Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1993 Chevrolet Cavalier submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 53 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 53, in the owner's own words
WHILE DRIVING BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE DASHBOARD. WHEN THIS OCCURRED VEHICLE WAS IMMEDIATELY TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO D INDICATED THAT THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM COLLAPSED AND WAS LOSING BRAKE FLUID. CONSUMER FELT THAT THIS MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY THE DEFECT DESCRIBED IN THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE LINE HOSE NON METALLIC RECALL 93V121000. *AK
VARIOUS PROBLEMS REGARDING 1993 CHEVROLET CAVALIER..ONE COMPLAINT SUBMITTED ON NUMEROUS MVOQ FORMS. *MR CONSUMER LOST BRAKES WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER DISCOVERED THAT BRAKE FLUID LINE FAILED. FUEL LINE FAILED DUE TO CORROSION. BOTH HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL COMPONENTS OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT WERE FALLING APART. RUST WAS EVIDENT ON BOTH SIDES OF THE LOWER PART OF THE VEHICLE'S BODY, FROM FRONT WHEEL TO REAR WHEEL. FRONT AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCKS WORK INTERMITTENTLY ESOECIALLY IN COLD WEATHER. DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BACK STARTED TO COLLAPSE AND EVENTUALLY FAILED COMPLETELY -- SEAT BACK COLLAPSED TWICE. CONSUMER ALSO EXPERIENCED SUSPENSION PROBLEMS AND TROUBLE STARTING VEHICLE. WATER COMING IN TO THE TRUNK OF THE VEHICLE. TOOK VEHICLE FOR STATE INSPECTION FOR WHICH IT FAILED DUE TO BALL JOINT. CONSUMER EXPERIENCED THREE OCCURRENCES OF HEADLIGHT FAILURES ON VEHICLE. RADIATOR FAILED WITH NO EXTERNAL CAUSE. LEAKING IN WIINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER FLUID TANK. *LA
MAJOR FAILURE OF THE VEHICLE'S WATER-RESISTANT ENVELOPE: SERIOUS WATER LEAK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FROM THE FIREWALL, RESULTING IN RUST AND SEVERE DAMAGE TO CARPET, MOLD AND MILDEW IN CARPET AND UNDERLAY, AND UNPLEASANT ODOURS
CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH THE BRAKES FAILED CAUSING A ACCIDENT. MR
WHILE DRIVING LONG DISTANCE VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN, AND REAR BRAKES LOCK UP WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED. *AK THE CAUSE WAS DETERMINED TO BE A SENSOR AND IT WAS REPLACED. *YH
WHILE BRAKING AT A SLOW SPEED, BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, AND THERE WAS NO BRAKING ACTION. CONSUMER HIT VEHICLE IN FRONT OF HER INSURANCE AGENT CLAIMED REAR BRAKE HOSE WAS AT FAULT, DAMAGE TO VEHICLE UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE EXPERIENCES ROUGH VIBRATION/ SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T WORK ANYMORE, ABS LIGHT STAYS ON. THESE THINGS WERE WORKING WHEN TEST DRIVEN. DEALER IS NOT ASSITING CONSUMER WITH PROBLEM.*AK CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AFTER DRIVING 5-6 MILES. CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT WORK. WHILE SLOWING, STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES. WHEN HEATER IS ON, ENGINE HAS A STRONG ODOR. *SLC
ABS SYSTEM WILL FAIL INTERMITTENTLY, CAUSING PEDAL TO GO TO FLOOR, AND VEHICLE WILL NOT STOP. PLEASE PROVIDE FUTHER INFORMATION.*AK
CONSUMER HAS REPLACED HEAD GASKET 2 TIMES ON 2.2LT ENGINE. EACH HEAD GASKET WILL ONLY LAST ABOUT 8 MONTHS. CAUSE IS UNKNOWN. *AK BRAKES, CALIPERS AND ROTORS FAIL EVERY YEAR. *YH
THE CIGARETTE LIGHTER SHORTED OUT AND MELTED A PART OF THE LIGHTER CAUSING THE CONSUMER TO SMELL A BURNING SMELL FROM UNDER THE DASH. NLM
ABS LIGHT CAME ON, INDICATING A PROBLEM WITH ABS BRAKING SYSTEM. REAR BRAKES HAD TO BE FIXED ALSO. AFTERWARDS, BRAKE LIGHT STAYED ON, AND WONT TURN OFF. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
PLEASE CALL FOR ADDITIONAL COMMENTS. MY CAR HAS CONSIDERABLY LOW MILEAGE, I HAVE HAD A FEW OCCASIONS THAT REQUIRED ME TO APPLY THE BRAKE QUICKLY. THE BRAKES SEEM TO LOCK AND CAUSES THE CAR TO JUMP OR LUNGE. I THOUGHT THIS WAS A NORMAL PROCESS, SINCE I AM NOT ALL THAT MECHANICALLY INCLINED. NOW MY GEAR SHIFTER BUTTON STICKS AND DOES NOT ALLOW ME TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE. I AM SOMEWHAT KNOWLEDGEABLE ABOUT THE FACT THAT THE PROBLEM IS BEING CAUSED BY A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKE SYSTEM. WITH ONLY 33,000 MILES ON THE CAR I SHOULD NOT BE HAVING A PROBLEM LIKE THIS. I AM HANDICAPPED AND MY CAR IS A LIFE SAVER FOR ME. I HAVE IT SERVICED AS OFTEN AS RECOMMENDED AND KEEP UP THE APPEARANCE OF IT AS WELL. IN FACT IT STILL LOOKS LIKE NEW. I WAS LOOKING AT YOUR RECALL DATA BASE AND SEE THAT THIS PROBLEM IS KNOWN AND THERE WAS A RECALL IN 1993 AND WONDER WHY I WAS NEVER TOLD OR GOT NOTIFIED. YOU CAN REACH ME ALMOST ANYTIME AT HOME, MY DISABILITY PREVENTS ME FROM WORKING. PLEASE HELP ME TO GET THIS RESOLVED? THANK YOU, CYNTHIA GRAHAM. *AK
ABS SYSTEM IS WORKING INTERMITTENTLY, AND THERE IS A GRINDING NOISE WITHIN THE BRAKES. VEHICLE SLIDES WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES. *AK
BRAKES PADS/ROTORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED SEVEN TIMES. WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE PEDAL IS SOFT, AND WHEN GOING DOWN HILL THERE IS ALOT OF VIBRATION. DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF BRAKE PROBLEM. ALSO, ENGINE DIES OUT, AND TIE RODS BENT OUT OF POSITION.
WHEN THE WARNING HAZRAD LIGHTS ARE ON ABS WARNING LIGHT ALSO COMES ON, DISABLING THE VEHICLES ABS BRAKES, AND ALLOWING FOR EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE. DEALER HAS SEEN VEHICLE. *AK
BRAKES HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES ALREADY. CONSUMER HAD PROBLEMS WITH VECHICLE 3YEARS AGO. THE MECHANIC TOLD CONSUMER THAT HOSES FOR ABS SYSTEM WERE ON RECALL. SHE NOTIFIED THE DEALER. *AK
DUE TO THE DEFECTIVE REAR BRAKE DRUM, ABS BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONS, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH MAY RESULT IN A CRASH. THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS PROBLEM. *AK
DRIVING AT APPROXIMATLY 35 MPH, MAKING NORMAL STOPS, ABS BECAME INOPERATIVE, CAUSING A REAR END COLLISION. VEHICLE WAS A TOTAL LOSS. *AK
REAR BRAKE MALFUNCTION.
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND THE CAR DOES NOT STOP. DEALER HAS NOT SEEN. *AK
ABS BRAKES; WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES IN WET WEATHER, THE VEHICLE WILL START TO SLOW DOWN THEN LUNGE INTO A FORWARD MOTION. *AK
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHEN BRAKES ARE APPLIED THE VEHICLE VIBRATES, AND DOES NOT STOP LIKE IT SHOULD. THE DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED SEVERAL TIMES, HOWEVER PROBLEM COULD NOT BE FOUND, CONSUMER STATES THE PROBLEM ONLY OCCURS WHEN IT IS DAMP OR COLD. *SLC
SEAT BELT RETRACTOR FAILED.
BRAKES FAILED, CAUSING ACCIDENT.
WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX. 17MPH ON WET PAVEMENT AND UPON APPLICATION OF BRAKES, PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, NOTICED LOUD NOISE, AS IF AIR WAS BEING FORCED OUT, THEN REAR ENDED VEHICLE IN FRONT, NO PRIOR WARNING, NO INJURY. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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