2005 Chevrolet AVEO - Ratings, Complaints and Recalls

"timing belt failed. destroying the heads and pistons. ..updated 07-05-13 *bf"

"thermostat housing has cracked due to its unreliable plastic composition. after failure, coolant was leaked throughout engine compartment creating a major fire hazard and causing damage to multiple engine components. after researching this problem, numerous complaints were discovered with the exact nature. *kb"

"tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet aveo. the contact stated that the timing belt gear was fractured on one side and the other side was close to failing. the timing belt was replaced twice prior to the most recent failure by a local mechanic, but the failure recurred. neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 74,000 and the current mileage was 126,096."

"was enroute to work in 2005 chevrolet aveo when the timing gear pulley broke on the motor. the engine was destroyed as i found out later. 5 or 6 weeks earlier i had just had the timing belt replaced. i had it replaced before factory reccomendations. my mechanic told me then i needed to have it changed. the belt did not break to cause engine failure. a cheap plastic pulley broke instead. when the pulley broke the timing belt went limp and the engine decided to deposit some valves through 1 piston. this to me is a safety concern since it was all i could do to get the car off the interstate. chevrolet knows about these problems and they dont seem to care. i dont think this vehicle should be allowed to be sold. *tr"

"the previous evening we were coming home from visiting some friends ,the car was never over 100 miles day we bought it until the time of the engine's demise,we noticed a slight clicking noise over the music of the radio, pulling into a lighted area, we found all fluids fine, no dripping, no heating up, no stalling, no real indications of any trouble except a slight clicking.. the next morning i noticed a clicking at start up, immediately i drove off to the repair shop that was just blocks away,when i was within 1 block of the shop the entire system shut down, we were forced to get a wrecker to tow us the last block. the independent repairman informed us this was a common problem with this make of auto (aveo) due to a design defect with the timing belt ,it would destroy the engine and he could not find a replacement engine. because we had 75 thousand miles on the car, (and it is paid off) he thought he had heard of a recall in 2006,he suggested we contacted the auto dealer, auto way chevrolet, hwy 19, clearwater, fla. which we did. we were informed by their service director that they could not find an open 2006 recall, though a reminder to replace belt at 68 k, no alert nor advisory was ever received though we do get all advertisements and she advised awc did not handle such a problem, but, they would give us gm's number, upon calling that number i talked with a very amiable young man in buenos aires, who also informed me they did not appear to have a recall on this particular model, he then called auto way chevrolet, clw. fla, usa and monitored the service department now telling me if i would bring it to them, they could evaluate the cause and maybe work something out with us.. upon internet investigation we have found a number of individuals complaining about this year,of aveo, having the engine fail in roughly the same mileage 68-78 thousand miles. ."

"tl*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."

"2005 aveo 63,000 this aveo quit pulling out from the turnpike booth on pa.43. it was towed to fike chevrolet where i was told the timing tensioner pull split in half throwing the timing belt off. since this is a interference engine ( meaning without the timing belt the valves hit the pistons) it causes a catastrophic failure to the cylinder head and possible piston damage. the dealer salvage yards and most other mechanics admit this is a defect in the plastic pulleys and timing belt. gm says (it happens to all of them ) and will not compensate for damages. i ask gm if they recorded my conversation and they do but will not allow me a copy because it's for (internal use only) this aveo had it's timing belt and head replaced at 11,400 mile and at the current mileage is under the mileage for recommended replacement. front wheel bearing also where replace 4 months ago. this was the first and last gm product i will ever buy . *tr"

"cracked thermostat housing- cheaply made (plastic) thermostat housing which can easily crack and it has in several aveo between the years 2004-2006. i have a 2005 chevy aveo and it cracked costing me entirely too much money on a tow, rental car etc. *tr"

"tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet aveo. the contact was driving approximately 40-45 mph when a knocking was heard from the engine. the contact removed the vehicle from the roadway and shut the vehicle off but the vehicle failed to restart. the vehicle was then towed to a local repair shop where she was advised that there were damages to the engine valves and that the head would need to be removed. the mechanic also recommended taking the vehicle to an authorized dealer. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer. she contacted the manufacturer and they advised her that they could not provide any assistance until the vehicle was inspected by an authorized dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 78,000."

"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. http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/direct/view/.f117c65/ http://www.automotiveforums.com/t880909-beware_aveo_s_plastic_t_stat_housing.html http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2004/chevrolet/aveo/?q=&page=1. *tr"