Equal-exposure complaint evidence and changes in the reported problem mix

1996 vs 1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21

Share shifts show how a vehicle's problem mix changed. They do not measure reliability, and complaint counts are not normalized for sales volume.

First 359 months on market for each model year

Exposure window calculated through Aug 22, 2026

Age-matched reports

▲ 7.2% more reports in the equal exposure window

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21

Bars start at the neutral midpoint. Left means a smaller share; right means a larger share.

View component share data as a table

Component	1996 share	1997 share	Share change
STEERING	7.8%	13.9%	▲ 6.0 pts larger share
POWER TRAIN	7.8%	3.4%	▼ 4.5 pts smaller share
ENGINE	18.1%	13.9%	▼ 4.2 pts smaller share
VISIBILITY	3.0%	6.0%	▲ 3.0 pts larger share
SEAT BELTS	2.8%	1.7%	▼ 1.1 pts smaller share
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	16.1%	15.0%	▼ 1.1 pts smaller share
STRUCTURE	1.6%	2.4%	▲ 0.8 pts larger share
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	2.6%	1.9%	▼ 0.7 pts smaller share
SERVICE BRAKES	9.0%	9.7%	▲ 0.7 pts larger share
FUEL SYSTEM	2.2%	2.8%	▲ 0.6 pts larger share
TIRES	0.6%	1.1%	▲ 0.5 pts larger share
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	1.8%	2.3%	▲ 0.4 pts larger share
WHEELS	0.8%	0.4%	▼ 0.4 pts smaller share
AIR BAGS	13.3%	12.9%	▼ 0.3 pts smaller share
SUSPENSION	3.4%	3.6%	▲ 0.2 pts larger share
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	80.9%	76.8%	▼ 4.1 pts smaller share

NHTSA Safety Recalls recalls · snapshot 2026-08-22

1996 13

Campaign components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, STEERING, and SUSPENSION

1997 13

Campaign components: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, STEERING, STRUCTURE, SUSPENSION, VISIBILITY, and WHEELS

NHTSA Consumer Complaints complaints · snapshot 2026-08-21