NHTSA Complaint #10578600 — 2004 CHEVROLET AVEO

THIS IS THE SAME VEHICLE AS NHTSA INCIDENT 10393028 (SNAPPED PLASTIC THERMOSTAT HOUSING UNIT). DRIVING ON A MULTIPLE LANE FREEWAY AT ~65MPH AND THE TIMING BELT SNAPPED (HIGH PITCHED WHISTLE LIKE THE CAR WINDOW WAS SLIGHTLY OPEN). IMMEDIATELY LOST ALL SPEED CONTROL AND BEGAN RAPIDLY DECELERATING. THANKFULLY, WAS IN RIGHT HAND LANE AND WAS ABLE TO COAST OFF THE NEXT AVAILABLE EXIT. LIKELY WOULD HAVE BEEN KILLED HAD I BEEN IN ANY OTHER LANE IN MORNING TRAFFIC AND LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE. ONCE STOPPED, CAR COULD NOT BE TURNED BACK ON AND WOULD NOT MOVE UNTIL TURNED INTO ACC MODE WHERE IT FINALLY ALLOWED ME TO SHIFT INTO NEUTRAL. HAD TO BE TOWED, EVENTUALLY TO THE DEALERSHIP. ENGINE DAMAGE WAS CATASTROPHIC AND REQUIRED EXTENSIVE AND EXPENSIVE REPAIRS (3 WEEKS AND APPROXIMATELY $2,700). SNAPPED TIMING BELT ALSO BENT PISTONS AND VALVES AND REQUIRED THE WATER PUMP TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS CLEARLY A KNOWN ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE DEALT WITH BY CHEVROLET, RATHER THAN HIDING BEHIND THE 60,000 MILE REPLACEMENT, WHICH IS LAUGHABLY LOW FOR A TIMING BELT. FURTHER - MY TIMING BELT WAS SUPPOSED TO HAVE BEEN REPLACED AT 50,000 MILES AND THUS NOT ONLY DID A CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP LIE TO ME, THEY PUT MY LIFE AT RISK BY KNOWING THIS WAS AN ISSUE THAT WOULD INEVITABLY OCCUR LONG BEFORE THE NEXT SCHEDULED BELT REPLACEMENT. THIS CAR HAS BEEN METICULOUSLY MAINTAINED WITH OIL CHANGES EVERY 3,000 MILES AND ONLY 5,000-10,000 MILES DRIVEN/YEAR. THERE WAS NO REASON FOR THE TIMING BELT TO SNAP OTHER THAN BEING A FAULTY PART THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED. *TR