Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
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Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 16 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
SPEEDOMETER STOPS WORKING AND STAYS ON 100 CAR ONLY HAS 35,000 MILES, ALSO THE POWER STEERING LINE BROKE OPEN AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AT TIMES POPS ONTO MY TIRE CAUSING MY CAR TO SLAM FORWARD AND THEN IT RELEASES. I REPLACED THE BRAKE LINE AND THE POWER STEERING LINE BUT THE MAIN PROBLEM IS THE SPEEDOMETER /CLUSTER
I WAS ON MY WAY HOME TODAY AND THINK GOD MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING..MY GAUGES ARE NOT WORKING ON THE CAR WHICH IS DOES FROM TIME TO TIME. WE MERGE ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY AND THE GAS PEDAL ACCELERATED AND WOULD NOT STOP IT JUST KEEP GETTING FASTER,, MY BRAKES WOULD NOT EVEN STOP IT OR THE EMERGENCY BRAKE EITHER..WE HAD TO RUN SOME RED LIGHTS BECAUSE WE COULD NOT STOP IT SO WE COULD TRY TO GET HOME WITHOUT CRASHING THE CAR TO STOP IT BUT WE COULD SLOW IT DOWN PUTTING IT IN NEUTRAL BUT IT WAS BURNING UP THE BRAKES AND TRANSMISSION. FINALLY WE GOT IN FRONT MY HOUSE AND HAD TO PUT IT IN PARK FAST JUST TO STOP IT. THE GAS PEDAL ONLY ACCELERATES AND THE BRAKES DON'T EVEN WORK ON IT...WE COULD OF DIED TODAY!!! I'M SO GLAD I WAS NOT DRIVING IT..I WOULD OF HAD TO CALL 911 AND HAVE THE COPS BOX ME IN TO STOP. I MESSED UP MY BRAKES AND TRANSMISSION ON IT JUST TO STOP IT TODAY. I WENT ONLINE TO CHECK FOR ANY RECALLS AND I SEE THAT PEOPLE HAD PROBLEMS BUT NO RECALLS...I SAW MY LIFE FLASH FOR MY EYES TODAY AND PUT MY TRUST IN MY CAR EVERYDAY THINKING THAT THEY MADE IT RIGHT..??? *TR
REAR SHOES ONLY 50% WORN AFTER 153,000. HAND BRAKE STARTING GRABBING UNEVEN SO HAD TO HAVE REAR DRUMS TORCHED OFF. DRUMS WOULD NOT REMOVE THROUGH NORMAL MEANS. CONDITION OF HARDWARE WAS FOUND TO BE REUSABLE. DRUMS WARPED/FAILED BEFORE SHOES WORE OUT. *TR
I PURCHASED A 2005 CHEVY CAVALIER NOVEMBER 2004. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. AS OF DEC. 2009 MY CARS ODOMETER HAS STOPPED WORKING AND THE GAS GAUGE IS NOT ACCURATE. ALSO MY DASHBOARD SIGNALS ABS, TRAC OFF, AND THE SERVICE SIGN COME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. THESE SIGNS COME ON WHEN I AM REVERSING THE CAR AND OCCASIONALLY WHILE DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT. THESE ARE ALL ISSUES THAT ARE NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR ON A CAR BUT RATHER A DEFECT. THEREFORE, I HOPE SOMEONE WILL LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE FURTHER. *TR
HORN CONTACT BEHIND AIRBAG WAS RECENTLY CRAZY GLUED, TO RESTORE HORN, AND SPEEDO & CLUSTER REQUIRES REPLACEMENT OF ENTIRE CLUSTER BY CHEVY, OR REMOVAL & REBUILD OF GAUGE STEPPER MOTORS THROUGH EBAY MOTORS. USE FROOGLE.COM AND ENTER"REPAIR CAVALIER SPEEDOMETER" TO SEARCH. MY SPEEDO ONLY ON MY CLUSTER ERRATIC FOR 20K MILES. I USE MY TACHOMETER TO GUESTIMATE HIGHWAY SPEEDS,2,500 RPM IS 55. I HAVE 120K NOW ON THE CAR, OTHERWISE BULLETPROOF. JUST TOSSING OUT BRAKE ROTORS NOW, THAT'S IT. I USED SYNTHETIC OIL FROM THE START, VERY SMOOTH CAR, @ NORMAL SPEEDS.NEEDS INTAKE AND WHEELS FOR SPEEDING, OVER 65. ENGINE HAS PLENTY OF GO OVER THAT, BUT BASE BRAKES, WHEELS AND INTAKE AREN'T SPEEDWORTHY, BUT IT IS A BASE MODEL SO OK. KEEP THE TIE RODS GREASED, AIR FILTERS CHANGED AFTER WINTER AS THEY ARE EASILY SERVICEABLE UNLIKE MOST THAT AREN'T. *TR
FAULTY GAUGES CLUSTER. THE GAS, TEMPERATURE, SPEEDOMETER, AND RPM GAUGES STOP WORKING IN A WEEKLY BASIS FOR SEVERAL DAYS. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO STOP THE VEHICLE, BUT IT FAILED TO STOP. HE NOTICED THAT THE HYDRAULIC BRAKE HOSE BETWEEN THE MASTER CYLINDER FAILED. THE RISK OF SERIOUS INJURY AND CRASHED WAS INCREASED. THE CONTACT IS IN THE PROCESS OF NOTIFYING THE DEALER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 58,000. UPDATED 05/06/09 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THERE WAS NO CLUTCH TUBING AND IT RUBBED IN TWO PLACES. THE CONSUMER WIFE HAD NO CLUTCH AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. UPDATED 05/08/09.*JB
I WAS SOLD A CHEVY CAVALIER WITH BAD BRAKES AND BAD ROTORS AND IT MAKES A BIG NOISE WHEN YOU GO TO TURN TO THE RIGHT NO ACCIDENTS YET. *TR
I OWN A 2005 CHEVY CAVALIER. I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED PREMATURE BRAKE AND ROTOR FAILURE. AT 39,000 KM BOTH HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER SAID THE CAUSE WAS ROAD CONDITIONS ETC,,AND OFFERED NO HELP WHATSOEVER COMPLAINED TO GM SEVERAL TIMES,BUT HAVE NOT GOT ANY SATISFACTION YET! *JB
I TOO EXPERIENCED PREMATURE BRAKE AND ROTOR FAILURE AND HAD TO REPLACE BOTH BEFORE THE CAR WAS 2 YEARS OLD. THE DEALERSHIP DID NOTHING TO SATISFY ME. I HAD TO HAVE THEM REPLACED RIGHT AWAY AND COULD NOT WAIT FOR AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE DEALERSHIP SO I DID JUST THAT. LATER, WHEN DISCUSSING IT WITH A SERVICE ADVISOR, I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE TRAFFIC IN MY AREA. YEAH, SURE. JUST BECAUSE I AM A WOMAN HE EXPECTED ME TO BUY INTO THAT? I HAD 20,000 +/- MILES ON THE CAR AT THE TIME! I DON'T AT THIS MOMENT HAVE EXACT MILEAGE AND DATE INFORMATION ON ME. *AK
I HAVE A 2005 CHEVY CAVALIER. IT HAD 49,000 MILES. I NOTICED A SQUEALING SOUND FROM BY BRAKES. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT IN THINKING IT WAS THE BRAKE PADS. WELL, MY WHOLE BRAKE SYSTEM WAS LEAKING. MY BRAKES SYSTEM WAS ALSO WEARING UNEVENLY CAUSING HALF OF THE PARTS TO BE DESTROYED. ONE SIDE OF THE BRAKE PAD WAS NORMAL AND THE OTHER SIDE WAS THIN AS A WIRE. THE GUY TOLD ME THAT THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY UNSAFE AND PROBABLY A RESULT OF A DEFECT IN MY BRAKE SYSTEM. I KNEW OF A FRIEND OF MINE THAT HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM AT 20,000 MILES. I CONTACTED CHEVY AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY COULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING BUT I TRADED IT IN. (I TRADED IT IN FOR A TOYOTA BECAUSE AT THIS POINT REGARDLESS IF THE BRAKE SYSTEM GOT FIXED, I WAS SCARED FOR MY LIFE TO DRIVE A CAR THAT ALMOST THE WHOLE BRAKE SYSTEM WENT OUT AFTER 2 YEARS.) THE CAR RECEIVED ALL PROPER MAINTENANCE AND I STILL HAVE THE RECEIPT FROM THE BRAKE PLACE. *JB
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS A NOISE WAS HEARD AND WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, EXCESSIVE PRESSURE WAS NEEDED TO STOP. THE VEHICLE JERKED BEFORE STOPPING. IT WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER WHO DETERMINED THE FRONT ROTORS WERE RUSTED. THE DEALER MACHINED THE ROTORS TO REMOVE THE RUST.
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED SINCE PURCHASE THE BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED TWO TIMES DUE TO THE ROTORS WARPING AND A NOISE WAS HEARD COMING FROM THE REAR BRAKES. THE FIRST BRAKE REPLACEMENT WAS AT 3,000 MILES ON THE VEHICLE. ON MAY 23, 2006 WHILE MAKING TURNS AT 20 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL FROZE. IN AN ATTEMPT TO FREE THE STEERING, THE CONTACT PULLED THE WHEEL SO HARD THAT SOMETHING BROKE WITHIN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP THEREFORE, IT IS UNCERTAIN AS TO WHAT REPAIRS ARE NECESSARY TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. THERE WAS A NOISE COMING FROM THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SWAY BAR INSULATOR. UPDATED 06/16/06. *JB
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE FRONT BRAKES VIBRATED AND PULSATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A CERTIFIED DEALERSHIP FOR INSPECTION AND THEY RESURFACED THE BRAKES. THE CONTACT STILL HEARD A GRINDING NOISE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED BUT HAS NOT RETURNED VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICE. *AK UPDATED 1/25/2006 - *NM
BRAKE FAILURE ON MY NEW 2005 CAVALIER. CREATED A VERY TERRIFYING RIDE HOME FOR MY SON, WHO WAS DRIVING HOME WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT INFORMED ME THAT THE MASTER BRAKE CYLINDER WAS THE SOURCE OF THE FAILURE. THEY HAVE CORRECTED THE PROBLEM, BUT HAVE NOT RETURNED MY CAR TO OPERABLE CONDITION FOR ME TO DRIVE, AS OF 11-01-05/1:32 P.M.*JB
DT: 1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. SOMETIMES THE STEERING WHEEL WILL NOT ALLOW THE CONSUMER TO TURN IT TOWARD THE LEFT. THIS HAPPENED AT LEAST 4 TIMES. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED AT AN INTERSECTION, WHICH CAUSED CONSUMER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO STEER VEHICLE SAFELY TO THE CURB. SHE WAS DRIVING AROUND 20-30 MPH. SOMETIMES THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND TURNED OFF BY ITSELF. THE FIRST TIME THE STEERING PROBLEM OCCURRED WAS ON 7-25-05 ,AND THE LAST TIME WAS ON 7-27-05. THERE WERE NO OTHER PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE AT THIS TIME. *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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