General Motors Corp.: Electrical System › Ignition › Switch
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jan 27, 2004 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 1,415,231. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE ENGINE FAILS TO START AND THE DRIVER HOLDS THE KEY IN THE "START" POSITION FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, HIGH CURRENT FLOWS THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND SOMETIMES PRODUCES ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT INTERNAL SWITCH PARTS.
The risk
IF THE SWITCH IS DAMAGED, A FIRE COULD OCCUR IN THE STEERING COLUMN, EVEN WITH THE ENGINE OFF AND THE KEY REMOVED. THE FIRE COULD SPREAD TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR, WHICH COULD INJURE OCCUPANTS OR CAUSE DAMAGE TO ADJOINING STRUCTURES.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RELAY KIT IN THESE VEHICLES TO PREVENT HIGH CURRENT FROM FLOWING THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND CHECK THAT YOUR CAR WILL START WITH A PROPERLY CHARGED BATTERY AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BEGIN ON MARCH 1, 2004. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CHECK THEIR VEHICLE ONLINE BY GOING TO WWW.MYGMLINK.COM AND ENTERING THE VEHICLE'S IDENTIFICATION NUMBER.
11 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier | 243 | 6 | 8 | 23 |
| 2001 Pontiac Sunfire | 66 | 3 | 2 | 8 |
| 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier | 315 | 7 | 8 | 25 |
| 2000 Pontiac Sunfire | 96 | 3 | 5 | 13 |
| 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier | 240 | 8 | 2 | 27 |
| 1999 Pontiac Sunfire | 93 | 5 | 4 | 9 |
| 1998 Buick Skylark | 24 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier | 345 | 11 | 10 | 36 |
| 1998 Oldsmobile Achieva | 40 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 1998 Pontiac Grand AM | 172 | 3 | 5 | 12 |
| 1998 Pontiac Sunfire | 120 | 7 | 1 | 11 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 04V036000.
Full record for the 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →