"Jolting" at 45-55 MPH; 2009 Aveo Hatchback

Hello,

I have a 2009 Aveo Hatchback with 80,000 miles; regular oil changes, tire rotation.

There seems to be an issue with the vehicle "jolting" or "stuttering" at 45 to 55 MPH. The check engine light came on and will blink when it acts up.
I noticed as well that it runs at about 4500 RPM at 70 MPH and will hold, regardless of terrain- unfortunately I cannot remember if this is the normal RPM at that speed or not.
I could take it to the dealer, but I am more of a DIY type of person. Any suggestions & tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much,

Tyler

Has the recall for coil packs/spark plugs been done yet for this Aveo? If you don't know, call a Chevy dealer and give them your vin. If the recall hasn't been done, take it in ASAP because you're probably throwing raw gas into the cat, which will destroy it fairly quickly. The recall will be done N/C to you.

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Originally Posted by avguy

Has the recall for coil packs/spark plugs been done yet for this Aveo? If you don't know, call a Chevy dealer and give them your vin. If the recall hasn't been done, take it in ASAP because you're probably throwing raw gas into the cat, which will destroy it fairly quickly. The recall will be done N/C to you.

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Hi avguy,

Thank you for your reply. I went ahead and called the dealership and they confirmed that the coil pack recall was taken care of in 12'.

Thanks,

Did you get the OBD code(s)? If not, many of the parts outfits will read them for free. I'd guess there's one or more P030* misfire codes, but there might be another one that points to a more specific problem as well. I'd also pull the plugs and take a look at them because their condition can often pinpoint the problem and lead directly to the solution.
You need to get this fixed ASAP because if it's a rich misfire, the cat would be trashed fairly quickly.

It's quite possibly the spark plugs if you haven't done them in a while. Or ever. A lot of Aveo owners miss that they're basic copper/nickel plugs in there and the recommended replacement is every 25,000 miles, "not to exceed 37,500". As threads on Aveoforum can attest, these cars seem to run best on either copper/nickel or iridium. The iridiums have a longer service life. For the 10 bucks or so it costs for copper/nickel plugs, change them out and see what happens. My 2010 had a bit of hesitation around the same speed as you, and new plugs cured it.

as poison ivy said, I do my spark plugs every 20k. Or else it will have "flat" spots in acceleration.

What are the years for the recall?

2009 only - the first COPs they used were apparently not top shelf.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by avguy

2009 only - the first COPs they used were apparently not top shelf.

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actually, Recall 11290C expanded the timeframe from just 2009 to the entire run of the Ecotec engine.

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Originally Posted by tylerdhart

Hello,

I have a 2009 Aveo Hatchback with 80,000 miles; regular oil changes, tire rotation.

There seems to be an issue with the vehicle "jolting" or "stuttering" at 45 to 55 MPH. The check engine light came on and will blink when it acts up.
I noticed as well that it runs at about 4500 RPM at 70 MPH and will hold, regardless of terrain- unfortunately I cannot remember if this is the normal RPM at that speed or not.
I could take it to the dealer, but I am more of a DIY type of person. Any suggestions & tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks so much,

Tyler

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this can not be right, my 04 auto does 70 with ease at 2750 RPMs.

Check one of two possibilities (of which I had both on my 2010 LT): Look for a tear or split in the air intake tube (between the mass air flow meter and EFI intake port). Mine was torn, took me a while to figure it out, had no desire to cough up $240 for a new one so I fabricated one from an aftermarket Koni-type intake filter and hose assembly (about $20, got that back selling the filter to a friend of my son). That issue went away. If the problem turns out to be the coil pack, don't get the original from the dealer, there is a problem with the design that will always give a misfire on cylinder 3 code. I went for a Duralast coil pack from Auto Zone, no more misfire code. Hope this helps.

If you have a check engine light and a blinking hold light, the Aveo will no longer go into overdrive. That's most likely why he's seeing such high rpm.