NHTSA Complaint #10481433 — 2006 CHEVROLET AVEO

MY 2006 CHEVY AVEO HATCHBACK WAS SITTING PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY AND HAD NOT BEEN TURNED ON IN THE LAST 12 HOURS. MY DOGS STARTED TO BARK, AND THAT IS WHEN I NOTICED MY CAR ALARM WAS GOING OFF, VERY QUIETLY. I WENT OUTSIDE TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON AND THAT IS WHEN I NOTICED MY CAR WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE AND THAT IT WAS COMING OUT OF MY AIR VENTS AS WELL. HOWEVER THE ENGINE WAS NOT ON FIRE, NOR WAS IT EFFECTED. I TRIED IMMEDIATELY TO UNLOCK MY CAR, BUT MY LOCKS HAD GONE OUT, SO I HAD TO USE MY KEY AND MANUALLY UNLOCK THE DOORS. IT WAS ONCE THE SMOKED CLEARED I COULD SEE MY DASH WAS COMPLETELY MELTED IN WHERE MY AIR VENTS AND CLOCK ONCE WERE. IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT IT HURT THE CD PLAYER DIRECTLY BELOW IT HOWEVER. MY WINDOWS ARE RUINED BY THE SMOKE AS WELL AND THEY ARE DARKENED WHERE THE "FIRE" STARTED. PRIOR TO THIS DAY MY BATTERY HAS GONE DEAD TWICE, BUT THERE WAS NOT WARNING SIGNS THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG. I NEVER RECEIVED A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR ANYTHING OF THE SORT. IT NEVER SHOWED ANY PROBLEMS OPERATING OTHER THAN THE TWO DEAD BATTERIES. *TR