Problems · NHTSA complaints

2011 Chevrolet Aveo problems

Owners filed 77 complaints about the 2011 Chevrolet Aveo with NHTSA between Dec 2010 and Mar 2021. The most-cited component is engine (22).

Complaints
77
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
10
Reported by owners
Fires
1
Reported by owners
Injuries
4
People reported injured
Deaths
1
Reported to NHTSA
01 —By component

Complaints by component

One complaint can cite several components
  1. Engine22
  2. Electrical system15
  3. Power train11
  4. Vehicle speed control11
  5. Air bags7
  6. Service brakes7
  7. Engine and engine cooling6
  8. Steering6
  9. Fuel/propulsion system5
  10. Wheels4
  11. Structure3
  12. Suspension2
  13. Seat belts2
  14. Fuel system, gasoline1

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
02 —Trend

When complaints were filed

Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
View as table
Model yearComplaints filed per calendar year
20101
20112
20129
20136
201418
20158
201615
20178
20183
20194
20202
20211

Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.

03 —Owner reports

Top problems in owners’ words

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first

Engine

22 reports
“I HAVE BEEN TO THE SHOP SO MANY TIMES SINCE I BOUGHT THIS CAR. THE FIRST TIME OUT OF NOWHERE IT STARTED SMOKING WHITE SMOKE AND OVERHEATED THE ENGINE AND COME TO FIND OUT THE TUBING IN THE CAR HAD EXPLODED. THEN GOT EVERYTHING FIXED AND NOW STILL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH OVERHEATING AND WHITE SMOKE BUT NOW A BURNING SMELL. IT'S SOMETHING NEW EVERY TIME. I FOUND THIS RESPONSE O. YOUR WEBSITE WITH ANOTHER PERSON WHO HAS THIS CAR AND THIS HAPPENED TO MINE AS WELL: ' HOSES TO MY COOLING SYSTEM ALL BUSTED ONE AFTER ANOTHER WITH IN 5 DAY WE COULD SEE THE WEEK SPOT IN THE HOSE AFTER THY BUSTED,HAD THE THERMOSTAT CHANGED , IT ALSO BLOW MY HEAD GASKET' THIS IS ALSO HAPPENED AND I BARELY DRIVE IT. IT'S 5 MILES DOWN THE STREET WHERE I WORK WITH A 45MPH MAX SPEED LIMIT. I HAVE PICTURES AND VIDEOS AS WELL BUT CAN'T ATTACH IT”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jan 2, 2020Electrical system, EngineODI 11296778

Electrical system

15 reports1 fire
“ARRIVED AT HOME PUT MY CAR IN PARK AND MY KEY WAS STUCK IN THE IGNITION AND UNABLE TO SHUT MY CAR OFF. HAD TO PULL FUSE TO THE COMPUTER AND DISCONNECT NEGATIVE SIDE OF BATTERY. TOOK IT TO A SHOP THEY ADVISED NO COMMUNICATION WITH SHIFTER. SHOP DRILLED OUT MY OLD IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER AND REPLACED WITH A NEW KEY LOCK CYLINDER. SEEMS TO BE WORKING AS OF NOW AFTER A $518.74 BILL.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled May 8, 2019Electrical system, Unknown or otherODI 11206278

Power train

11 reports1 crash
“AT 60K MILES THE SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING. VEHICLE RUNS FINE BUT NOT HAVING A SPEEDOMETER IS A SAFETY HAZARD. THERE ARE ONLY A FEW TRANSMISSIONS THAT HAVE THIS PROBLEM WHERE THE SPEEDOMETER IN OPERATED BY A PLASTIC GEAR INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION. I HAD TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION COST ME 1600 DOLLARS AND THE 9 MONTHS LATER THAT GEAR LET GO ALSO. AGAIN I HAD TO CHANGE THE TRANSMISSION. THE CAR WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION WITHOUT THE SPEEDOMETER WORKING. THIS IS A FAULTY DESIGN AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 21, 2018Power trainODI 11074169

Vehicle speed control

11 reports1 crash
“PURCHASED THIS CAR WITH LESS THAN 30,000 MILES FROM A LOCAL DEALER. PROBLEMS INCLUDING POWER LOSS AND OVER HEATING WITHIN FIRST FEW DAYS OF PURCHASE. CHEVY DEALER "REPAIR" WE CONTINUE TO HAVE THE SAME ISSUES CURRENTLY. CHEVY ESCALATES AND SAYS NOT A KNOWN ISSUE, WE SHOULD PAY THOUSANDS TO REPAIR HEAD GASKET EVEN THOUGH THERE TECH SUPPORT SAYS TO DAMAGE TO GASKET IS NOT SHOWING UP WHEN TESTED. DANGEROUS SMALL VEHICLE THAT LOOSES POWER FOR UNKNOWN REASON AND OVERHEATS FOR UNKNOWN REASON. SO FAR IT CAN NOT BE REPAIRED. MANY CONSUMER BLOGS AND SAME COMPLAINTS. THOUSANDS OF BLOGS.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Apr 24, 2017Power train, Vehicle speed control, Unknown or otherODI 10980267

Air bags

7 reports2 crashes
“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 CHEVROLET AVEO. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO THE PRECEDING VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT WAS STILL DRIVEN TO THE HOSPITAL BY A PARENT. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A COLLISION CENTER. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,512.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 19, 2019Air bagsCrash reportedODI 11190040

Service brakes

7 reports1 crash
“RIGHT FRONT BRAKE HOSE BLEW OUT LEAVING ME WITH NO BRAKE WHILE DRIVING ON A CITY STREET. UNABLE TO STOP HAD NO BRAKES HAD TO SWERVE IN ORDER TO KEEP FROM HITTING CAR IN FRONT OF ME. MECHANIC SAID IN HIS 35 YEARS AS A MECHANIC NEVER SEEN THIS HAPPEN AND TO MAKE A REPORT AS THIS COULD KILL SOMEONE.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 12, 2019Service brakesODI 11186186
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.