2002 CHEVROLET CAVALIER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 190 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (27 complaints · 14.2%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 24
  • Fires 4
  • Injuries 33
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2001 →
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 27 of 190 owner complaints (14.2%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 27 complaints, 14.2% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 27 · 14.2% · 1 crash reports 3 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 22 complaints, 11.6% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 22 · 11.6% · 5 crash reports ENGINE: 18 complaints, 9.5% of reports ENGINE 18 · 9.5% VISIBILITY: 15 complaints, 7.9% of reports VISIBILITY 15 · 7.9% FUEL SYSTEM: 13 complaints, 6.8% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 13 · 6.8% STEERING: 11 complaints, 5.8% of reports STEERING 11 · 5.8% · 2 crash reports 1 fire reports AIR BAGS: 9 complaints, 4.7% of reports AIR BAGS 9 · 4.7% · 5 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 9 complaints, 4.7% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 9 · 4.7% POWER TRAIN: 9 complaints, 4.7% of reports POWER TRAIN 9 · 4.7% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 135 complaints, 71.1% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 135 · 71.1% · 18 crash reports 2 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 27 14.2% 1 crashes · 3 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 22 11.6% 5 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 18 9.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 15 7.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 13 6.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 11 5.8% 2 crashes · 1 fires
AIR BAGS 9 4.7% 5 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 9 4.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 9 4.7% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 135 71.1% 18 crashes · 2 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 2001; the first recall shown was reported in Mar 2006. 2001-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2002-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2002-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2003-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2003-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2003-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2004-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2004-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2004-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2005-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2005-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2006-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2007-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2020-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Jul 2001 Apr 2023 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
  • Campaign 07E021000 was reported 1,637 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 08E050000 was reported 2,142 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2001-Q3 Owner reports 1
2001-Q4 Owner reports 1
2002-Q1 Owner reports 4
2002-Q2 Owner reports 9
2002-Q3 Owner reports 10
2002-Q4 Owner reports 6
2003-Q1 Owner reports 10
2003-Q2 Owner reports 6
2003-Q3 Owner reports 17
2003-Q4 Owner reports 10
2004-Q1 Owner reports 7
2004-Q2 Owner reports 5
2004-Q3 Owner reports 4
2004-Q4 Owner reports 11
2005-Q1 Owner reports 11
2005-Q2 Owner reports 6
2005-Q3 Owner reports 6
2005-Q4 Owner reports 4
2006-Q1 Owner reports 3
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 6
2006-Q4 Owner reports 4
2007-Q1 Owner reports 3
2007-Q2 Owner reports 4
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2007-Q4 Owner reports 3
2008-Q1 Owner reports 2
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 4
2009-Q2 Owner reports 2
2009-Q3 Owner reports 3
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q2 Owner reports 2
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 3
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2014-Q4 Owner reports 2
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 1
2020-Q3 Owner reports 1
2021-Q2 Owner reports 1
2023-Q2 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 06E026000
Recall campaign 1 07E021000
Recall campaign 1 08E050000
Recall campaign 1 08E063000
Recall campaign 1 09E012000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. 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 →

  2. 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 →

  3. 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 →

  4. 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 →

  5. 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 190 complaints · page 1 of 8

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