Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1995 Chevrolet Cavalier submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 58 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 58, in the owner's own words
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED ON, THE IGNITION KEY FAILED TO STAY IN THE RUN POSITION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 207,636.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED. LATER THAT DAY, THE CONTACT DROVE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE THERMOSTAT WAS DEFECTIVE. THE MECHANIC CLAIMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING, THE BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS THEN TAKEN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE BATTERY WAS DEFECTIVE AND MADE THE REPLACEMENT. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE CONTACT RETURNED TO THE DEALER DUE TO THE SAME FAILURE, BUT THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED SINCE THE MOST RECENT FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000.
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1995 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. WHILE TURNING THE VEHICLE AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE IGNITION AND ENGINE COMPLETELY FAILED. THE VEHICLE TAKES SEVERAL MINUTES BEFORE IT CAN BE RESTARTED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER A RECALL. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 78,340 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
FIRE UNDER HOOD - HAD THE RECALL IGNITION WORK DONE ON 09/23/2003 WHILE GETTING THE FIFTH ALTERNATOR REPLACED SINCE MARCH OF 2002. ON 03/28/2004 CAR WOULD NOT START FOR 20 MINUTES. FINALLY STARTED, DROVE APPROX. 2 MILES WHEN SMOKE POURED OUT FROM UNDER HOOD, PARKED AND RAISED HOOD, FLAMES. FIRE WAS PUT OUT BY EXTINGUISHER. THIS IS THE SAME PROBLEM I READ ABOUT IN THE RECALL NOTICE BEFORE I GOT THE RECALL WORK DONE ON THE IGNITION. CALLED DEALER THAT DID THE RECALL WORK WHO STATED HE HAD NEVER HEARD OF A FIRE AFTER THE RECALL WORK HAD BEEN DONE.*AK
SINCE THE END OF AUGUST 2002, MY CAR HAS BEEN FALLING APART. IT ALL STARTED WHEN MY AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING. I HAD FREON PUT BACK INTO IT, BUT AFTER A FEW DAYS, THE FREON WAS GONE. THE MECHANIC PUT A DYE INTO THE SYSTEM TO SEE IF THERE WAS A LEAK, BUT HE COULDN'T SEE ANY PROBLEM. MY CAR HAS ALWAYS OVERHEATED IN TRAFFIC. OIL IS LEAKING FROM MY HEAD GASKETS. NOW, IT IS HAVING TROUBLE STARTING PERIODICALLY. I WAS IN CAMDEN WHEN IT WOULDN'T START. NOW I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. WHEN I START THE CAR, A CLICKING NOISE COMES FROM THE STARTER. OH YEAH, I HAD THE STARTER "FIXED" A YEAR AGO BECAUSE OF THE RECALL. THERE IS A NOISE COMING FROM MY ALTERNATOR. I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS THE ALTERNATOR OR THE STARTER THAT'S KEEPING THE CAR FROM STARTING. FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN IN MY CAR AND THE COMPLAINTS FROM OTHERS, THIS IS NOT A RELIABLE CAR. *JB
VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE DUE TO A SHORT CIRCUIT IN THE IGNITION. *AK
THE IGNITION FAILED WHICH CAUSED THE STEERING COLUMN AND KEY TO GET HOT WHILE IN USE. *JB..*AK
THE HORN WENT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED AND INFORMED CONSUMER OF THE PART THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.*JB
PER THE DEALERSHIP BOB BELL CHEVROLET;BEL AIR MD;410-877-9800. THE RECALL FOR THE IGNITION SWITCH 02 V 070 000 WAS ALREADY DONE ON CONSUMERS VEHICLE, BUT THE CONSUMER NEVER BROUGHT THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE PRIOR TO THE PRESENT TIME. THE DEALERSHIP IS REFUSING TO HONOR THE RECALL. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE DETAILS. TS
THE CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 02V-070 IN APRIL BUT WAS INFORMED BY THE TECHNICIAN THAT THE PARTS WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL JULY. TWO WEEKS LATER SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT WIRES HAD BURNED DESTROYING THE COMPUTER SYSTEM. THE CONSUMER HAD TO PAY FOR ALL REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER REFUSED TO REIMBURSE THE CONSUMER FOR THE REPAIRS. *MR *NLM
THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILED. THE BYPASS SWITCH WAS DISCONNECTED AND THE IGNITION REPLACED AT CONSUMERS EXPENSE. THE CONSUMER IS REQUESTING REFUND FOR THE REPAIR COST OF DEFECTIVE PARTS. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AT TIMES ONLY A CLICKING SOUND IS HEARD. THE STARTER WAS REPLACED, BUT THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. ALSO, THE ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ILLUMINATED AND IT INTERMITTENTLY RUNS ROUGH AT IDLE. *J'S *YH
THE IGNITION SWITCH FAILED PRIOR TO RECALL NOTIFICATION 02V-070, THE CONSUMR IS REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE REPAIRS MADE. *YH
DEALER DENIED VEHICLE TO BE SERVICED FOR THE IGNITION SWITCH RECALL 02-V-070-000/ MANUFACTURER'S RECALL ID 02008. RECALL LETTER WAS RECEIVED IN APRIL 2002.*AK
CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL NOTIFICATION (02V070000) IN APRIL 2002, THE LETTER STATED THE PARTS WOULD NOT BE AVAILABLE UNTIL JULY 2002, CONSUMER CALLED ON JULY 5, 2002 AND WAS INFORMED TO COME IN AFTER THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND, HOWEVER ON JULY 6, 2002 WHILE DRIVING, SMOKE BEGAN COMING OUT OF THE STEERING COLUMN AND THE ENTIRE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED.*JB
AFTER RECALL O1V070000 REPAIRS WERE DONE AND WHILE DRIVING SMOKE STARTED COMING FROM DASHBOARD AREA, CAUSING VEHICLE TO STALL OUT. CAUSE OF SMOKE HAS NOT BEEN DETERMINED.*AK
VEHICLE'S IGNITION SWITCH FAILED 2 DAYS PRIOR TO RECEIVING RECALL NOTICE. IGNITION SWITCH WAS REPLACED BY PERSONAL MECHANIC. HOWEVER, GM REFUSES TO REIMBURSE CONSUMER. *TT
PRIOR TO RECEIVING RECALL NOTIFICATION, THE ENGINE AND STEERING WHEEL WERE SMOKING AND IT WOULD NOT START, DEALER REPLACED STARTER AND BATTERY. CONSUMER IS REQUESTING A REFUND, RECALL #02008-S, NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID # 02V070000. *YD
PRIOR TO RECALL NOTIFICATION (02V07000), VEHICLE WOULD NOT START, A NEW STARTER WAS INSTALLED, ON THE SECOND OCCASION CONSUMER HAD DIFFICULTY STARTING THE VEHICLE AND IT WOULD CLICK SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE TURNING OVER, THEN ON JULY 20, 2001 WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE, THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT BECAME FILLED WITH SMOKE WHICH WAS EMITTING FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WHICH RESULTED IN A FIRE, CONSUMER IS NOW SEEKING RESTITUTION FOR THE DAMAGES INCURRED.(ATTORNEY TIMOTHY HILL ON BEHALF OF CLIENT)*JB
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
PRIOR TO RECALL NOTIFICATION (02V070000) CONSUMER WENT IN FOR A TUNE UP, AFTER THE TUNE UP THE VEHICLE SEEMED AS THOUGH IT DID NOT WANT TO START, HOWEVER THE FOLLOWING DAY AS CONSUMER WAS LEAVING FROM WORK, SHE TRIED TO START THE VEHICLE AND IT DID NOT RESPOND, SHE WAITED AT LEAST 15 MINUTES BEFORE TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE AGAIN, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE STEERING COLUMN BEGAN SMOKING AND WAS MAKING A LOUD NOISE, CONSUMER THEN HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED AND THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE IGNITION SWITCH, CONSUMER IS REQUESTING REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE REPAIRS THAT WERE MADE.*JB
CONSUMER RECEIVED RECALL 02 V 070 000 IN MAIL. HOWEVER, CONSUMER HAD REPAIRS DONE PRIOR TO RECEIVING RECALL LETTER. CHEVROLET DID NOT WANT TO REIMBURSE CONSUMER THE MONEY SPENT ON THE REPAIRS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK
DUE TO IGNITION FAILURE VEHICLE HAD STALLED. *AK
CONSUMER WAS NOTIFIED OF A SAFETY RECALL REGARDING THE PROBLEMS EXPERIENCED WITH STARTING THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT A COST TO THE CONSUMER. THE REPAIRS FALL UNDER THE PRODUCT SAFETY RECALL AND CONSUMER WISHES TO BE REIMBURSED, 02V07. *JG
IT IS HARD TO START VEHICLE.*AK. CONSUMER STATES THERE IS A RECALL FOR THE VEHICLE, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM CAN NOT BE FIXED UNTIL THE END OF JUNE DUE TO THE PARTS NOT BEING AVAILABLE.*JB
IGNITION HAS GONE OUT. HOWEVER, THERE IS RECALL 02V070000ON THIS DEFECT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION, AND VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER.*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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