2000 CHEVROLET CAVALIER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 310 complaints · 7 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (49 complaints · 15.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 25
  • Fires 8
  • Injuries 21
  • Deaths 2
Compare with 1999 →
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 49 of 310 owner complaints (15.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 49 complaints, 15.8% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 49 · 15.8% · 4 fire reports ENGINE: 40 complaints, 12.9% of reports ENGINE 40 · 12.9% · 1 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 35 complaints, 11.3% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 35 · 11.3% SERVICE BRAKES: 35 complaints, 11.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 35 · 11.3% · 5 crash reports 1 fire reports STRUCTURE: 19 complaints, 6.1% of reports STRUCTURE 19 · 6.1% AIR BAGS: 18 complaints, 5.8% of reports AIR BAGS 18 · 5.8% · 13 crash reports STEERING: 18 complaints, 5.8% of reports STEERING 18 · 5.8% POWER TRAIN: 17 complaints, 5.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 17 · 5.5% · 2 crash reports SUSPENSION: 13 complaints, 4.2% of reports SUSPENSION 13 · 4.2% · 1 fire reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 225 complaints, 72.6% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 225 · 72.6% · 19 crash reports 7 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 49 15.8% 0 crashes · 4 fires
ENGINE 40 12.9% 0 crashes · 1 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 35 11.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 35 11.3% 5 crashes · 1 fires
STRUCTURE 19 6.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 18 5.8% 13 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 18 5.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 17 5.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 13 4.2% 0 crashes · 1 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 225 72.6% 19 crashes · 7 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 Jul 1999; the first recall shown was reported in Jul 2000. 1999-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2000-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2000-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2000-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2001-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2001-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2001-Q4: 9 owner reports 9 2002-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2002-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2002-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2002-Q4: 12 owner reports 12 2003-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2003-Q2: 14 owner reports 14 2003-Q3: 14 owner reports 14 2003-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2004-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2004-Q2: 15 owner reports 15 2004-Q3: 22 owner reports 22 2004-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2005-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2005-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 1999 Jan 2023 Recall campaign 00V201000 ◆ Recall campaign 00V201000 Recall campaign 04V036000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V036000 Recall campaign 06E026000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E026000 Recall campaign 07E021000 ◆ Recall campaign 07E021000 Recall campaign 08E050000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E050000 Recall campaign 08E063000 ◆ Recall campaign 08E063000 Recall campaign 09E012000 ◆ Recall campaign 09E012000 Investigation SQ01002 ● Investigation SQ01002 Investigation PE02066 ● Investigation PE02066 Investigation EA02028 ● Investigation EA02028
  • Campaign 04V036000 was reported 878 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 07E021000 was reported 2,443 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 08E050000 was reported 3,046 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1999-Q3 Owner reports 2
1999-Q4 Owner reports 1
2000-Q1 Owner reports 8
2000-Q2 Owner reports 6
2000-Q3 Owner reports 11
2000-Q4 Owner reports 2
2001-Q1 Owner reports 12
2001-Q2 Owner reports 17
2001-Q3 Owner reports 8
2001-Q4 Owner reports 9
2002-Q1 Owner reports 14
2002-Q2 Owner reports 13
2002-Q3 Owner reports 8
2002-Q4 Owner reports 12
2003-Q1 Owner reports 14
2003-Q2 Owner reports 14
2003-Q3 Owner reports 14
2003-Q4 Owner reports 8
2004-Q1 Owner reports 13
2004-Q2 Owner reports 15
2004-Q3 Owner reports 22
2004-Q4 Owner reports 11
2005-Q1 Owner reports 5
2005-Q2 Owner reports 7
2005-Q3 Owner reports 4
2005-Q4 Owner reports 2
2006-Q1 Owner reports 5
2006-Q2 Owner reports 2
2006-Q3 Owner reports 5
2006-Q4 Owner reports 1
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q2 Owner reports 2
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 5
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 3
2009-Q4 Owner reports 1
2010-Q1 Owner reports 3
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 3
2011-Q2 Owner reports 2
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 2
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 2
2015-Q2 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 2
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 00V201000
Recall campaign 1 04V036000
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 07E021000
Recall campaign 1 08E050000
Recall campaign 1 08E063000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
Defect investigation 1 SQ01002
Defect investigation 1 PE02066
Defect investigation 1 EA02028
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (7)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 00V201000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THIS COULD MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO SEE OBJECTS OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE FUEL TYPE INDICATOR SWITCH ASSEMBLY, WHICH INCLUDES THE INSTRUMENT PANEL ILLUMINATION CONTROL.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V036000

    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. THE FIRE COULD SPREAD TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR, WHICH COULD INJURE OCCUPANTS OR CAUSE DAMAGE TO ADJOINING STRUCTURES.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RELAY KIT IN THESE VEHICLES TO PREVENT HIGH CURRENT FROM FLOWING THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND CHECK THAT YOUR CAR WILL START WITH A PROPERLY CHARGED BATTERY AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BEGIN ON MARCH 1, 2004. 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 1-800-630-2438, PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CHECK THEIR VEHICLE ONLINE BY GOING TO WWW.MYGMLINK.COM AND ENTERING THE VEHICLE'S IDENTIFICATION NUMBER.
    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 07E021000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER
    Consequence:
    FUEL MAY LEAK, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DELPHI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE UPR FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON APRIL 23, 2007. OWNERS CAN CONTACT DELPHI AT 877-411-8770.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 08E050000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    WITHOUT THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTORS, THE LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY BE AFFECTED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.
    Remedy:
    K2 MOTOR WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND. THE RECALL BEGAN ON DECEMEBER 17, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT K2 MOTOR AT 1-909-839-2992.
    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 →
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 310 complaints · page 1 of 13

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