1996 CHEVROLET CAVALIER Complaints

I FIRST NOTICED THE COOLANT LIGHT ON AT LOW SPEEDS AND WHEN I TURNED CORNERS. THE LIGHT NEVER STAYED ON FOR MORE THAN A FEW SECONDS, THEN I TOOK THE VEHICLE INTO THE DEALER TO GET SOME RECALL WORK COMPLETED AND THEY TOLD ME THAT A GASKET CONNECTING TO MY WATER PUMP HAS A SLOW LEAK. MY BROTHER HAS A 1997 CAVALIER Z24 AND HAS THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. I HOPE YOU CAN GET SOMETHING DONE SO OTHERS DONT HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THANK YOU. *AK

I HAVE HAD REOCCURRING PROBLEMS WITH THE LIGHTS AND THE START UP LIGHT ON SUSPENSION SINCE THE DAY I PURCHASED THE AUTOMOBILE. EVERYTIME I TOOK IT IN FOR REPAIR, I GOT A "CANNOT DUPLICATE" IN THE PLACE OF REPAIR. I KNEW NOTHING OF THE RECALL ON THIS ITEMS UNTIL 6/18/2000, WHEN I WAS RESEARCHING OTHER ITEMS ON THE CAVALIER. I WOULD APPRECIATE GETTING THIS REPAIRED AS OPPOSSED TO "CANNOT DUPLICATE." I DO KNOW THE SUSPENSION HAPPENS FAR MORE OFTEN THAN A VEHICLE THIS YOUNG AGE SHOULD. THANK YOU.

I HAVE RESEARCHED ON THIS SITE, CONSUMER REPORTS, CONSUMER CORNER, ETC. AND HAVE FOUND A NUMBER OF 1996 CHEVROLET CAVALIERS HAVE HAD CYLINDER HEAD GASKET PROBLEMS. MY EXTENDED WARRANTY LASTED THROUGH 100,000 MILES. IF I HAD KNOWN THAT THIS WAS A REOCCURRING PROBLEM, I MIGHT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO KEEP IT FROM OCCURRING. GM/CHEVROLET HAS ASKED THE DEALERSHIP TO GIVE ME A DISCOUNT. THE DEALERSHIP HAS REFUSED DUE TO THE MILEAGE ON MY VEHICLE BEING APPROXIMATELY 500 MILES OVER THE REQUIRED 100,000 MILES. SIX (6) DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM CHEVROLET STATING THAT MY VEHICLE EXPERIENCES THIS PROBLEM AND THAT THEY WOULD PAY FOR THE REPAIRS UP TO SEVEN (7) YEARS AND 100,000 MILES. I THINK THIS IS VERY CONVENIENT. THE LETTER IS DATED MAY, 2000. TWO WEEKS EARLIER I WAS STILL WITHIN THE 100,000 MILE LIMIT. I HAVE GIVEN THE DEALERSHIP PERMISSION TO FIX MY VEHICLE, BUT I AM AFRAID TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS BEFORE SOME TYPE OF AGREEMENT IS REACHED. UNFORTUNATELY, GM/CHEVROLET IS NOT INTERESTED IN HELPING ME. *AK

CAR WAS PARKED IN THE GARAGE FOR A SEVERAL HOURS WHEN THE IGNITION SEEMED TO BE GOING OFF ALL BY ITSELF. THE CAR WAS TRYING TO START BY ITSELF. NO KEYS WERE IN THE AUTOMOBILE AT THE TIME. THE PROCESS COULD NOT BE STOPPED EVEN AFTER THE DRIVER TRIED TO TURN THE IGNITION. *AK

DRIVER'S SEATBELT MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING SEAT BELT NOT TO RETRACT IN HARD STOP, WHICH WON'T PROTECT THE OCCUPANT IN EVENT OF A CRASH. DEALER SAID THAT SEAT BELT SPOILER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

VEHICLE HAD FUNCTIONED PROPERLY FOR APPROXIMATELY 35 MILES AFTER BEING PICKED UP FROM THE DEALERSHIP FOR AN UNRELATED PROBLEM. THE COOLANT LIGHT CAME ON, WENT OFF, THEN CAME ON AGAIN AND STAYED ON 2 MILES BEFORE I REACHED MY HOME. I PULLED INTO THE DRIVEWAY, TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND HEARD A NOISE UNDER THE HOOD. I COULD NOT SEE ANY PROBLEM WHEN I POPPED THE HOOD, BUT FLUID HAD BEGUN TO PUDDLE UNDER MY VEHICLE THAT WAS GREEN IN COLOR. THE PUDDLE INCREASED IN SIZE QUICKLY. IT SEEMED TO BE THE WATER PUMP. AFTER FINDING THAT THE DEALERSHIP AND EXTENDED WARRANTY WOULD NOT HELP WITH THE COST OF A WATER PUMP, THE CAR WAS TOWED TO A AUTO REPAIR SHOP THAT FIXES WATER PUMPS. THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP CALLED AND SAID THE TRUE PROBLEM IS A CYLINDER HEAD GASKET. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO ANOTHER AUTO REPAIR SHOP THAT CANNOT GET TO IT UNTIL NEXT WEEK. IN THE MEANTIME, THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED IN OTHER CAVALIERS AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY A RECALL BY THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP IS CLOSED AT THIS TIME, BUT I HAVE LEFT A MESSAGE FOR THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO CALL ME. *AK

WHEN CAR WAS TRAVELING AT ROUGHLY 45 MPH, CAR SUDDENLY LOST ENGINE POWER, THOUGH STILL HAD ELECTRICAL POWER. SUBSEQUENT REPAIR SHOWED CAM GEAR HAD BROKEN, CAUSING TIMING CHAIN TO BREAK. THIS SENT PART THROUGH ENGINE, DAMAGING 3RD CYLINDER (VALVES COMING UNSEATED OR DAMAGE TO HEAD). ORIG. PART IS PLASTIC, REPLACEMENT IS METAL. THIS RESULTED IN REPAIR CHARGE OF $1600+ TO REPAIR DAMAGE CAUSED BY INFERIOR PART. AS VEHICLE IS OUT OF WARRANTY, CUST. FORCED TO PAY CHARGE. *AK

WELL, I AM NOT EXACTLY SURE OF WHAT IS WRONG, MY CAR STALLED OUT AFTER FOUR TURNS OF THE IGNITION TO START IT UP AND THEN IT WOULDN'T START UP AGAIN. A FEW HOURS LATER, IT STARTED UP AND IT DIDN'T SOUND NORMAL, IT SOUNDED TERRIBLE. AS SOON AS SOMEONE COULD CONTACT ME, THAT WOULD BE GREAT FOR I AM WITHOUT A CAR RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. CASEY SIX

CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 25MPH WHILE COMING OUT OF A PARKING LOT. SHE WAS HEARING POPPING NOISES. CONSUMER RAN OVER A BUMP, AND MOTOR FELL OUT OF VEHICLE'S HOOD AREA. *AK

FEB 2000 I REPLACED A FAULTY WATER PUMP CONTINUED TO HAVE SLOW COOLANT LEAK...MAY 2000 HEAD GASKET WAS FOUND TO BE BAD.NO RECALL AND EXTENDED WARRANTY WAS .....NOT PURCHASED BUY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY IS WHAT I RECOMMEND. *AK