I was driving down the interstate on my way home to knoxville from athens, tn, and I heard my car make a funny noise, and then I heard a loud noise, and the engine began to smoke, I pulled over off of the interstate onto an exit and then the car basically died when I made it to the side of the road. The smoke was white at first, but then it turned black so we ran from the car. The car proceeded to catch on fire and by the time the fire department arrived it was too late. I had a lot of clothing and personal items in my car, and my boyfriend's laptop and really expensive textbooks were in the car as well. The car is completely burned except for parts of the trunk and there was nothing that was salvageable. I was looking online and found out that my car has been recalled because of fires, but I had no idea because I bought the car two months after the recall was announced. It doesn't really matter though, because there is no remedy for the problem. I now have no car and I am a college student and I need a car so I don't know what to do. I'm not sure how to go about contacting the manufacturer about my problem. I am very upset that this has happened, and it would be really nice if someone could help me fix this.
2004 Chevrolet Aveo engine complaints
Page 2 of 4: complaints 11 to 40 of 83, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My 19 year old daughter just arrived at her mothers house, parked the car and came inside. When we started seeing, and smelling smoke. So we went outside to investigate the problem and saw smoke pouring out from under the hood as if there was a fire contained under the hood. So we called 911 and suddenly we heard a loud pop and saw flames on the hood. We proceeded to get a water hose to pour water on the car until finally the firemen arrived. The car still remains in front of her mothers house, if anyone would like to take a look at the car. The firemen deemed it to be a total loss. I would like any information for recalls on this make and model.
This is the same vehicle as the federal safety agency 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
As I began to accelerate onto the highway, I felt that my car was not picking up, I could only get to around 40-45mph on a highway that is 65mph. I nearly got rear-ended by cars flying up on me and I quickly pulled off to the shoulder just in time as the power steering also went out and the car appeared to have stopped running. I could not get the car to start again. The diagnostics came back that the timing belt had gone and it could be fixed for anywhere between $800 to needing a brand new motor. This floored me as I always had the oil and fluids replaced and the car only had 84k miles on it. I began to research the aveo and bam, there it was, over and over again on-line. Owners all complaining of the same problem with their aveo. The timing belt on the aveo, especially the 04-07 models go and will require anywhere from a major fix to a brand new engine. This is a big problem on a little car. I went on craigslist to look for a new engine, but instead found 10 aveos in one hour... That were being sold for parts because their timing belt went! Please take a look at this problem, I believe there is a major problem with the aveo deserving of a recall, and owners should be made aware of this serious problem and the persistent need to have their timing belt replaced or face a total engine replacement. I could have easily been rear-ended or worse because of the loss of power and power steering. Thank you.
The timing belt broke in our vehicle while we were driving. The car made a horrible racket, then completely lost power before it died completely, when it broke, it bent the rods and pistons in the heads. Now just two weeks ago, it has done the same thing. Chevy needs to make a recall on this because its going to end up killing someone and this isn't the only aveo to have done this.
Driving at 55 MPH the car felt like came out of 5th gear. I checked to make sure the car was in gear. Pushed the clutch in (very tight). The car was loosing power but tach was still at 3000. I coasted to the side of the road and the car had no spark. Lights still worked. I had the car towed and found that the timing belt failed which took out the water pump and damaged my head. There was no warning at all. At this time I have been told by mechanic and 2 chevrolet dealerships that this is a common occurrence. Thank god it was 5:15 am and not a lot of traffic on the road.
Timing belt broke while on a major highway doing 65 MPH. Causing the car to shut off and leave me stranded when it broke it crushed all 4 cylinder heads.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet aveo. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, he heard a knocking sound from the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis. The dealer advised that the motor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and they advised that the vehicle was not under warranty. The failure and current mileage was 58,995.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet aveo. While driving approximately 45 MPH, the engine stalled without warning. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road. The engine was restarted after the first attempt and the vehicle resumed normally. The failure recurred nine times on separate occasions. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for diagnostic testing and they were unable to detect a cause of failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the problem. The approximate failure mileage was 39,500. Updated 07/25/12*lj the consumer stated the dealer kept the vehicle for eight days. Updated 07/25/12
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.
The plastic thermostat housing completely snapped while driving only 35 miles per hour. There are mulitple chevrolet aveo owners that have a car between the years 04-06 that have had the same problem. Not only is this a safty hazard, but a realitive costly fix.
Timing belt failure at highway speed. Almost got into accident. Chevy aveo only had 65,000 miles.
I have a 2004 chevy aveo that only has 65k miles on it and gets regular oil changes. I went in and had my transmission fluid flushed and was told the car looked great. Drove a few other places, and was on a steep hill, turning around (as I have done many times before), and all of a sudden smoke was pouring out of my engine. I parked immediately. My thermostat housing piece (plastic) had cracked in half and was spewing antifreeze. In the two seconds the car was on, I lost half my anti-freeze and my engine compartment is covered in anti-freeze. Further, the part is hard to find and will take several days for a replacement. This part broke out of the blue, in the middle of routine driving. There's no way to drive it until it's fixed - the car will have to be towed. I hear that the part is now being made in aluminum and that this is a common problem with this car (every 50-70k this piece just inexplicably cracks). I firmly believe that this should be part of a standard recall. Had this piece broke at any other time (such as five minutes prior, when I was on the freeway) there would have been dire consequences. Further, had I attempted to drive the car any further, I could have had an engine fire or several other problems. This has resulted in three days of time and energy to get this repaired (hopefully to be completed tomorrow). This plastic piece is nothing but a safety hazard and I consider myself lucky to have escaped in one piece. I'm yet to find out what kind of damage the anti-freeze will do to my car in the time it takes to get the car into the shop to be fixed up.
Engine stopped running. At first I was told it was the timing belt but that was not supposed to be changed till around 60,000 miles. The car has only 48,000 miles on it. I went and bought a timing belt and a water pump because I was told that if I changed the belt I may as well change the water pump also. After a good deal of money I was told it was an engine failure because of a "valve ring" had worn away. I need to put a "new" engine in it at considerable cost. I have been laid off for over a year and this has created a hardship for me. I can not afford another car payment and the cost to fix this car, although cheaper than buying another, is still a lot of money for me. Not only is it hard enough to find work it is nearly impossible without a car. I believe this failure should not have happened at 48,000 miles! I am 55 years old and have owned chevy's all my life. Not happy.
My aveo is supposed to have a warning light to come on when the engine has to be serviced. Apparently, this light did not come on for the warning that there was something wrong with the vehicle that I need to find out about. Driving to me(the vehicle was driven by my child of 28 years with a 3 month old in a rear car seat) to pick me up to take me to work the car just stopped. In the middle of ongoing traffic. Thankfully the car was not hit but the police as well as my brother (whom was on his way to work) were able to get the car to the side of the road. Her father (he was called) showed up with a tow on its way to take it to my mechanic. It was determined that the timing chain/belt went. Because the car was in motion it also caused the bending of 2 pistons. In order to fix it properly this mechanic was not able to do so. I was informed however that all aveos from this model or year has shown to have the timing belt/chain to malfunction between the mileage of 40,000- 80,000 miles. So, I am trying to find out if there is a recall on first the warning light not indicating there was something wrong and second, the timing chain/belt malfunctioning repeatedly between the miles of 40,000-80,000 miles. I love my aveo because it is the perfect size, excellent on gas and being a 2004 model there is only about 66,000 miles or so on it. I am truly missing my aveo and would appreciate it if someone can help me get it back to normal so I can take it home. I have to say that this is my first real car and I would rate it in the top ten vehicles to purchase for its total economical qualities. So, please let me know at your earliest convenience.
Chevy 2004 avero timing belt broke which also damage engine had to replace valves which cost over $1100.00. This incident happen when my wife was coming from therapy on a highway (bqe), in brooklyn when out of no-where with no warning signs, the car just stop, which could have cause a unthinkable events of accidents. Thank to my higher power , that no one was hurt or even worse, fatally injured. I had the engine re-built, hopefully this would never happen again, because I will always have the timing belt inspected ever time I change the oil to avoid any failure or unwanted injuries or death due to gm lack of not recalling this vechicle because my 2004 avero only had 58,000 moles only, when the car manual indicates that it should be replace every 60,000 miles.
Was sitting at a stop light when the engine all of the sudden quit. Listening to it while trying to restart the engine, my first though was timing belt. After getting the vehicle home and inspected, the timing belt was tight but not turning anything, upon further examination it was discovered that 14 of 16 valves are bent although the crank shaft turn the timing belt is not. This is a problem that gm knows about with the 2004 chevrolet aveo and will not stand behind their product when they know they have a problem. #1 no clearance between piston and valves. #2 faulty timing belt.
My daughter's first car purchase...what a disappointment. Bought the 2004 chevy aveo used with 80,000 miles on it on a saturday. It broke down sunday. Timing belt broke and caused severe damage to the engine...now it needs to be replaced. Always do your research...a quick search while watching the car get towed showed that this is a huge, wide-spread problem that gm has decided to do nothing about. Dealership working with us to resolve the problem with a swap in vehicles.
2004 chevy aveo thermostat housing - cracked and overheated. Tons of references on internet on this same problem.
I was driving home on the highway in my 2004 chevy aveo. Suddenly I noticed that I was unable to accelerate and that I had lost pressure in my brakes. I had to pull over to the side of the road and put on my hazard lights. It was very busy traffic and I narrowly avoided an accident. My engine would no longer start. After having my car towed to my mechanic I discovered my timing belt/chain had broken and damaged my engine and that it will have to be replaced. Car only has 55,000 miles.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet aveo. While the contact was driving 55 MPH in rainy weather conditions, the vehicle began to jerk and the engine stalled without warning. The engine would not restart. The vehicle coasted to the side of the road and then towed to a nearby independent mechanic. The failure was attributed to the timing belt. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 59,000. Updated 01/24/11 *bf the consumer was quoted a price of $2500, but informed it may break again. Updated 03/22/11
2004 chevrolet aveo. Consumer states the vehicle stopped in the middle of traffic on the highway *tgw the consumer stated the timing belt failed.
Thermostat housing busted on the middle of highway causing car to immediately run hot.
Engine stops running.
My 2004 chevrolet aveo's thermostat housing busted today at 67,000 miles. This resulted in over heating the motor and dumping about one gallon of anti-freeze on the roadway. It turns outs this part was made out of plastic. A replacement aluminum version is now available by the dealer for $95.
2004 chevy aveo with 41,000 miles. Timing belt broke, bending all of the valves in the engine. No prior problems with this car. Replaced the timing belt, will now have to replace the head on the engine.
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