1995 Chevrolet Cavalier Brakes Problems

I BOUGHT A 1995 CHEVROLET CAVALIER NEW, IN JULY 1995. I HAD THE FOLLOWING MAJOR REPAIRS DONE ON THE CAR. ON 8/97 -ENTIRE EXHAUST FROM CONVERTER BACK BAD BAFFLED UNDER WARRANTY. ON 10/97-SERPENTINE BELT/ROTORS/ALTERNATOR & RECALL ON HAZARD LIGHTS UNDER WARRANTY. 4/00-HEAD GASKET,SEAL,OIL,FILTER,COOLANT;RECALL ON COVER,SHIELD,RETAINER,SEALANT (DEALER COVERED COSTS UNDER A SPECIAL POLICY ADJUSTMENT. 4/00-EGR VALVE 10/00-ADJUST SERPENTINE BELT;REPLACE SERPENTINE BELT 10/01-REPLACE BACK BRAKE PADS,CLEAN FRONT PADS 05/02-REPLACE FAN BELT & TENSIONER;RECALL ON IGNITION SWITCH 06/02-BROKEN FORWARD CLUTCH HOUSING,CLUTCH,GASKETS,FLUID,LEFT FRONT AXLE ASSEMBLY 07/02-REPLACE BATTERY,BAD CELL DUE TO CAR SITTING FOR SO LONG DURING PREVIOUS REPAIR 12/03-WATER PUMP, HEAD GASKET, THERMOSTAT,OIL,FILTER,COOLANT $461.79-50% OF BILL REIMBURSED BY CHEVROLET UPON WRITTEN REQUEST 07/03-REAR BRAKES; 08/04-RESISTOR (BLOWER MOTOR, 09/04-ALTERNATOR 07/05-FRONT ROTORS & PADS; 06/06-REAR BRAKE LINE 06/07-WON'T PASS STATE INSPECTION-FRAME RUSTING OUT. REAR BUMPER SUPPORT FRAME MUST BE REPLACED TO PASS INSPECTION, MORE FRAME REPAIR WILL LIKELY BE NEEDED FOR NEXT INSPECTION;HEAD GASKET IS STARTING TO SEEP AGAIN THIRD HEAD GASKET. I CONTACTED CHEVROLET TWICE BY THEIR E-MAIL SITE IN THE PAST 2 WEEKS AND HAVE HAD NO RESPONSE. SITE CLAIMS RESPONSE WILL BE WITHIN 48 HOURS. I ASKED FOR REPAIR COSTS FOR REAR FRAME SUPPORT, HEAD GASKET OR A VOUCHER FOR CREDIT TOWARD A NEW/NEWER VEHICLE. POINTED OUT THE PROBLEM OF THE THIRD HEAD GASKET, THAT FRAME RUSTED ON A CAR ONLY 12 YEARS OLD THAT JUST LAST MONTH TURNED 72,000 MILES. ALSO, POINTED OUT THAT WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR THE DEALER RECOMMENDED A PROTECTIVE UNDERCOUNTS WHICH I AGREED TO. WHEN I READ THE OWNER'S MANUAL IT STATED NOT APPLY *AK

NHTSA ID

10196202

Incident

Jun 22, 2007

Mileage

72,012 mi

WHILE TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY HE APPLIED HIS BRAKES AND THERE WAS A LOUD GRINDING NOISE COMING FROM REAR WHEEL. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.

NHTSA ID

8014555

FRONT AND REAR TURN SIGNALS AND BRAKE LIGHTS DO NOT WORK. TO GET TURN SIGNAL TO WORK, CONSUMER HAS TO TURN ON HAZARD LIGHTS FIRST.*AK POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *TT

NHTSA ID

8009892

Incident

Apr 15, 1999

THE FIRST INCIDENT WITH MY 1995 BASE MODEL CHEVROLET CAVALIER WAS WHEN THE HORN STOPPED WORKING, WHEN I NEEDED IT MOST ON A FREEWAY WHEN SOMEONE WAS ABOUT TO HIT ME WHILE CHANGING LANES. THE HORN FAILED, AND IT HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF ABOUT $100, WHICH I COVERED, SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS RECENTLY OFF OF WARRANTY. MONTHS LATER, THE TRUNK LATCH REFUSED TO WORK. I COULD NOT OPEN THE TRUNK FROM THE REAR OR FROM THE INSIDE OF THE CAR. IN LATE 2000, MY BRAKES WERE MAKING GRINDING NOISES. TURNS OUT THE ROTORS WERE BADLY WARPED AT 50,000 MILES. NOW, 15,000 MILES LATER, THE BRAKES ARE GRINDING AGAIN, WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE ROTORS MAY ONCE AGAIN BE WARPED. AT THE BEGINNING OF 2002, I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR A ROUTINE INSPECTION, ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS CRACKED AND LEAKING COOLANT ALL OVER MY ENGINE. THE HEAD GASKET HAD TO BE REPLACED, WHICH WAS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR. ONLY RECENTLY HAVE I HEARD THAT THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE COVERED BY A "SECRET" WARRANTY UP TO 7 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES, SOMETHING I WISH I HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. FINALLY, WITHIN WEEKS OF THE HEAD GASKET REPAIR, THE PLASTIC ON THE DRIVER'S SEATBELT SNAPPED OFF, SO NOW I MUST HAVE THE ENTIRE SEATBELT REPLACED. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH ALL OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE EXPERIENCED WITH THIS CAR, AND I HAVE HEARD THAT OTHER CAVALIER OWNERS HAVE HAD EVEN WORSE EXPERIENCES THAN ME! I WOULD LIKE TO SEE GENERAL MOTORS STAND BY THEIR PRODUCTS AND AT LEAST REIMBURSE ME FOR SOME OF THE HEAD GASKET REPAIR COST, WHICH WAS NEARLY SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS, BUT THIS MAY ONLY BE A PIPE DREAM. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE CAVALIER ENGINE HEAD GASKETS FOR THE 2.2 L ENGINES. THIS SEEMS TO BE A LONG-RUNNING PROBLEM ON CAVALIERS THROUGHOUT THE 1990S THAT GM HAS YET TO PUBLICLY ADMIT OR ADDRESS. WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR THEM TO RECALL IT, SOMEONE DYING ON THE ROAD WHEN HIS OR HER CAR EITHER STALLS IN BUSY TRAFFIC OR CATCHES ON FIRE?

NHTSA ID

758889

Incident

Nov 5, 2000

BRAKE PEDAL GOES SOFT AND TO THE FLOOR,LOSS OF BRAKES,(ABS) ENGAGES BUT NO INDICATOR LIGHT. *AK

NHTSA ID

750359

Incident

Aug 13, 2001

THE HEAD GASKET CRACKED. NLM

NHTSA ID

560733

FRONT ROTORS WERE COMPLETELY FALLING APART, THEY HAD TO BE REPLACED. DISC WAS RUSTED AND COMING APART IN LAYERS. ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 21MILES AND AT 45MILES, NEEDED CHANGE AGAIN. CONSUMER FELT IT MAY HAVE BEE A MANUFACTURER'D DEFECT.*AK

NHTSA ID

875201

Incident

Nov 10, 2000

WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE PEDAL PUMPS BACK AND THE ABS LIGHT COMES ON. I'VE BEEN TOLD THAT THE ABS ACCUMULATOR HAS EXPLODED AND IT IS A COMMON PROBLEM SEEN WITH THIS CAR.*AK

NHTSA ID

725588

ABS WAS HEARD AND FELT TO MAKE CLICKING SOUNDS - BRAKE PEDAL WENT SOFT - BRAKES AND ABS LIGHTS TURNED ON. BRAKES WERE FINE AFTERWARDS BUT THE EXPERIENCE REPEATED A FEW TIMES BEFORE IT COULD BE CHECKED OUT. COMPUTER READING INDICATED DTC 38 (LEFT FRONT EMB WILL NOT HOLD MOTOR). AFTER 5 DAYS WHEN ABLE TO GET INTO DEALERSHIP THE DASH LIGHTS FINALLY WENT OUT AND DEALER UNABLE TO FIND A SYSTEM FAILURE. ONE YEAR LATER (JUNE 7-2000) SAME EXPERIENCE WITH CAR. WILL SEE IF DASH LIGHTS RESET IN A FEW DAYS. BRAKES WORK FINE EXCEPT FOR THAT MOMENT SOON AFTER STARTUP AND LEAVING HOUSE AREA. *AK

NHTSA ID

723806

Incident

Jun 23, 1999

NO SUMMARY

NHTSA ID

711675

Incident

Jun 1, 1999

A/C COMPRESSOR FAILED. *ET

NHTSA ID

782504

STRUTS FAILED.

NHTSA ID

542528

Incident

Jun 28, 1995

BRAKES FAILED.

NHTSA ID

531153

Incident

Feb 3, 1998

IMPROPER BRAKES CAUSED A LOW SPEED COLLISION.

NHTSA ID

529769

Incident

Dec 1, 1997

WHILE DRIVING APPLIED THE BRAKES AND THE PEDAL GETS SOFT AND THAN GOES TO THE FLOOR. WILL HEAR A CLICK LIKE THE ABS TRYING TO KICK IN. *AK

NHTSA ID

814960

Incident

Aug 12, 1996

BRAKE ROTORS ARE RUSTY/WARPED, CAUSING VIBRATION.

NHTSA ID

518972

ABS BRAKES FAILED THREE TIMES, ONCE RESULTING IN AN ACCIDENT/INJURIES. *AK

NHTSA ID

517607

Incident

May 2, 1997

POOR ABS PERFORMANCE, IN STOP AND GO SITUATIONS AT SPEEDS BELOW 10 MPH, THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, THEN IT BECOMES HARD AND THE VEHICLE STOPS. *AK

NHTSA ID

803929

Incident

Oct 7, 1996

AT 20,000 MILES THE FRONT BRAKE ROTORS ARE WARPED. PLEASE DESCRIBE . *AK

NHTSA ID

803555

WHEN APPLYING THE ABS BRAKES, THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

NHTSA ID

802891

WHEN YOU APPLY THE BRAKES THE CAR STALLS. CONSUMER DOES NOT KNOW IF VEHCILE HAS THE ANIT-LOCK BREAKING SYSTEM . PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. *AK

NHTSA ID

986807

Incident

May 25, 1996

STEERING WHEEL LOCKED UP. *SD

NHTSA ID

504021

Incident

Sep 10, 1995

ABS BRAKING; FAILURE ON THE BRAKE SYSTEM CAUSING THE BRAKES TO LOCK UP, THE CONSUMER NEEDS TO REPLACE THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS TO OFTEN. *AK

NHTSA ID

980609

Incident

Mar 12, 1996

FAILURE OF THE ABS BRAKES CAUSED THE CONSUMER TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT. TT

NHTSA ID

978185

Incident

Jan 16, 1996

WHILE DRIVING, AT APPROX. 55MPH EXPERIENCE SUDDEN EMER. BRAKE MALFUNCTION, WHEN REAR WHEELS LOCKED AND STARTING TO SMOKE, WHILE PARKED VEHICLE ROLLS BACKWARDS.

NHTSA ID

977692