NHTSA Complaint #10731829 — 2008 CHEVROLET AVEO

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY ON MY WAY HOME FROM 3 HOURS AWAY, AND I WAS ABOUT AN HOUR AND 30 MIN FROM HOME. I STOPPED AT MCDONALD S TO FEED THE 3 KIDS, I WAS THERE FOR 35 MIN WITH THE CAR OFF. NOT EVEN 10 MIN LATER, BACK ON THE HIGHWAY, THE CAR SORT OF SPIT AND/OR SPUTTERED. I THOUGHT MAYBE I HAD GOTTEN SOME BAD GAS BECAUSE IT ONLY DID IT ABOUT 3 TIMES AND IT WAS OK, THERE WERE NO LIGHTS ON INDICATING ANYTHING WAS WRONG. JUST A COUPLE MINUTES LATER IT DID IT SPIT AND/OR SPUTTERED 2 MORE TIMES, STILL NO LIGHT INDICATORS HAD COME ON AND I LOOKED DOWN AT THE GAUGES I HAD 6/8THS TANK OF GAS, ALMOST FULL. THE ENGINE TEMP WAS READING HOT THOUGH, BUT NO LIGHTS WERE ON, SUDDENLY WE WERE GOING UP A SLIGHT INCLINE BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT GO FASTER, IN-FACT IT WAS ACTUALLY SLOWING DOWN AND IT WOULD NO LONGER SWITCH TO A HIGHER GEAR. AS SOON AS THE HIGHWAY LEVELED OFF, I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL TO GIVE THE ENGINE A BRAKE UNTIL WE REACHED THE NEXT GAS STATION, BUT AS SOON AS IT HIT NEUTRAL THE CAR SHUT OFF AND WAS COASTING. I HAD TO PULL OVER AS QUICK AS I COULD. WHEN SOMEONE FINALLY STOPPED TO HELP, WE FOUND A TINY HOLE IN A HOSE, WE CUT THE HOSE, READJUSTED IT BUT IT STILL WOULDN'T START, AFTER 3 JUMPS IT STILL WOULDN'T START. WE WERE STRANDED FOR OVER 4 HOURS, AND THE BATTERY FINALLY COMPLETELY DIED OUT AS OUR RIDE HAD JUST GOTTEN THERE. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING FOR THE BREAK DOWN, NOT EVEN A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAD CAME ON. BECAUSE OF THIS ME 3 KIDS ALL 5 YEARS OLD AND UNDER, AND MY AUNT WHO IS DEATHLY AFRAID OF SEMI'S WERE STRANDED ON THE SIDE OF A HIGHWAY FOR OVER 4 HOURS!