicle and it cost $600 in repairs. June 2013, the A/C went out. I had 34,000 miles on the vehicle and it cost $573 to replace the compressor (first and only time I went to another mechanics shop). Sep 2013, the airbag light came on. GM wants $100 just to run a diagnostic to tell me why it's on. My goodness, as many times as I have brought the vehicle to GM haven't I paid enough in diagnostics? this is ridiculous! I am never buying anything with Chevrolet written on it again. I believe GM knows what is wrong with this vehicle. If I wasn't on a fixed income I would get rid of it.
I noticed my driver's side headlight was out and wires attached to the headlight underneath the hood had burnt out. The next day the vehicle would not start at all. I had it jumped off and had a diagnostic ran on the battery. I was told it was not the battery but the alternator. The next day, I decided to take the vehicle to a Chevrolet dealer so I had it jumped off again. Initially, both headlights came on and a minute later; both headlights went out. The dealer kept the car two days before telling me sockets melted, the battery would have to be replaced along with bulbs and wires. Never once did they mention that there was a problem with the 2002-2008 Chevy Aveo electrical system. The dealer initially wanted to charge $1027.42 and they said they had no idea how this problem had occurred. I only had 30,300 miles on the vehicle. The dealer later charged me 563..44 but they cut many corners. After some internet research, I discovered that these type of problems have occurred with the Chevy Aveo for years! when I contacted GM, their response was that the 3 year warranty had expired so there wasn't much they could do. GM didn't even mention the electrical system problem!
The driver airbag sensor malfunctioned, and the airbag is no longer engaged, which is indicated by the driver air bag light remaining on while the engine is turned on. The dash light, passenger tail lamp and the passenger fog light all stopped working simultaneously. Passenger tail lamp doesn't work even after replacing the bulbs, which suggests there is an electrical issue.
While parked outside where my husband works, a fire occurred in the dashboard of the car. The heat was so intense, the windshield shattered. A giant hole - bigger than a bowling ball was left in the top of the dashboard. The car was a total loss and we still had 23 payments on this car. Since the electrical system was destroyed, no diagnostics were run, and no assistance with trying to find out why this happened or if it was due to a manufacturing issue was offered. Prior to this, nothing indicated a problem. I'm just glad we weren't driving the car at the time or I might not be here to write this. Updated 05/17/12
Since purchase of my 2008 Chevy Aveo I have experienced strange and inconsistent electrical issues. I am no longer driving the car, and GM never figured out the cause of the issue. I would like an investigation that would lead to you guys taking the car, finding the central issue (because nobody can) to find out if it is worthy of a national recall!
Chevy Aveo 2008 bought brand new in May 18 2009 still under warranty when I bought the car there was a defect in it and the car salesman did not report it to us when we bought the car. The failure is the instrument panel and shifter indicator lights are not working. I can not see at night how fast I am going, can't see my gauges, or when I am shifting into drive etc. I feel it is very unsafe especially driving at night. I did read that Chevy Aveo have electrical problems which I did not know until after buying the car. The consequences of the failure is that it is unsafe and it will not pass safety inspection here in the state of Hawaii. The failure to fix the needed repair can result in an accident and be danger to others. Correct the problem......I reported it to the salesman on May 20 and was referred to service the car. The dealership closed down and 2 months later the service dept. Open. The wrong part was ordered and it is over 3 months the car still not fixed...the service dept will close down this Friday on Nov. 13 2009. I have been in contact with costumer assistance several times and the service dept locally but they can't do anything as it might take several months or a year no time frame according to customer assistance from GMC. Please let me know what to do. Thank you.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Russellville, KY, USA