NHTSA Complaint #10627629 — 2008 CHEVROLET AVEO

ON JULY 21, 2014 AT ABOUT 7:45 IN THE MORNING, MY WIFE WHO WAS GOING TO CHURCH WENT TO THE GARAGE TO USE THE AVEO. WHEN SHE OPENED THE DOOR, SHE WAS MET WITH DARK SMOKE AND SMELL OF BURNED PLASTIC. THEN SHE SAW THE MIDDLE OF THE DASHBOARD BURNED CREATING A BIG HOLE. THEN I HAD THE AVEO TOWED TO THE CHARLES CLARK CHEVROLET WHERE I BOUGHT THE AVEO FOR THEM TO SEE. THEN I WENT HOME AND PASSING BY THE MAILBOX I GOT THE MAIL AND SAW AN ENVELOPE FROM GENERAL MOTORS. WHEN I OPENED THE ENVELOPE, I SAW THE LETTER OF THE RECALL OF THE AVEO DUE TO THE DEFECTIVE HEADLAMP SWITCH OR DAYTIME RUNNING LAMP WHICH GENERATE HEAT WHICH COULD MELT HEADLAMP SWITCH AND DRL MODULE CAUSING FIRE. THAT WAS WHAT HAPPENED TO THE AVEO. SO I CALLED GM AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED. THEN AFTER SEVERAL DAYS OF CALLS AND AN INSPECTION BY THEIR ENGINEERS, I WAS TOLD THAT THE DAMAGE WAS BEYOND REPAIR AND THEY WILL PAY A LITTLE OVER $4,000 BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT REPAIR THE AVEO. I TOLD THEM I DO NOT AGREE BECAUSE THE AVEO WAS IN GOOD CONDITION AT SEVEN YEARS OLD, LESS THAN 16,000 MILEAGE, THE TIRES WERE STILL THE ORIGINAL TIRES WHEN BOUGHT AND HAD NEVER BEEN BROUGHT TO A REPAIR SHOP. SO I TOLD THEM TO REPAIR THE AVEO TO ITS CONDITION BEFORE THE FIRE. I COULD NOT BELIEVE THEY CANNOT REPAIR WHEN THEY CAN CREATE A NEW CAR. THE RECALL WAS A SAFETY-RELATED DEFECT AND MY WIFE WAS LUCKY SHE WAS NOT IN THE CAR WHEN THE FIRE HAPPENED. IF THE CAR WAS NOT BURNED, IT WOULD STILL BE GOOD FOR ANOTHER SEVEN YEARS. WITH GM'S PROPOSAL, MY WIFE AND I WILL INCUR A DEBT TO GET ANOTHER CAR AND WHEN SHE RETIRES AS A NURSE SUPERVISOR AT TEXAS STATE VETERANS HOME IN TWO OR THREE YEARS, WE WILL BE BURDENED WITH A LOAN PAST OUR RETIREMENT. MY WIFE IS 72 YEARS OLD NOW. WE DON'T WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED, THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 09/24/14. UPDATED 03/04/15. *JB