1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 534 complaints · 13 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (80 complaints · 15.0%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 70
  • Fires 25
  • Injuries 77
  • Deaths 4
Compare with 1996 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 80 of 534 owner complaints (15.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 80 complaints, 15.0% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 80 · 15.0% · 14 fire reports ENGINE: 74 complaints, 13.9% of reports ENGINE 74 · 13.9% · 2 fire reports STEERING: 74 complaints, 13.9% of reports STEERING 74 · 13.9% · 12 crash reports 3 fire reports AIR BAGS: 69 complaints, 12.9% of reports AIR BAGS 69 · 12.9% · 36 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 52 complaints, 9.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 52 · 9.7% · 7 crash reports 1 fire reports VISIBILITY: 32 complaints, 6.0% of reports VISIBILITY 32 · 6.0% SUSPENSION: 19 complaints, 3.6% of reports SUSPENSION 19 · 3.6% · 3 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 18 complaints, 3.4% of reports POWER TRAIN 18 · 3.4% · 2 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 15 complaints, 2.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 15 · 2.8% · 1 fire reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 410 complaints, 76.8% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 410 · 76.8% · 58 crash reports 21 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 80 15.0% 0 crashes · 14 fires
ENGINE 74 13.9% 0 crashes · 2 fires
STEERING 74 13.9% 12 crashes · 3 fires
AIR BAGS 69 12.9% 36 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 52 9.7% 7 crashes · 1 fires
VISIBILITY 32 6.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 19 3.6% 3 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 18 3.4% 2 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 15 2.8% 0 crashes · 1 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 410 76.8% 58 crashes · 21 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 1996; the first recall shown was reported in Aug 1996. 1996-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 1997-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 1997-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 1997-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 1998-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 1998-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 1998-Q3: 31 owner reports 31 1998-Q4: 21 owner reports 21 1999-Q1: 19 owner reports 19 1999-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 1999-Q3: 22 owner reports 22 1999-Q4: 18 owner reports 18 2000-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2000-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2000-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2000-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2001-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2001-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2001-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2001-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2002-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2002-Q2: 35 owner reports 35 2002-Q3: 20 owner reports 20 2002-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q1: 43 owner reports 43 2003-Q2: 15 owner reports 15 2003-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2003-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2004-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2004-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Aug 1996 Oct 2016 Recall campaign 96V160000 ◆ Recall campaign 96V160000 Recall campaign 97V106000 ◆ Recall campaign 97V106000 Recall campaign 98V032000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V032000 Recall campaign 98V146000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V146000 Recall campaign 98V319000 ◆ Recall campaign 98V319000 Recall campaign 02V070000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V070000 Recall campaign 02V286000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V286000 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Recall campaign 06E049000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E049000 Recall campaign 07E015000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E015000 Recall campaign 08E063000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E063000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Recall campaign 09E025000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E025000 Investigation PE97041 ● Investigation PE97041 Investigation EA98001 ● Investigation EA98001 Investigation PE02001 ● Investigation PE02001 Investigation DP03007 ● Investigation DP03007
  • Campaign 98V032000 was reported 408 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 98V319000 was reported 336 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 02V070000 was reported 1,555 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 02V286000 was reported 1,785 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 07E015000 was reported 3,016 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 09E025000 was reported 3,491 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1996-Q4 Owner reports 1
1997-Q1 Owner reports 9
1997-Q2 Owner reports 4
1997-Q3 Owner reports 8
1997-Q4 Owner reports 12
1998-Q1 Owner reports 16
1998-Q2 Owner reports 14
1998-Q3 Owner reports 31
1998-Q4 Owner reports 21
1999-Q1 Owner reports 19
1999-Q2 Owner reports 18
1999-Q3 Owner reports 22
1999-Q4 Owner reports 18
2000-Q1 Owner reports 13
2000-Q2 Owner reports 10
2000-Q3 Owner reports 17
2000-Q4 Owner reports 13
2001-Q1 Owner reports 12
2001-Q2 Owner reports 17
2001-Q3 Owner reports 13
2001-Q4 Owner reports 9
2002-Q1 Owner reports 8
2002-Q2 Owner reports 35
2002-Q3 Owner reports 20
2002-Q4 Owner reports 6
2003-Q1 Owner reports 43
2003-Q2 Owner reports 15
2003-Q3 Owner reports 13
2003-Q4 Owner reports 10
2004-Q1 Owner reports 5
2004-Q2 Owner reports 2
2004-Q3 Owner reports 12
2004-Q4 Owner reports 5
2005-Q1 Owner reports 6
2005-Q2 Owner reports 4
2005-Q3 Owner reports 6
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 3
2006-Q4 Owner reports 2
2007-Q1 Owner reports 2
2007-Q2 Owner reports 2
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 3
2008-Q2 Owner reports 2
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 1
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q4 Owner reports 2
2011-Q1 Owner reports 2
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 4
2014-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 2
2015-Q1 Owner reports 2
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 96V160000
Recall campaign 1 97V106000
Recall campaign 1 98V032000
Recall campaign 1 98V146000
Recall campaign 1 98V319000
Recall campaign 1 02V070000
Recall campaign 1 02V286000
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 06E049000
Recall campaign 1 07E015000
Recall campaign 1 08E063000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Recall campaign 1 09E025000
Defect investigation 1 PE97041
Defect investigation 1 EA98001
Defect investigation 1 PE02001
Defect investigation 1 DP03007
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (13)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V070000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    IF THE SWITCH IS DAMAGED, A FIRE COULD OCCUR IN THE STEERING COLUMN, EVEN WITH THE ENGINE OFF AND THE KEY REMOVED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RELAY KIT IN THESE VEHICLES TO PREVENT HIGH CURRENT FROM FLOWING THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MARCH 27, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, PONTIAC AT 1-800-762-2737, BUICK AT 1-800-521-7300, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V286000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    Consequence:
    IF THIS OCCURS, THE PINION SHAFT CAN BE FORCED UPWARD DURING LEFT TURNS AND BACK DOWN AS THE STEERING WHEEL IS MOVED BACK AND TO THE RIGHT. IF THE PINION SHAFT MOVES FURTHER, THE DRIVER WILL NEED TO EXERT MORE EFFORT TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL, SIMILAR TO A VEHICLE WITHOUT POWER ASSISTED STEERING. IF THE PINION SHAFT MOVES EVEN FURTHER, THE DRIVER WILL REQUIRE MUCH HIGHER EFFORT TO TURN LEFT AND MAY NOT BE ABLE TO TURN THE WHEEL AS MUCH AS INTENDED. WITH THE MAXIMUM PINION SHAFT MOVEMENT, WHICH REQUIRES INTERNAL GEAR COMPONENT DAMAGE, THE DRIVER CAN ENCOUNTER HIGH RESISTANCE TO TURNING LEFT, FOLLOWED BY UNINTENDED POWER ASSIST TO THE RIGHT. IN ANY OF THESE CONDITIONS, A CRASH COULD OCCUR.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW LOWER PINION BEARING UNLESS INSPECT OF THE EXISTING BEARING INDICATES THAT REPLACEMENT OF THE GEAR ASSEMBLY IS NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JANUARY 24, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020, PONTIAC AT 1-800-762-2737, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E026000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    PRO-A MOTORS WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER TO REPURCHASE THE LAMPS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 3, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT PRO-A MOTORS AT 323-838-2988.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E049000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER REFLECTORS, THE VEHICLE WILL BE POORLY ILLUMINATED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH WITHOUT WARNING.
    Remedy:
    CK MOTORSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE NONCOMPLIANT LAMPS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 1, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT CK MOTORSPORT AT 1-909-610-7211.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 07E015000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    A STALLED VEHICLE CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH. A FUEL LEAK CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE MRAS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 20, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 1-877-335-7443.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  6. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08E063000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THE WELD FAILS, LOSS OF STEERING COULD RESULT, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DORMAN WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE STEERING SHAFTS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 16, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DORMAN TOLL FREE AT 1-800-523-2492.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  7. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E012000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  8. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09E025000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DOPE, INC. WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 28, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT DOPE, INC. AT 1-626-272-1798.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  9. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 96V160000

    Report date
    Component:
    VISIBILITY
    Consequence:
    THE AREA AND PATTERN WIPED ON THE WINDSHIELD WILL BE REDUCED AND COULD AFFECT THE DRIVER'S VIEW IN WET WEATHER INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT FOR THE CORRECT WIPER BLADE ASSEMBLY AND INSTALL A CORRECT LENGTH WIPER BLADE ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  10. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 97V106000

    Report date
    Component:
    WHEELS
    Consequence:
    A RAPID LOSS OF AIR CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE RIM ON THE COMPACT SPARE TIRE ASSEMBLY. OWNERS ARE REQUESTED NOT TO USE THE SPARE TIRE UNTIL THE RIM HAS BEEN REPLACED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  11. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V032000

    Report date
    Component:
    STRUCTURE
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE SHEET METAL STRUCTURE WOULD NOT PERFORM AS DESIRED INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE WELDS AND, IF NECESSARY, PLACE FIVE WELDS BETWEEN THE INVOLVED PANELS AND APPLY PRIMER AND TOPCOAT FINISH MATERIALS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  12. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V146000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    AIR BAGS DEPLOY WITH GREAT FORCE AND CAN SERIOUSLY INJURE UNRESTRAINED OCCUPANTS WHO ARE TOO CLOSE TO THEM.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL RECALIBRATE THE AIR BAG SENSING AND DIAGNOSTIC MODULE.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  13. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 98V319000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION, A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL CAN OCCUR, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE REAR SUSPENSION TRAILING ARM FASTENERS.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 534 complaints · page 1 of 22

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources