1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER Complaints

COMPLETE ENGINE SHUT DOWN WHILE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AT 25 MPH ON 3 SEPARATE OCCURRENCES. EACH OCCURRENCE WAS 24 TO 48 HOURS AFTER A OIL CHANGE AND "TOPPING OFF FLUIDS" AT THE SAME DEALERSHIP WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. AFTER EACH OIL CHANGE, THE SMELL OF HOT OIL WAS PREVALENT THE NEXT DAY. AFTER THE FIRST ENGINE SHUT DOWN OCCURENCE, THE DEALERSHIP INSPECTED THE CAR BUT FOUND NOTHING WRONG. THE ENGINE HAS SHUT DOWN ON JAN 12, 1999, APR 12, 1999, AND JUNE 12, 2000. OIL CHANGES TOOK PLACE 3 DAYS BEFORE EACH OCCURRENCE. THE ENGINE HAS NEVER SHUT DOWN IN TRAFFIC WITHOUT A RECENT OIL CHANGE. THE VEHICLE SPEEDS AT THE TIME OF THE ENGINE SHUT DOWN HAVE ALL BEEN APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH DUE TO RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WHILE ON THE EXPRESSWAY. *AK

WHILE DRIVING ALL SIGNAL LIGHTS CAME ON, AND ENGINE LOST POWER. THERE WAS NO STEERING, AND FINALLY VEHICLE HAD TO BE TOWED. VEHICLE HAD BEEN REPAIRED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM ONC EBEFORE. *AK

SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR, IT HAS HAD NUMEROUS TRIPS TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR, INCLUDING HEAD GASKETS, WATER PUMP AND OTHER THINGS WERE REPLACED. EACH TIME I RECEIVED THE CAR BACK, IT STILL MAKES A "TICKING NOISE" THAT MAKES MY CAR SOUND LIKE A DIESEL ENGINE. MY CAR IS NOT A DIESEL!!! I AM UNSURE WHAT TO DO NOW THAT I HAVE HAD THE CAR FOR THIS LENGTH OF TIME. ALL THE TIMES IT WAS IN FOR REPAIR, I WAS TOLD THAT ALL SMALL ENGINE CARS WILL MAKE THAT NOISE. *AK

LOUD KNOCKING COMING FROM ENGINE. TOOK IT IN TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT PISTON IS ROCKING IN CYLINDER, AND THAT GM CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT AND THAT EXTRA WARRANTY WONT COVER.

WHILE TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED INTERMITTENTLY VEHICLE WOULD STALL AND LOSE POWER. DEALER HAS REPAIRED VEHICLE THREE TIMES, BUT PROBLEM RETURNS. . PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

WE HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR FROM THE DATE THAT IT WAS PURCHASED. THE BRAKE ROTOR PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN WORKED ON SEVERAL TIMES, AND IT WILL STOP FOR A WHILE, BUT WILL CONTINUE TO WORSEN WITH TIME. THE ABS LIGHT AND LOW COOLANT LIGHT HAVE BEEN ON AND OFF FOR OVER AND YEAR AND WE WERE TOLD THAT WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY TO HAVE THEM FIXED, THE SOUND FROM THE EXHAUST, POSSIBLY THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR OVER A YEAR AND AGAIN, WE WERE TOLD WE NEEDED TO REPLACE IT, THAT IT WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. THEN ENGINE IS SOUNDING MORE AWFUL AS TIME GOES ON...LOTS OF NOISE UNDER THE HOOD ESPECIALLY AT CRUSING SPEED, AND THEN AGAIN WHEN SLOWING TO A STOP, AND MORE RECENTLY EVEN WHEN IDLING. NOT ONLY WAS THIS CAR NOT SERVICED PROPERLY WHEN I WOULD BRING IT IN WITH A COMPLAINT, BUT I FEEL AS IF THE DEALERS WERE PURPOSELY PUTTING ME OFF JUST SO THE WARRANTY WOULD RUN OUT AND I WOULD HAVE TO FIX THESE PROBLEMS MYSELF. OBVIOUSLY I AM NOT THE ONLY ON THAT HAS HAD SIMILIAR PROBLEMS. AND ALSO, THE CAR HAS BEEN LEAKING ANTIFREEZE FOR A NUMBER OF MONTHS, BUT CANT SEEM TO FIND THE LEAK. DEFINITELY CAN SMELL THE BURNING ANTIFREEZE, ESPECIALLY AFTER AN EXTENDED TRIP. *AK

IN JUL7 OF 1999, THE ETS OFF LIGHT AND THEENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. THE MECHANIC SAID THE COMPUTER SHOWED DUE TO EMISSION REGULATIONS, THE EGR VALVE NEEDED REPLACED. REPLACED THE VALVE, A MONTH LATER THE TWO LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. I WAS TOLD THE EGR VALVE WAS DEFECTIVE. HAD IT REPLACED AGAIN. A COUPLE MONTHS LATER, THE TWO LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. THE MECHANIC TOLD US THE SYSTEM WAS VERY SENSITIVE, BUT THE EGR WAS FINE AND JUST RESET THE LIGHTLS. LAST WEEK THE TWO LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN, THE EGR WAS REPLACED AGAIN. THE NEXT DAY, THE CAR STARTED JERKING FIERCELY AND THE TWO LIGHTS CAME ON AGAIN. I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE PROBLEM IS WITH THIS SYSTEM AND WE ARE HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME FINDING THE PROBLEM. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A COMPUTER DEFECT, A VALVE DEFECT OR WHAT. BUT IT'S NOT SAVE TO HAVE A VEHICLE THAT CONSTANTLY SHUTS OFF THE TRACTION SYSTEM DUE TO THIS PROBLEM AND CAUSES THE CAR TO JEK WHILE DRIVING. *AK

I HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM FOR TWO YEARS. I HAD IT FIXED ON 08/10/1998. I RECEIVED THE RECALL FOR THE CALIBRATION IN THE AIR BAGS COMPUTER IN OCT 98. I TOOK MY CAR TO BAY CHEVROLET (6970 N. MILITARY HWY. NORFOLK, VA 23518)(757-855-2261) ON 08/22/1998. THE MILEAGE AT THIS TIME WAS 31,491. THEY REPROGRAMMED THE AIR BAG SDM AND REPLACED THE HORN ASSEMBLY. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AT THIS TIME. I CALLED THEM BACK IN NOV 99 WHEN PROBLEM WAS REOCCURRING. VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND TO HAVE IT FIXED WOULD HAVE COST ME $600+ DOLLARS. I FEEL IT SHOULD BE FIXED FOR FREE, SINCE PROBLEM KEEPS REOCCURRING. PROBLEM IS STILL NOT FIXED AT THIS TIME. *AK

AT ANY TIME WHEN VEHICLE WOULD SIT OVER NIGHT IN RAIN, THE NEXT DAY WHILE TRAVELING AND WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, VEHICLE WOULD GO INTO EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, AND WHEELS WOULD LOCK UP. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. HAS YET OT BE REPAIRED. *AK *ML

WE HAVE HAD A PROBLEM WITH LOSING THE POWER STEERING FOR OVER TWO YEARS. AT FIRST, I THOUGHT THE CAR STALLED AND THEN REGAINED THE MOTOR AS THE POWER STEERING CAME BACK ON. THIS PROBLEMS HAS HAPPENED TO FOUR MEMBERS OF MY FAMILY AND WE NEVER PUT IT TOGETHER UNTIL RECENTLY WE HAD OUR LOCAL DEALER INSPECT THE SYSTEM AND WAS TOLD " IT COULDN'T HAPPEN " WHEN I FOUND NHTSA ON LINE, I NOW BELIEVE THAT THE DEALER WAS NOT BEING HONEST. *AK