Owner-reported complaints naming the seat belt system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Seat belts reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
11
Latest Mar 3, 2002
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
4%
of 270 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
2
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
5
What this page shows
Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. 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. 11 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.
Owner reports naming seat belt
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
Body & structureBrakesEngine+1 more
Filed Mar 3, 2002
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
EngineSeat belts
Filed Feb 26, 2002
"LOW ANTIFREEZE" LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF. ADDING ANTIFREEZE FIXES TEMPORARILY, AND WE STILL SMELL FUMES FROM HOOD. INFORMED BY MANUFACTURER OF FAULTY CYLINDER HEAD GASKET MONTHS BEFORE PROBLEM MANIFESTED. DESPITE COUNTLESS REPAIRS, LIGHT COMES ON AND CAR CUTS OFF SPORADICALLY. NO REIMBURSEMENT FOR REPAIRS. MIDDLE BACK SEAT BELT ALSO RELEASES, CAUSING OUR TODDLER'S CHILD SEAT TO TIP OVER WHEN VEHICLE TURNS CORNERS.*AK
NHTSA ID
758642
Incident
Jan 1, 1998
Seat belts
Filed Jun 26, 2001
1 injury reported
WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH I BRAKED HARD TO MISS A DEAR ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY SONS SEATBELT IN THE REAR LEFT FAILED TO LOCK AND HE FLEW FORWARD INTO MY SEAT (DRIVERS) AND MY SEAT DOESNT LOCK DOWN THEREFORE I WAS FLUNG INTO THE STEERING WHEEL AT 65 MPH AND LOST CONTROL...MY SONS WAS HURT AND WE ALL COULDVE BEEN KILLED. THE FLIP FLOP NON LOCKING DRIVER SEATS NEED TO BE RECALLED! THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGERSOUS AND WITH THE REAR PASSENGERS WEIGHT AND THE SEAT PUSHING ON THE DRIVER THERE IS NO WAY TO OPERATE THE CAR THEREFORE I COULD HAVE HIT ANOTHER CAR AND KILLED EVERYONE! PLEASE INVESTIGATE!*AK
NHTSA ID
747434
Incident
Jun 17, 2001
Seat belts
Filed Dec 9, 1998
THE CONSUMER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH SEAT BELTS. WHILE DRIVING APPLIED BRAKES VERY HARD TO AVOID HITTING A DEER, AND SEAT BELTS FAILED TO TIGHTEN AND TO RESTRAIN HER. THE MANUFACTURER HAS YET TO BE CONTACTED. *AK
NHTSA ID
832041
Incident
Dec 8, 1998
Body & structureBrakesEngine+6 more
Filed Nov 10, 1998
STRUTS FAILED.
NHTSA ID
542528
Incident
Jun 28, 1995
Interior & seatsSeat belts
Filed Apr 1, 1997
Crash reported2 injuries reported
SEAT BACKS COLLAPSED DURING REAR END COLLISION, CAUSING INJURIES.
NHTSA ID
516046
Incident
Feb 22, 1997
AirbagsSeat belts
Filed Nov 6, 1996
Crash reported2 injuries reported
CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION AND THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, ALSO FAILURE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR SEAT BELT BUCKLE, THE SEAT BELT CAME OUT THE BUCKLE. *AK
NHTSA ID
804621
Incident
Aug 2, 1996
Seat belts
Filed Sep 30, 1996
SEAT BELTS TWIST WHILE RETRACTING, RENDERING THEM INOPERABLE.
NHTSA ID
509270
Incident
Aug 21, 1995
Seat belts
Filed Jan 4, 1996
SEAT BELT FROM THE FLOOR BROAD CAME OFF. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
NHTSA ID
977414
Incident
Dec 31, 1995
Seat belts
Filed May 30, 1995
SHOULDER BELT CAN'T BE ADJUSTED AND CUTS DRIVER ACROSS THE NECK. TT
NHTSA ID
966022
Incident
Mar 30, 1995
Seat belts
Filed May 4, 1995
SEAT BELT IN DRIVER SIDE WILL TIGHTEN UP AND WON'T RETRACT. TT
NHTSA ID
964827
Incident
Dec 1, 1994
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.
Other components reported on this vehicle
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own