NHTSA Complaint #10257657 — 2007 CHEVROLET AVEO

WE PURCHASED A NEW 2007 CHEVROLET AVEO FROM DEVOE CHEVROLET IN ALEXANDRIA, INDIANA, ON 4-12-2007. FROM THE BEGINNING, THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT AIR BAG HAS ONLY WORKED INTERMITTENTLY. WE HAVE TAKEN THE CAR BACK TO DEVOE SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THEY COULD NEVER DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, OR FIND ANYTHING WRONG. YET, THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTED. THEY DID REPLACE THE SEAT, CHECKED THE SEAT WITH WEIGHTS, ETC., BUT IT DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. FINALLY, WHEN THE AIR BAG WAS NOT WORKING WITH ME (TERESA SHUMAN) SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, WE TOOK IT TO DEVOE, AND RUSTY (THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT MANAGER) SAW THAT THE AIR BAG WAS NOT WORKING WITH ME SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THEY AGAIN TRIED TO CHECK THINGS OUT FOR ABOUT AN HOUR OR SO WHILE WE WERE THERE, BUT FOUND NOTHING WRONG. THEY DID FINALLY FIND AN OLDER BULLETIN FROM GM THAT SAID THE AIR BAG IN THE AVEO SOMETIMES DID NOT WORK FOR THE PASSENGER IF SOMEONE LEANED BACK A LOT (I WASN'T), OR IF THEIR BOTTOM DIDN'T FIT THE SEAT CORRECTLY. DEVOE HAS NO IDEA WHAT TO DO AT THIS POINT. WE CALLED STEPHANIE (GM REP AT 1-866-790-5700, EXT 21936, CASE #71-692588437). STEPHANIE TOLD MY HUSBAND CRAIG THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT GM CAN DO TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE CAR IS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. WE DO NOT FIND THIS ACCEPTABLE AT ALL!!!! AND, THE AIR BAG HAS NOT JUST MALFUNCTIONED WITH ME, BUT ALSO MALFUNCTIONED WITH SOME OF OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS. WE WERE NOT TOLD, WHEN WE PURCHASED THE CAR, THAT THE AIR BAG WOULD MAYBE NOT WORK, OR WOULD ONLY WORK INTERMITTENTLY, IF A PERSON'S BOTTOM DID NOT FIT THE SEAT CORRECTLY. THE AIR BAG HAS MALFUNCTIONED FOR OVERWEIGHT, UNDER WEIGHT, AND NORMAL WEIGHT PEOPLE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE, ESPECIALLY IN A CAR AS SMALL AS THE AVEO!!! WE CANNOT BELIEVE THAT GM MORE OR LESS TOLD US TO LIVE WITH THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP US . AND, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE PURCHASED AN AVEO, OR ARE THINKING ABOUT PURCHASING AN AVEO, KNOW THAT THE PASSENGER FRONT AIR BAG MAY NOT WORK. *TR