Owner-reported complaints naming the transmission system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the automatic or manual transmission, including shifting behaviour, shudder, slipping and transmission control modules. 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
BOUGHT A 2002 CHEVY CAVALIER OCT.2007, HAVE HAD THE CAR IN FOR REPAIRS TO THE TRANSMISSION A TOTAL OF 7 WEEKS. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE ELECTRICAL AND CANNOT BE FIXED. EACH TIME I GET IT BACK IT WORKS FOR SOME TIME THEN FAILS AND IS TAKEN BACK. IT IS CURRENTLY AT THE HENNA CHEVY OLDS DEALERSHIP IN AIKEN, SC. *TR
THERE WERE ENHANCED TRACTION SYSTEM PROBLEMS WHICH WERE CONTINUOUS. THE FUEL PUMP WAS REPLACED AND DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM WITH THE ETS. *BF THE TRAC OFF WARNING LIGHT HAD COME ON AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. THE BATTERY WARNING LIGHT HAD ALSO COME ON. *SC
WHEN VEHICLE IS IN GEAR WITH FOOT ON THE BRAKES ENGINE WILL START RACING, AND VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN. DRIVER HAS TO SHUT DOWN ENGINE TO STOP IT FROM RACING. *AK
SHIFTER CABLE TO TRANSMISSION BROKE IN HALF
VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS 37,000 WELL MAINTAINED MILES ON IT. AT ABOUT 25,000 MILES A FAINT NOISE BEGAN TO COME FROM THE TRANSMISSION. IT WAS ONLY NOTICED AT LOW SPEEDS WHILE DECELERATING. NOW IT IS FAINT AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND VERY NOISY AT LOW SPEEDS. IT SOUNDS LIKE A TURBO-CHARGER SPINNING UP AND DOWN. MR. GOODWRENCH HAS NEVER HEARD IT BEFORE AND GM POWERTRAIN ENGINEERS SAY IT IS NORMAL. I SAY IT ISN'T. IF IT WERE NORMAL, IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR NEW WITH 200 MILES ON IT. THIS IS THE 4TH J-BODY CAR I HAVE OWNED AND THE SECOND WITH THIS TRANSMISSION AND I HAVE NEVER HEARD THIS NOISE. THIS IS A WELL DOCUMENTED COMPLAINT AND NO ONE IS LISTENING. I HAVE BEEN A VERY LOYAL GM OWNER WHO MAY WELL HAVE JUST PURCHASED HIS LAST GM.*AK
WE BOUGHT THIS CAVALIER IN JULY OF 2002, AT ABOUT 3500 MILES WE STARTED HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP 5 TIMES FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. IN THE MEANTIME THE COMPUTER CRASHED ON IT TWICE. THEY HAD TO FIX IT TWICE. THEY FINALLY GOT THE TRANSMISSION FIXED AND THEN AT THE END OF APRIL 2003 THE TRANSMISSION STARTED LEAKING FLUID. I TOOK IT IN AND THEY GOT IT FIX. MAKES 6 TIMES THIS CAR HAS BEEN IN FOR TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. *TT
TRANSMISSION NOISE/IDLE PROBLEM. I HAVE TWO MAJOR COMPLAINTS ABOUT MY CAVALIER FIRST: THE 5SP MANUAL TRANSMISSION. I'VE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE TRANSMISSION 5 TIMES, AND THE IDEL 4 TIMES. WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR IT HAD A HIGH PITCHED NOISE IN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. I TOOK THE CAR BACK THE FIRST WEEKEND I OWNED IT TO HAVE IT CHECKED. DEALER COULDN'T DIAGNOSE. I TOOK THE CAR BACK A COUPLE OF MONTHS LATER. THEY HEARD THE NOISE AND SAID IT WAS THE EXHAUST. THEY PUT A NEW EXHAUST SYSTEM ON IT. NEEDLESS TO SAY IT DID NOT FIX IT. I TOOK THE CAR BACK AGAIN A FEW MONTHS LATER, THEY SAID IT WAS SYNCHRONIZERS. TSB 02-07-29-001 SERVICED. AGAIN, THE CAR WAS NOT FIXED. BUT THIS TIME CHEVY TOLD ME IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DO THAT. (WHY ON EARTH WOULD THEY REPLACE PARTS, AND DO THE TSB IF IT WAS SUPPOSED TO DO THAT) THEY TOLD ME I COULD GET A SECOND OPINION, BUT I WOULD HAVE TO PAY THE SERVICING DEALERSHIP OUT OF POCKET. SECOND: I'VE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS 4 TIMES. WHEN DRIVING IN BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC. I HAVE TO SLIGHTLY REV THE GAS TO LET THE CLUTCH OUT TO MAKE THE CAR MOVE. THE IDLE WILL STICK. I'VE HAD IT STICK ANYWHERE FROM 2500RPM - 4000RPM. (THE LINKAGE/PEDEL DOSEN'T STICK BUT SOMETHING WITHIN THE COMPUTER, OR FI IS NOT RIGHT. DEALERS DIAGNOSIS "COMPUTER CONTROLS THE IDLE" "NO CODES" "NO PROBLEM". NOTHING FURTHER WAS DONE. THIS PROBLEM HAS CAUSED ME TO ALMOST REAR END OTHER CARS ON MULTIPLE OCCASSIONS NOW OTHER THAN THESE PROBLEMS I'VE ALSO HAD TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE STARTER. IT WORKS 99% OF THE TIME CORRECTLY. OTHER TIMES IT GRINDS, SOMETIMES DISENGAGES, TURNS OFF, AND SOUNDS LIKE A DEAD BATTERY. THE DEALER ALSO CAN'T FIND THIS PROBLEM EITHER.
CONSUMER COMPLAINS OF THE TRANSMISSION MAKING A TERRIBLE GRINDING NOISE WHEN IN FIRST AND SECOND GEAR. *JG
VEHICLE WOULD NOT ENGAGE INTO DRIVE WHEN CONSUMER WAS DRIVING OR AT A COMPLETE STOP. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK
CONSUMER'S HUSBAND JUST BROUGHT A BRAND NEW AUTOMOBILE, AND WHILE DRIVING IT HOME TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY WENT INTO NEUTRAL, WHICH CAUSED IT TO COME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. DRIVER STOPPED ON HIGHWAY, AND WAITED FOR IT TO SHIFT ITSELF. THEN DROVE IT TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIRS. *AKI
WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE STALLED LOSING ALL POWER, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO INDICATED THAT THE PCM MODULE FAILED. NLM. *JB
WHEN NOT PUTTING VEHICLE INTO PARK,VEHICLE IS STILL IN GEAR. CONSUMER IS ABLE TO REMOVE KEY AND VEHICLE IS ABLE TO ROLL.*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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