2004 Chevrolet Aveo: check engine light

Filed Jun 2, 2012 · Engine · 88,000 miles · IL

My stepdaughter and her friend were traveling cross-country from california to illinois. Car had just been checked by a mechanic prior to trip and said was ok. On I-40, about 40 miles west of albuquerque nm, she realized the car was getting warm, then they saw steam from hood, check engine light came on. She immediately pulled to the side of the road and called me, in illinois. Then she called aaa for towing, and was towed to galles chevrolet in albuquerque. The next day they diagnosed total engine failure due to overheating; cause of failure likely a broken thermostat housing. I searched for this issue and found many similar complaints in edmunds forum; this certainly seems to be a common problem. In the end the girls were safe, thank god. Not only was this a very expensive incident (~$5000), but it could have been a very serious safety issue, leaving two young college girls stranded in a remote desert location on a hot day, very vulnerable. The next person this happens to might not be so fortunate. I urge you to take action to require gm to recall and fix this issue. Thank you.

Filed Oct 14, 2010 · Electrical · 65,000 miles · HI

I purchased this used 2004 chevy aveo from tony honda end of july 2010. It ran good up until 10/12/10 when all of a sudden the hold button light flashed along with the check engine light...the car literally dropped to like 5 miles an hour and sputtered all the way like it was dying....thank god that for some reason, I decided to take my grandson to school so I was in the school zone and not on the freeway which I normally would have been. I swear, I would have been dead had that happened at 60 miles an hour. I have called chevy and they do not have a recall.

Filed Nov 12, 2009 · Engine · 54,000 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet aveo. The engine warning light would intermittently illuminate on the instrument control panel. Also the vehicle would shimmy while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and a tune-up was performed. After the repair the failure resurfaced so the vehicle was taken back to the dealer. She purchased a fuel cap. The repair did not remedy the failure because the vehicle exhibited a no-start condition. A mechanic stated that the timing chain fractured. No repairs were made. The current mileage was approximately 63,000. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.

Filed Mar 21, 2009 · Engine · 54,000 miles · CA

I was driving down the road and smelt burning fluid and thought it was another car on the road. After the car wasn't close to me anymore I smelt the same odor. I looked down at my thermostat to see my car was in the red, no check engine light had come on or anything. I pulled over and noticed immediately that my thermostat housing(which is plastic and a poor design) had cracked in half right along the seam.I have read that this problem has lead to very expensive repairs due to the fact that it warps the heads right away and it can be easily prevented by a better quality part and / or design.this could have been a very dangerous problem if I had been going down a hill, far from a parking spot, on the freeway etc. Do something about it.

Filed Sep 23, 2008 · Engine · NC

We purchased a preowned chevrolet aveo within aprox a year (low mileage still under warranty, also purchased extended warranty & gap insurance), taken very good care of it, including routine services as needed. Suddenly 3 weeks ago without any warning at all the engine blew.. No steam, no gage warning, no warning lights, nothing. Suddenly the engine light came on & within less than 30 seconds engine blew while driving with no warning. We had it towed to a mechanic who determined that the thermostat had went bad causing the engine to blow. We decided to have it towed to the dealership in order to process our warranty and possibly trade it in.. The service dept at the dealership states that without taking apart the motor all they can truly say is the car got hot and the engine blew. Once again, I stress- no steam, no raised temp in gauges or check lights came on. We had no warning or notice of any problems with the car. After 3 weeks the car is still sitting unusable at the dealership service dept until we decide what we are going to do, as we wait on having more diagnostic work done to file with the warranty. We decided to do some research on the car and found hundreds of complaints identical word for word on what happened to us- all stemming from thermostat and engines randomly blowing up without warranty. We have printed all of these out to present to chevrolet & our dealership where our car currently sits unusable. We have already contacted chevrolet, & our warranty company in hopes to find a resolution and we wish/hope a recall will be issued for the many cases like ours. I am willing to provide any proof if needed. This car has many complaints and commonly this complaint regarding sudden engine blowing up.. The part that has us upset is that the manufacturer and dealerships seemingly aren't taking responsibility for this and many people are losing money and possibly safety in their cars because of this issue. Please help us.