Worst years for a Chevrolet Cavalier
Owners have filed 6,452 complaints about the Chevrolet Cavalier with NHTSA across model years 1982 to 2005. More of them are about the electrical system than anything else.
Avoid
1997 Chevrolet Cavalier751 complaints — the highest FaultScore of any year, mostly engine & cooling.
Cleanest on record
2005 Chevrolet Cavalier362 complaints — the lowest FaultScore of the graded years.
Every Chevrolet Cavalier year, graded
The grade compares each year against the rest of this model's own run — never against another car. Click any bar or row to open that year's report.
| Year | Grade | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Median miles | Most reported |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | B | 362 | 8 | 0 | 65,345 | Electrical System |
| 2004 | C | 428 | 21 | 7 | 51,862 | Electrical System |
| 2003 | D | 867 | 53 | 7 | 60,115 | Fuel & Propulsion |
| 2002 | C | 254 | 35 | 5 | 54,000 | Electrical System |
| 2001 | D | 356 | 37 | 11 | 50,500 | Electrical System |
| 2000 | C | 447 | 28 | 13 | 56,110 | Electrical System |
| 1999 | C | 337 | 37 | 5 | 63,500 | Brakes |
| 1998 | C | 473 | 42 | 11 | 81,518 | Electrical System |
| 1997 | D | 751 | 86 | 33 | 84,197 | Engine & Cooling |
| 1996 | D | 748 | 73 | 10 | 63,871 | Engine & Cooling |
| 1995 | C | 392 | 42 | 12 | 83,750 | Engine & Cooling |
| 1994 | C | 310 | 41 | 3 | 98,200 | Brakes |
| 1993 | C | 237 | 13 | 11 | — | Brakes |
| 1992 | — | 178 | 16 | 9 | 64,750 | Brakes |
| 1991 | — | 77 | 8 | 6 | 90,000 | Electrical System |
| 1990 | — | 70 | 2 | 13 | — | Electrical System |
| 1989 | — | 71 | 2 | 1 | 106,000 | Engine & Cooling |
| 1988 | — | 14 | 1 | 1 | — | Electrical System |
| 1987 | — | 27 | 3 | 0 | — | Steering |
| 1986 | — | 21 | 2 | 6 | — | Engine & Cooling |
| 1985 | — | 4 | 0 | 2 | — | Electrical System |
| 1984 | — | 10 | 3 | 0 | — | Transmission & Drivetrain |
| 1983 | — | 17 | 1 | 1 | — | Engine & Cooling |
| 1982 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | Acceleration & Cruise Control |
What breaks on a Chevrolet Cavalier
Across every model year on file. Follow a row for that part's complaints and the year it was worst.
Exactly what failed on a Chevrolet Cavalier
The named sub-assemblies behind those complaints, across every model year.
Complaints filed over time
Every complaint about every Chevrolet Cavalier, by the month it reached NHTSA.
Chevrolet Cavalier problems by state
Where owners filed from. Heavier states are usually just bigger markets, but a part that fails in heat or salt shows up here first.
Compare the Chevrolet Cavalier
Side by side on complaint history. Remember that raw totals track how many were sold as much as how good they were.