1996 CHEVROLET CAVALIER Complaints

VEHICLE WOULD HESITATE AND THEN JUMP AS IF STALLING OUT WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS PRESSED. VEHICLE TAKES TIME BEFORE ENGAGING TO MOVE. TOOK TO MECHANIC, AND INFORMED FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM WAS LEAKING. MECHANIC INDICATED SERVICE BULLETIN ON VEHICLE, BUT MANUFACTURER DENIED CLAIM OF SERVICE BULLETIN.*AK

CONSUMER STATES WHILE DRIVING WAS UNABLE TO STOP, THERE WERE NO BRAKES, ALSO VEHICLE WOULD MAKE LOUD SOUNDS AND THEN STALL, CONSUMER WAS ALWAYS BEING TOLD BY DELAERSHIP THAT IT WAS A SENSOR AND THE FUEL FILTER WHICH WAS ALWAYS BEING REPLACED, BUT NEVER RESOLVED THE PROBLEM, HOWEVER IT WAS FINALLY DETERMINED BY A MANAGER AT THE CHEVROLET SHOP THAT THE MANUFACTURER PROGRAMMED THE AIR CONDITIONER TO BE ON AT ALL TIMES, WHICH CAUSED THESE MALFUNCTIONS AS WELL AS BURNING OUT THE CARBURETOR, THE MANAGER FIXED THE DIAL SO THE A/C WOULD NOT BE ON, BUT STILL INFORMED CONSUMER THAT IT NEEDED TO BE PROPERLY REPROGRAMMED, CONSUMER HAS NOT EXPERIENCED THE FAILURES SINCE THE DIAL WAS READJUSTED, CONSUMER HAS OBTAINED LEGAL REPRESENATION AND FEELS SHE SHOULD NOT BE HELD FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR SOMETHING THAT THE MANUFACUTER CREATED.*JB

THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT (HIGH MOUNT) KEEPS BLOWING BULBS,WHEN PULLING THE BULBS OUT THE TOP OF THE BULB IS MELTED TO THE INSIDE OF THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY.

VEHICLE WAS SITTING ALL DAY UNTIL THE EVENING WHEN CONSUEMR WENT OUT AND INSIDE OF THE VEHICLE WAS FILLED WITH SMOKE. CONSUMER FOUND OUT THAT WIRIING HARNESS UNDER DASH CAUGHT ON FIRE. MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONCERNED WITH INCIDENT, BUT INTERESTED TO KNOW WHAT CONSUMER WAS SEEKING.*AK

THE MANUFACTURER PROGRAMMED THE AIR CONDITION TO BE ON ALL THE TIME, WHICH CAUSED THE COMPRESSOR TO MALFUNCTION, ABS BRAKE TO FAIL, AND VEHICLE TO STALL AND LOOSE ALL POWER.*YD

CYLINDER HEAD GASKET BLEW WHILE DRIVING. DEALER SAID THIS WAS COVERED UNDER A RECALL, BUT WATER PUMP FAILED BECAUSE OF GASKET, BUT WOULDN'T COVER THE PUMP. *AK

MY CAR WAS PROGRAMMED BY THE MANUFACTURER TO HAVE THE A/C ON AT ALL TIMES. SO, DURING THE LAST FIVE YEARS, MY A/C WAS ALWAYS ON, UNBEKNOWNST TO ME. THIS CAUSED THE COMPRESSOR TO MALFUNCTION THIS FALL. THAT'S WHEN THE PROBLEM WITH THE CAR FINALLY REVEALED ITSELF, AND A MECHANIC AT DON RINGLER'S CHEVROLET FINALLY FIGURED OUT THAT THE A/C NEEDED TO BE REPROGRAMMED SO THAT IT WAS NOT ON AT ALL TIMES. MEANWHILE, ALL DURING THE FIVE YEARS, THE BRAKES KEPT FAILING AT VARIOUS TIMES, CAUSING ME TO NEARLY CRASH OR RUN OUT INTO TRAFFIC. MANY TIMES I WAS BRUISED FROM THE INCIDENTS. MY CAR ALSO STOPPED RUNNING ALTOGETHER SEVERAL TIMES WHILE OPERATING AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS, AND JUST AS THE POWER WOULD SHUT OFF, THE BRAKES WOULD STOP WORKING. I HAVE GONE OUT INTO THE MIDDLE OF HIGHWAYS, ALMOST BEING KILLED. EACH TIME I TOOK THE CAR IN, I WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DETECTED OR THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN RESOLVED. BEING ONLY THE SECOND CAR IN MY LIFE (THE FIRST ONE, A GEO METRO, CAUSED NO PROBLEMS AT ALL), I TRUSTED THE VERDICT EACH TIME, AND DID NOT KNOW THAT THERE WAS A DEEPER, UNDERLYING PROBLEM TO REPORT. IT TOOK ME FIVE YEARS TO UNCOVER THIS. BELIEVING THE MECHANICS AT CHEVROLET DEALERSHIPS EACH TIME THAT THE PROBLEM HAD BEEN RESOLVED, I CONTINUED TO KEEP CAREFUL MAINTENANCE ON IT WITH THE VERY BEST QUALITY CARE. THIS FALL, I WAS TOLD THE SAME THING, THAT IT WAS SOMETHING OTHER THAN THE REAL SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM, AND AFTER ANOTHER $500 AND A TEST DRIVE WITH THE HEAD MECHANIC WHERE THE POWER FAILED ONCE AGAIN, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE A/C WAS MISPROGRAMMED AND CAUSING POWER FAILURE. EVIDENCE OF THIS LIES IN THE FACT THAT WHEN THE A/C IS KEPT OFF, THE CAR RUNS FINE. THE COMPRESSOR IS RUINED. I AM CONCERNED THAT ALL THE OTHER 1996 CAVALIER COMPLAINTS (NHTSA) ON POWER/BRAKE FAILURE MAY BE ATTRIBUTABLE TO A/C MISPROGRAMMING. THOSE CUSTOMERS COULD NOT FIGURE OUT THE REASON EITHER. A RECALL MAY BE NECESSARY. PLEASE INVESTIGATE--GM STAFF IS IGNORING ME.*AK

THE STEERING STARTED VERY GRADUALLY AND WE DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG. IT GOT SO BAD BEFORE WE HAD TO REPAIR IT THAT YOU COULD NOT STEER AT ALL TO THE LEFT. WHEN I APPROACHED THE DEALERSHIP AND ASKED THEM TO HELP WITH THE COST OF THE REPAIR THEY SAID KNOW. AFTER THE REPAIR WA COMPLETED I TALKED OT THE MECHANIC AT THE DEALERSHIP THAT PERFORMED THE REPAIR AND HE INDICATED THAT HE REPLACES THIS ON A LOT OF GM VEHICLES INCLUDING CAVALIERS. I AM REQUESTING THAT GM BE MADE AWARE OF THIS SERIOUS PROBLEM AND PUT A CAMPAIGN TOGETHER TO REPAIR ANY VEHICLE INCLUDING MY OWN WITH PARTS AND LABOR COSTS.*AK

WHEN STATING VEHICLE SAW SMOKE COMING FROM STEERING COLUMN. WITH NO PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE. CONTACTED DEALER ,AND DEALER STATED NOTHING COULD BE DONE.*AK

WHEN DRIVING RAILS BROKE ON FRONT DRIVER'S SEAT DURING A CRASH ALSO, WHEN THE RAILS BROKE SEAT WAS LOOSE, AND SEAT BELT DID NOT WORK PROPERLY. CRASH WAS LEFT FRONTAL IMPACT. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK *JB