Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 12 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.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
JUST PURCHASED A 2002 CHEVY CAVALIER FOR OUR DAUGHTER AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIND OUT IF ANY OF THE 5 RECALLS WERE PERFORMED ON THIS VEHICLE OR NOT. THE NHTSA RECALL PAGE ISN'T WORKING AT THIS TIME AND THE CHEVY LOCAL DEALERSHIP ISN'T WILLING TO HELP. CAN SOMEONE PLEASE PROVIDE SOME ASSISTANCE??
PROBLEM WITH ELECTRICAL SYSTEM THAT OPERATES REAR BLINKERS AND BRAKE LIGHTS. I HAVE CHANGED BULB WHICH ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. I HAVE CHANGED THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS. WORKS FINE FOR SHORT PERIOD OF TIME WHEN EITHER OF THESE ARE CHANGED BUT STILL NOT FIXED. STARTED WITH PASSENGER SIDE BUT NOW HAVING ISSUES WITH DRIVER'S SIDE. ONLINE FORUMS SUGGEST MANY OTHERS ARE HAVING THIS ISSUE AS WELL. CANT FIND A PERMANENT FIX. PLEASE HELP. IS NOT BLOWING THE BULBS, JUST STOPS WORKING FOR NO APPARENT REASON.
PURCHASED VEHICLE FROM DEALER 7/12/13 WITH THE FOLLOWING ISSUES: NON-WORKING ODOMETER, BLINKERS, BRAKE LIGHTS THAT FREQUENTLY "SHORT" OUT & A NON-WORKING WINDSHIELD FLUID FUNCTION. I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER TO TAKE VEHICLE HOME & RETURN IT THE FOLLOWING DAY FOR THE REPAIRS OF ALL THE ABOVE NOTATIONS THAT WERE DISCOVERED DURING A TEST DRIVE. UPON THE TIME OF RETURN, I WAS SADLY & RUDELY APPROACHED BY THE DEALER. HE STATED THAT HE DID NOT CLAIM TO FIX THESE ISSUES? ON 7/17/13, I FILED A "COMPLAINT" WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU REGARDING THIS POOR BUSINESS TRANSACTION. ALL OF WHICH, I HAVE PROOF. DESPITE MY ENDLESS EFFORTS TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE, NOTHING SIGNIFICANT HAS BEEN DONE ON MY BEHALF. I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER A NUMBER OF TIMES, BECAUSE OF MY FAILING BRAKE LIGHTS - WHICH HAVE BEEN REPLACED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. I HAVE HAD CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF POTENTIAL DANGEROUS SITUATIONS, WHERE MY BLINKERS HAVE FAILED & BEING STUCK "NOT" KNOWING HOW MUCH MILEAGE I HAVE ON MY CAR. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE I CANNOT GET RESOLVED & AM HOPEFUL THAT YOU MAY ASSIST. *TR
I BOUGHT THIS CAR A 2002 CHEVY CAVALIER IN 2005, AND AT THE TIME THERE WAS 25K ORIGINAL MILES SO I WAS TOLD. SINCE THEN I HAVE FOUND OUT THERE HAS BEEN 5 RECALLS ON THIS CAR FOR VARIOUS SAFETY HAZARDS, NONE OF WHICH I WAS EVER TOLD ABOUT PRIOR OR DURING MY PURCHASE OF THIS VEHICLE. THE SIGNALS HAVE FAILED, I HAD TO PAY FOR THEM TO BE REPLACED, THE BEARINGS ON THE TIRES CAUSED DRY ROT AND I HAD TO PAY TO REPLACE THOSE, BOTH WERE ON THE RECALL LIST. THE ENGINE WOULD OVER HEAT IN THE IDLE POSITION, AND THEY REPLACED AN AIR FILTER SITTING THAT AS THE PROBLEM AND IT WASN'T. THE PEDAL STICKS WHEN I ACCELERATE AND SOMETIMES GETS STUCK, THE ROCKERARMS HAVE STARTED TO GO BAD AND IT HAS CAUSED THE VALVE STEMS TO BEND,THUS CAUSING THE OILPUMP TO SEIZE UP AND NOW MY CARS ENGINE HAS A BLOWN GASKET,THIS IS UNDER THE ENGINE COMPONENT SYSTEM RECALL, WHICH WAS REPORTED IN 2007. I WAS NEVER NOTIFIED. AND NOW IM PAYING 350 PER MONTH FOR A CAR THAT IS NOT RUNNING. *TR
BOTH REAR TAIL LIGHTS DO NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY. WHEN USING THE LEFT TURN SIGNAL IT WILL BLINK FOR A SHORT TIME THEN GO STATIONARY. NEW BULBS ARE PUT IN REGULARLY BUT THE SOCKET IS LOOSE AND WILL NOT HOLD THE BULB SECURELY RESULTING IN THE BLINKERS NOT WORKING MOST OF THE TIME. MY HUSBAND IS A MECHANIC SO I HAD HIM REPLACE THE BULBS WHEN IT FIRST HAPPENED, HE DID THIS IN THE EVENING, THE NEXT DAY I USED THE BLINKER IF WORKED FINE FOR MY FIRST TURN THEN THE SECOND TURN IT WAS A FAST BLINK WHICH INDICATES THAT ONE OR MORE BULBS ARE BURNED OUT WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE WHEN HE LOOKED AT THE BULBS AGAIN LATER THAT EVENING. I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES WE HAVE CHANGED THESE BULBS AND STILL NOTHING IS WORKING. I AM AFRAID OF HAVING AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE FACT THAT MOST PEOPLE DON'T RECOGNIZE HAND SIGNALS FOR LEFT AND RIGHT TURNS. I HAVE CALLED THE DEALERSHIP BUT THEY WANT OVER $100.00 FOR A NEW SOCKET. I DON'T FEEL LIKE I SHOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THEM AT MY COST WHEN THIS HAS TO BE SOME SORT OF MANUFACTURERS DEFECT. *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE TAIL LIGHTS AND TURN SIGNALS WERE OBSERVED TO BE INOPERABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE TAIL LIGHT CIRCUIT BOARD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.
WE WERE TOLD THE CAR WAS INSPECTED BEFORE WE BOUGHT IT! HEAD LIGHT OUT OF ADJUSTMENT BRAKE AND TAIL LIGHTS NOT WORKING ENGINE STARED RUNNING ROUGH FEW HOURS AFTER WE DROVE OFF A CD WAS FOUND STUCK IN THE PLAYER DOOR NEEDED ALIGNMENT PARKING BRAKES NOT WORKING RIGHT. *NM
DT: THE CALLER SAID TAIL LIGHTS RUSTED AROUND THE SOCKET AND CAUSED THE TAILS LIGHT NOT TO WORK. THE CALLER SAID THERE WAS A RECALL ON OTHER YEARS OF MODEL, BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED. DEALER OFFERED NO HELP FOR FREE. MANUFACTURER SAID THE CALLER'S VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. *AK
THE BLINKER ASSEMBLY UNIT IS BURNING OUT THE BULB ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE EVERY OTHER DAY. OWNER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALER WHO WANTS TO CHARGE THE OWNER $34.00 JUST TO LOOK AT THE DEFECT. *AK
ENGINE CHECK LIGHT STAYED ON. WHEN DRIVING LIGHTS TURNED OFF THEN FLICKERED. ALSO, WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND AUTOMATIC LOCKS OPERATED POORLY. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS FOR THE SAME PROBLEMS.*AK ON FOR OCCASIONS CONSUMER WAS DRIVING WHEN VEHICLE HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT. ANOTHER PROBLEM CONSUMER IS EXPERIENCING IS THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS COME TO A COMPLETE STOP WHILE IN USE. THERE IS ALSO A PROBLEM WITH THE DOOR LOCKS. VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED ON VARIOUS OCCASIONS FOR ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS. DURING ONE SERVICE VISIT THE BODY CONTROL MODULE WAS REPLACED AND THE THEFT DETERRENT SYSTEM WAS PROGRAMMED. EVEN AFTER SEVERAL SERVICE VISITS VEHICLE STILL EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH WINDSHIELD WIPERS, DOOR LOCKS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HAZARD LIGHTS.*MR
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLES HEADLIGHTS WENT OFF. THE DEALER CHANGED A MODULE SEVEN TIME BUT THE PROBLEM RE-OCCURS. THE CONSUMER IS SCARED TO DRIVE AT NIGHT TIME. *NLM
CONSUMER STATES THAT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED HEADLIGHT ARE INOPERATIVE,HAD VEHICLE SERVICED 3 TIMES. PROBLEM STILL ACCURS. NLM
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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