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Engine coolingPart report

2004 Chevrolet Aveo Engine cooling Problems

Complaints
62about this part
Share
30%of 206 total for the year
Median mileage
60,000miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 62 complaints about the engine cooling of the 2004 Chevrolet Aveo, 30% of the 206 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 60,000 miles. 1 a fire, according to the filers.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“I was driving at 65 MPH and the car stalled and had to cross two lanes of traffic to get to the side of the road. The timing belt has been the source of my problem, it stripped out the teeth on the belt. Why would chevy use a timing belt when all of its other cars use chains, why not modify the engine they bought from daewoo and put a chain on it.”

NHTSA complaint #10332170, filed 2010-05, 92,000 miles

“I own a 2004 chevy AVEO. The thermostat housing broke. You must replace the entire thermostat and the thermostat is not broke it works fine. There was no warning and the engine did not overheat. I do not think a part should break apart and if it does you should not have to replace a good part. The oil light flickered so I checked under the hood and the housing had steam coming out.”

NHTSA complaint #10275309, filed 2009-06, 125,278 miles

“On my daughters 2004 chevy AVEO I had the timing belt, water pump, and t'belt tensioner replaced at 59826 miles, per manufactures recommendation. About 20000 miles later the idler pulley broke, destroyed engine. Gm has not recommended replacing this part per their maintenance schedule , why not?”

NHTSA complaint #10330023, filed 2010-05, 81,000 miles

“My 2004 chevy AVEO broke down in the middle of an intersection at 47,652 miles. The car wouldn't start and couldn't be moved while my daughter and grandson were stranded in traffic. The problem turned out to be the timing belt which should have lasted 2x the mileage. Then engine rattled after that repair. On 17aug08 my car started smoking from under the hood. When I opened the hood, antifreeze covered everything. …”

NHTSA complaint #10238938, filed 2008-08, 53,963 miles

“5 months ago, we replaced our 2004 chevy AVEO's engine due to timing belt failure and had a new one put in. Today (2 weeks after) our car broke down again due to timing belt failure we are finding out we are needing to replace the engine again!”

NHTSA complaint #10326772, filed 2010-04, 45,000 miles

Related service bulletins

Engine cooling: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
201168%
2010711%
20092917%
200885%
2007178%
2006137%
20056226%
20046230%

Other parts of the 2004 Chevrolet Aveo

Electrical system
37 complaintsAir bags
23 complaintsEngine
21 complaintsSeat belts
18 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
18 complaintsExterior lighting
12 complaintsFuel system
11 complaintsBrakes
10 complaintsSteering
9 complaintsBody and structure
6 complaintsVehicle speed control
6 complaintsSuspension
5 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2004 Chevrolet Aveo

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology