RoadVitals

1999 Chevrolet Cavalier Seat belts Problems

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.
8
Latest Nov 19, 2003
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.
3%
of 240 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.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming seat belts, buckles, retractors and pretensioners. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1999 Chevrolet Cavalier submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 8 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

AirbagsSeat belts
Filed Nov 19, 2003
Crash reported

WHILE DRIVING AT 30 VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION, AND NEITHER OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. ALSO, SEAT BELT DID NOT HOLD THE DRIVER. *AK

NHTSA ID
10048258
Incident
Nov 19, 2003
Mileage
108,000 mi
Seat belts
Filed Jul 10, 2003

DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO STAY LATCHED AFTER BEING BUCKLED.*AK *TS *JB

NHTSA ID
10024202
Mileage
70,000 mi
Heating & air conditioningSeat belts
Filed Aug 12, 2001

THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILS TO CONNECT, ONLY AFTER NUMEROUS TRIES WILL IT FINALLY CONNECT AND STAY FASTENED. THE HIGH PRESSURE AIR CONDITIONING LINE IS RUBBING ON THE RADIATOR FAN CAUSING A HOLE IN THE LINE, WHICH NOW NEEDS TO BE FIXED.*AK

NHTSA ID
750265
Incident
Aug 8, 2001
BrakesEngineSeat belts
Filed Feb 20, 2001

VEHICLE STALLS WHEN AIR CONDITIONER IS RUNNING. DEALER CANNOT REMEDY SITUATION. *AK SEAT BELT FAILED TO WORK. VEHICLE ROLLS WHEN EMERGENCY BRAKE IS APPLIED. *YH

NHTSA ID
880817
Incident
Jan 1, 2000
Seat belts
Filed Feb 5, 2001

FRONT SEAT BELTS ARE ALWAYS TWISTED,TAKEN BACK TO DEALER 3 TIMES, DEALER SAID ALL CAVALIERS ARE LIKE THIS. COMPARED TO A NEW ONE AND SAID LOOK AT THE NEW ONE IT'S JUST LIKE YOURS, CANNOT RESOLVE PROBLEM.BUT IN THE OWNERS MANUAL IT SAID ,NOT TO PUT SEAT BELTS ON WHEN THERE TWISTED, OR RISK SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH.*AK

NHTSA ID
740453
Incident
Feb 27, 1999
Interior & seatsExterior lightingSeat belts+1 more
Filed Jun 12, 2000

#1. AIR BAG AND SEAT BELT INTERMITTENTLY FLASH APPROX ONCE A SECOND, FOR 10 TO 15 SECONDS WHEN THE CAR IS STOPPED OR MOVING. DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE. THEY DID A SCAN WITH TECH 2 AND FOUND NO CODES SET. THEY SAID THIS IS NORMAL OPERATION. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE AIR BAG NOT DEPLOYING IN AN ACCIDENT GIVEN OTHER REPORTS OF NO AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT LISTED ON YOUR WEB SITE. #2 IF TURN SIGNAL LEVER IS NOT MOVED TO THE PHYSICAL STOP FOR A FLASH TO PASS, ONLY THE REAR TURN SIGNALS WILL FLASH. THEY FLASH FAST JUST LIKE WHEN ONE BULB IS BURNED OUT. DEALER SAID THIS IS NORMAL. #3 THIS IS THE 2.4L ENGINE. UPON DECCELARATING FROM AT LEAST 2ND GEAR ALMOST TO A STOP AND THEN ACCELERATING, THE TRANS HESITATES SLIGHTLY AND THUMPS INTO GEAR. THEN THE UPSHIFT INTO 2ND GEAR IS NOT A SMOOTH SHIFT BUT VERY HARD. EVEN THOUGH MECHANIC ACKNOWLEDGED EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM DURING A TEST DRIVE WE BOTH MADE TOGETHER, HE STATES HE COULD NOT DUPLICATE COMPLAINT ON THE PAPERWORK. SCAN TEST OK, NO CODES, OK AT THIS TIME. IT SEEMS TO ME, IF THERE IS NO CODES SET IN THE CONTROL MODULE THEN THERE CAN NOT BE A PROBLEM. WHAT DID MECHANICS DO BEFORE CARS HAD COMPUTER CONTROL MODULES? DID THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO DO SOME WORK TO IDENTIFY WHAT WAS WRONG? BY THE WAY, I AM A COMPUTER ENGINEER AND HAVE BEEN ONE FOR 35 YEARS. I PLAN TO CONTINUE PERSUING THIS PROBLEM. I ALSO OWN A 1998 CAVALIER WITH THE 2.2L ENGINE AND A 1999 BUICK CENTURY WITH THE 3.1L ENGINE. THE 1998 CAVAILER HAS THE SAME TURN SIGNAL PROBLEM BUT NOT THE OTHER 2 PROBLEMS. THE CENTURY HAS NONE OF THESE PROBLEMS.

NHTSA ID
723950
Incident
Jun 12, 2000
Seat belts
Filed Jul 1, 1999

SEAT BELT IN THE BACK SEAT DOESN'T TIGHTEN ON A CAR SEAT AND I THINK SHOULD LOCK AND TIGHTEN WHEN THE BRAKES AREN'T BEING APPLIED. *AK

NHTSA ID
708144
Incident
Mar 28, 1999
AirbagsSeat belts
Filed Mar 9, 1999
Crash reported

VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. HIT A GUARDRAIL, CAUSING DAMAGE TO SENSOR AND THE COMPUTER MODULE. BOTH AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INSPECTED COMPUTER WHICH REVEALED THAT THE AIR BAGS HAD DEPLOYED; BUT, IN REALITY, DID NOT. ALSO THE SEAT BELT DID NOT SECURE PROPERLY, CAUSING CONSUMER TO HIT HER HEAD ON THE STEERING WHEEL. *AK

NHTSA ID
835606
Incident
Mar 4, 1999

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

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .