NHTSA Complaint #10292586 — 2005 CHEVROLET AVEO

ON SUNDAY EVENING I ATTEMPTED TO PUT MY 2005 CHEVY AVEO INTO DRIVE AFTER PUTTING MY KEY IN THE IGNITION AND STARTING THE VEHICLE BUT THE SHIFTER WAS STUCK IN PARK. THE AVEO HAS A FEATURE CALLED THE "SHIFT LOCK RELEASE" WHICH IS A HOLE ON THE SHIFTER CONSOLE YOU CAN PUT A SCREWDRIVER OR OTHER TOOL INTO TO RELEASE THE SHIFTER INTO DRIVE IN THESE SITUATIONS. I WAS ABLE TO PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE AND MAKE IT HOME SAFELY AFTER USING THE SHIFT LOCK RELEASE BUT WHEN I GOT HOME I REALIZED MY KEY WAS STUCK IN THE IGNITION. MY CAR SAT UNLOCKED OVERNIGHT BECAUSE I COULD NOT GET THE KEY OUT. ON MONDAY I CALLED MY LOCAL GM DEALERSHIP IN SALEM, OH AND THEY STATED THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO TAKE A LOOK AT MY CAR UNTIL TUESDAY. I SPENT THE ENTIRE DAY RESEARCHING ONLINE AND FOUND MANY CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS SAME ISSUE WITH THE AVEO. LATER ON IN THE EVENING I REALIZED MY BRAKE LIGHTS WEREN'T WORKING BUT THERE WAS NOT A BLOWN FUSE OR SWITCH. I TESTED BOTH OF THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND THEY WERE STILL GOOD. ON TUESDAY I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND IT COST ME $80 FOR THE MECHANIC TO TELL ME THE SHIFTER IS BAD, WHICH I ALREADY KNEW. THEY ALSO STATED IT WOULD BE $300 TO REPAIR THE SHIFTER. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THE FAILURE OF THE BRAKE LIGHTS, THE SHIFTER AND THE IGNITION ARE TIED TOGETHER AND SHOULD BE REPLACED BY GM AT NO COST TO ME. MY VEHICLE IS SITTING UNATTENDED WITH THE KEY IN IT, WHICH RUNS THE RISK OF IT BEING STOLEN. NOT TO MENTION WHEN I AM DRIVING I HAVE NO BRAKE LIGHTS TO ALERT THE OTHER DRIVERS I AM SLOWING DOWN OR STOPPING WHICH COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. EACH TIME I ATTEMPT TO PUT THE CAR IN DRIVE I HAVE TO INSERT SOMETHING INTO THE SHIFT LOCK RELEASE TO SHIFT THE CAR AND THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE SUNDAY. *TR