NHTSA Complaint #10340579 — 2005 CHEVROLET AVEO

I HAVE JUST OVER48,000 THOUSAND MILES ON MY 2005 CHEVY AVEO HATCHBACK. THE THERMOSTAT HOUSING UNIT ON THIS VEHICLE IS MADE OUT OF PLASTIC. OVER TIME IT WILL WEAR DOWN, AND EVENTUALLY CRACK. AS A RESULT, THE ENGINE COOLANT WILL LEAK OUT AND YOUR ENGINE WILL OVERHEAT. IT IS NOT PART OF THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY COVERAGE AND WITH TAX THE REPAIR RAN $312 DOLLARS. THIS IS FOR A DESIGN ISSUE WITH USING HARDWARE WITH A PLASTIC HOUSING. THE DEALERSHIP KNOWS THIS ISSUE EXISTS AND THAT YOU'LL HAVE TO COME IN FOR REPAIRS EVENTUALLY. LUCKILY I WASN'T ON THE FREEWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED AND TRAVELING AT LOW ENOUGH SPEEDS TO MAKE IT HOME SAFELY. I THEN HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. THE AUTOMOTIVE REPRESENTATIVE ADVISED THERE WASN'T ANY REAL WAY TO AVOID THE INCIDENT WITH ANY PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE. I SAID IT WAS NOTHING THAT I DID WITH THE USE OF THE VEHICLE. IT WAS A MATTER OF TIMING, THE SUMMER HEAT CONDITIONS AND THE FACT THAT THE ORIGINAL THERMOSTAT COMPONENT HAS A PLASTIC HOUSING. HE STATED IT SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN AS THE REPLACEMENT THERMOSTAT WAS OF DIFFERENT CONSTRUCT AND WAS NO LONGER PLASTIC. *TR