Engine Belts And Pulleys Problems of Chevrolet Aveo - part 1

Timing belt bad, not even 60k miles.

See all problems of the 2009 Chevrolet Aveo 🔎.

I bought this car brand new and kept up the maintenance religiously! I was horrified to find out that my timing belt went out at 46,000 miles! my manual says to replace timing belt at 60,000 miles. I've read there was a recall issued in 2006, but it didn't go to owners; just service shops. . . I was never alerted, that was definitely a mistake on gm's part. I feel as though I should be compensated!!!.

See all problems of the 2005 Chevrolet Aveo 🔎.

The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Aveo. While driving 25 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who stated that the timing belt, engine, and valves were melted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 53,000.

Since, I obtained the vehicle from phone# 909-379-3256 go=motors christopher in hemet, CA. It has had problems. 1) no ac, 2)problems with starter & starting vehicle, took it back and 3) forth to dealer4x problem never resolved took it to another dealer friend 4)who repaired and charged me $1500. 00, 5) as of 3/31/16 there has been a loud rattling in the engine, I had the oil charged and the mechanic @ walmart said it 6) sounds like a timing-belt or water/fluid pump rattling, and be careful it doesn't blow. So, the vehicle is setting in our driveway. Your move on resolution. Please inform, next move, I do not want to keep making payments for a lemon of a vehicle? I enjoy driving such an economical vehicle, but!!! 7) I have a loan with premier auto credit, artura caldas 818-933-4966.

See all problems of the 2008 Chevrolet Aveo 🔎.

2004 Chevrolet Aveo. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle timing belt failure. The consumer stated the vehicle stopped with no warning.

See all problems of the 2004 Chevrolet Aveo 🔎.

Timing belt snapped at 73k miles while driving 70mph on the highway. Total loss of power: steering, brakes, and gas pedal all not responding. Manually managed to coast to a stop on the highway shoulder with my emergency lights on, and without hitting or being hit by anything else. I'm alive and so is my passenger, but I fear we could have died on that day. Related tsbs and NHTSA below to augment reporting this problem. ---- TSB #3936 / NHTSA id #10020573 states that this can happen prior to 60k miles to others as far back as 2006; total engine loss due to damage from the belt at high speed not reported or fixed. Suggested maintenance also is not acceptable for this part: # TSB #060601021 -- timing belt inspection, maintenance, worn, wear. (NHTSA id #10020843, October 01 2006).

I am on a fixed income. I bought this car used with 22,000 miles on it which I intended to take care of and drive for years to come, in fact into the ground. The manual I received with the car indicated that the timing belt should be replaced at 100,000. I live in a rural area where you really need a vehicle. I had driven to another town for a medical appointment. While traveling at 55 mph the car just died in heavy traffic in a 55 mph zone. I was lucky that a good samaritan helped me out of the dangerous condition I was in on the road. My vehicle had 65,321 miies on it. I had to have the car towed to a dealer. It was determined the timing belt broke causing valve damage. I was told it would cost $5,000 to repair it which is what I paid for the vehicle. I did not having $5,000 so I junked the car. This ordeal caused significant problems for me financially, emotionally and physically. I was 62 at the time. The website carcomplaints has 56 similar complaints related to 2004 chevy Aveos. All of the timing belts failed below 100,000 miles. There are similar complaints for the 2005 chevy Aveo. Why wasn't I notified about this problem so I would not lose my shorts on my vehicle. I could have been killed. The event was terribly frightening. I suffer from heart failure. My new car payment is very hard to deal with on a fixed income. I took excellent care of the car. I should have been contacted about such dangerous condition. I would like some answers.

In mid-February after one of our many blizzards, my wife was driving her sedan home. There was a pile of snow on our street that had hardened over. I guess she miscalculated its height (and hardness) and when she went over it, the car lurched up and she heard a loud grinding sound against the undercarriage. The engine started shaking immediately and within seconds died. She called me out and I took a look at the car. It was dead. I walked over to the ice and it was rock hard, so I tried to take a shovel to it and immediately emailed my neighbors to be careful of it. I am not mechanically-inclined, so when I googled what might’ve happened, I saw several comments that it could be as minor as a damaged oil pan that causes the engine to shut down. Figuring it might be something minor, I called aaa (had to wait a few days since their lines were down) and had the car towed down the street to a service station. I was not expecting the assessment from the mechanic: apparently during the collision, the timing belt slipped and caused the pistons to bend. This would cost several thousand to fix. Unfortunately, this car has an “interference” design which is prone to extensive damage when this happens. Many Aveo owners have complained about this online. The worst part about all of this is that even though it happened during a collision, our insurance chalked this up to "wear and tear" and we were forced to junk the car. Our car had less than 60k miles on it and we kept it in good condition. This should not have happened. This should have either been handled through a manufacturer recall or my insurance should have treated it as the collision it was and covered it.

Tl-the contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Aveo. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 mph, heard an abnormal noise and the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the timing belt had broken and the engine was ruined. The vehicle was unable to be repaired. The manufacturer was not aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 85,000. Ne.

Was driving on I-94 from milwaukee to chicago, once in kenosha area the car choked, heard a big noise and died completely would not turn on again. Pushed it to the shoulder and called 911. The dot towed the car to safety and then it was brought to the shop. The mechanic described the problem as the idler pulley and the timing belt are broken down and this cause the valves and piston to be completely damaged. The car was always maintained according to gm recommendation, timing belt performed by hall Chevrolet dealer at 67000 and oil change was regularly done at 3000miles. Also the car has a complete 92000 miles review with heiser Chevrolet back in March with all the maintenance recommended by gm (transmission, coolant, belts, hoses. . . Etc). The car is still in great shape. The timing belt and the idler part must be defective.

My car started to shake, squeak, and jerk. This has been ongoing for a few days now, after taking it to two different mechanics. I then learned about the safety recalls for the wheel barring, drive train, and pulley system for the engine. I called my dealership where I purchased the used car and was told they couldnt help me with recalls. I then called gm directly and was told there was no open recall on my car. I further researched and found that to be a lie, your data base alone states there is one that may cause the car to catch fire. This is my first car to purchase and with it having major safety recalls and no one wanting to help, I didnt know who else to contact.

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.

My wife was driving our chevy Aveo 2005 on a major 4 lane highway during the morning rush hour. She is doing about 60mph in the inner left lane on an icy Tuesday morning commute. Then she loses all power and acceleration, every light in the car comes on and she realizes there is a problem. She is mid way up a hill and has to get over. There is an on ramp to her right and more traffic so she had to go into the left berm. By this time she has peaked the top of the hill and is on the flat mesa. There is very little room to move over and she is over as far as possible. State and local traffic enforcement come to her aide and allow her to wait for me and a tow truck to get the vehicle moved. Nearly a dozen cars almost hit them after I arrived on the scene before the determined that it was unsafe for us to wait with the vehicle. They tagged the car and we had it towed. It turns out that the idler pulley has snapped and it is a very common problem with Aveos. A very common problem that put my wife, two officers and I in harms way. Let alone that recalling the small part would have saved everyone a $1900-2500 repair job. I understand that many consider this style car disposable but I say it as an affordable energy efficient commuter vehicle. However these features are not worth human life. . .

Tl- the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Aveo. The contact stated while traveling approximately 20 mph, a loud noise was emitted from the engine compartment and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was moved to the shoulder and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was found that the idle pulley had. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 55,000. The VIN was unavailable. Rvk.

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. Kmj.

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.

The contact owns a 2011 Chevrolet Aveo. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and overheated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer for diagnostics, who stated that the camshaft was damaged. In addition, the head gaskets were blown and needed a new timing belt. The parts were replaced but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to dealer again and the contact was advised that the failure was caused by low cooling fluid. The failure was reported to the manufacturer. The failure mileage was 33,861. The current mileage was 33,890.

See all problems of the 2011 Chevrolet Aveo 🔎.

Driving down road and car starts shaking and if you do not press pedal to the floor, the car will go dead. If at red light, the rpm needle goes up and down. If you do not constantly press on gas, it will go dead. I have had to replace my headlights at least 5 times since I bought the car in 2012. I have a 2005 corolla and I have had to change my headlights maybe twice since 2005. I am also having other electrical issues inside. The "seat belt" light that is above clock goes on and off as well as my gear shift lights. With the gear shift lights, just hit it and they will come back on. All of these issues could not be found when I took to dealership under warranty. Now check engine light is on and I will be getting a new car soon. I highly recommend to not buy this car! there's a reason they stopped selling them.

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.

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.

We have had numerous problems with the battery not staying charged. We would get ready to drive it and we would need to get a jump start. It got to the point where we considered buying a portable charger so we wouldn't have to wait for roadside assistance. In the last incident, I was driving and all of the lights illuminated at once. The power steering stopped working and then the car stopped. As we were waiting for a tow truck, a mechanic who was driving by looked under the hood and discovered that our serpentine belt and another belt had broken. We took it to a mechanic and were told that there was engine damage and the head gasket needed to be replaced and possibly the whole engine. Also, we have had to replace the tires numerous times for no apparent reason. They keep going flat. According to a consumer affairs website, these issues seem to be common with Aveo owners. . Read more...

See all problems of the 2010 Chevrolet Aveo 🔎.

Timing belt failed. Destroying the heads and pistons. . . Updated 07-05-13.

Coming home from work, dash lights got brighter, airbag light stayed on, car tried to stall around a corner when brakes were pressed. Took in for service, had alternator and battery replaced, also serpentine belt. This was 4 months ago. Problem was not fixed, just made it less severe. Since that time, when you hit the brakes the headlights dim. The dash clock comes on and off randomly, the airbag light is on all the time. When it is cold (the car, not the weather), the transmission has a hard time shifting. As of this morning it will not start. Am going to have it looked at tomorrow morning, but do not have high hopes. Bought car in 2006 with 8,000 miles on it, have had shift lock assembly replaced, wheel bearings, battery, alternator, serpentine belt. Probably other things I cannot think of right now. The electrical problem worries me though.

I was driving through town,all of a sudden I had no rpm's and the car came to a complete stop . Called a tow service and had it towed, the mechanic explained to me that the timing belt had snapped and it has caused internal damage to the engine. From the research I have done online, this seems to be an ongoing problem with Chevrolet, I just hate to think what would have happened had it been on a busy highway, because I had no warning.

See all problems of the 2007 Chevrolet Aveo 🔎.

I was driving 65 mph on the highway, when all of a sudden my rpms dropped to zero and I could no longer accelerate. I had to cut across two lanes of traffic to safely make it to the shoulder of the road. I later found out that my timing belt had snapped, causing internal damage to my engine and causing my car to break down in the middle of cruising on the highway.

2005 Aveo (bought new) with timing belt failure destroying engine. Had this happened on the interstate at 70 miles an hour it could have been fatal. From my research GMC has known about this issue since at least 2006 and yet have not assisted consumers to correct this nor recalled their car. I have read reports on almost all years of Aveo having this problem well before the 60000 recommended timing belt replacement. Two different mechanics confirmed timing belt failure. All I get from GMC is the run around. Upset over money but more concerned about these cars being on the highways and creating some horrible accident when the engine suddenly stops working and controlling the car is difficult or impossible. Planning to get rid of mine, can't afford the thousands of dollars to fix nor do I trust this car.

The contact owns a 2007 Chevrolet Aveo. While driving 40 mph, the contact stated that the timing belt fractured without warning causing the vehicle to lose all power. The dealer informed the contact that the timing belt needed to be replaced since it fractured and caused damage to the head, valve, and pistons. The manufacturer was aware of the failure but failed to offer any assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000. The VIN was unavailable. Updated 05/11/lj the consumer provided a VIN that belongs to a Subaru. Updated 05/15/12.

2005 Chevrolet Aveo. Consumer writes in regards to timing belt failure the consumer stated while driving 70 mph, the vehicle suddenly stopped running, it felt as though the transmission had fallen out. While trying to get to the emergency lane, the vehicle would not accelerate. Upon inspection, it was determined the timing belt idle pulley had broken, along with the serpentine belt, thermostat, water pump, as well as all of the 16 valves were bent. The total cost in parts and labor was $ 2,914. 54. The consumer also stated the door lock cylinder fell into the door panel, the vacuum supply line to the sensor was cracked, which caused a vacuum leak.

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.

Harmonic balancer was worn and damaged the timing belt. Upon investigation, the damaged timing belt, belt tensioner, bolts, and worn harmonic balancer had to be replaced. After this, while driving home, the car made a very hard "miss" twice. Something in the engine and/or timing belt area are still not functioning properly.

At 24000 miles the timing belt had to be replaced due to a worn harmonic balancer. Now there are more problems which cannot be duplicated at the dealership. When trying to start the car, it will sometimes not start. After waiting about 5 minutes, it will eventually start. No engine or security lights come on. As you are driving down the road, the car will "miss" and/or lunge at various speeds. It also does not want to take gas, especially at about 30-35 mph. The vehicle "pulls back" while accelerating. Unknown whether this is fuel system,engine, or transmission related.

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. .

Timing belt failure at highway speed. Almost got into accident. Chevy Aveo only had 65,000 miles.

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 milage for recomended replacement. Front wheel bearing also where replace 4 mounths ago. This was the first and last gm proguct I will ever buy .

My 2009 Chevrolet Aveo was bought in March with 25000 miles, in April I began having problems. After taking the car to two different Chevrolet dealerships, at separate times, the harmonic balancer was found to be worn which damaged the timing belt and had to be replaced at 28000 miles. Before this, the car was taken to the dealership for problems of not starting (occasionally). The issue could never be duplicated and was told the car was fine. Since then, the car will now act as though it does not want to take gas or that there is a "mis-fire" such as spark plugs. No lights come on. At 42500 miles when going 45 mph, the car acted as though it wasn't getting gas, or trying to "miss" and the engine light flashed three times but didn't stay on. After pulling over, turning off the car for 10 secs and restarting it, as said to do in manual, the car was able to be driven home with no security lights on. Car will once again be inspected a dealership for the same problems!!! this car should be recalled. It is not safe to drive. It "lunges" at intersections or when letting off the brake, jerks or makes a hard "miss" when traveling at a constant speed. Aveos should not be on the market. My Aveo gets great gas mileage, has no power options, which is what I wanted, but is still more trouble than any vehicles I have owned. My Aveo is driven mostly on the interstate and no more than 30 miles in each direction. It currently has 42550 miles.