Chevrolet Cavalier
Owners filed 4,549 complaints across 16 model years of the Chevrolet Cavalier. The 2003 drew the most (678).
Model years16
Complaints4,549
Recalls86
Fires125
Deaths25
Which Chevrolet Cavalier years should you avoid?
Going by 4,549 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Chevrolet Cavalier years to avoid are 2003 and 1997.
- 2003678 complaints, 2.6× a typical Cavalier year, most often about the fuel system.
- 1997540 complaints, 2.1× a typical Cavalier year, most often about the electrical system.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Chevrolet Cavalier model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 287 | 1 | — | 7 | Electrical System | Fatalities reported | |
| 2004 | 330 | 2 | 6 | 17 | Electrical System | Fatalities reported | |
| 2003Avoid | 678 | 2 | 6 | 31 | Fuel System, Gasoline | Fatalities reported | |
| 2002 | 196 | 5 | 4 | 24 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2001 | 243 | 6 | 8 | 23 | Electrical System | Fatalities reported | |
| 2000 | 315 | 7 | 8 | 25 | Electrical System | Fatalities reported | |
| 1999 | 240 | 8 | 2 | 27 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | Above average | |
| 1998 | 345 | 11 | 10 | 36 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | Above average | |
| 1997Avoid | 540 | 13 | 25 | 70 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Fatalities reported | |
| 1996 | 503 | 13 | 10 | 58 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Fatalities reported | |
| 1995 | 270 | 9 | 10 | 32 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Above average | |
| 1994 | 212 | 2 | 3 | 28 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | Fatalities reported | |
| 1993 | 146 | 2 | 7 | 12 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | Fatalities reported | |
| 1992 | 134 | 1 | 8 | 15 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip | Fatalities reported | |
| 1991 | 55 | 3 | 6 | 7 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine | Fatalities reported | |
| 1990 | 55 | 1 | 12 | 2 | Electrical System › Wiring › Front Underhood | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.