2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER Complaints

THERE WAS A TOTAL FAILURE OF THE FUEL PUMP WHILE THE CAR WAS IN OPERATION ON A BUSY ROAD AT RUSH HOUR. THE CAR SUDDENLY LOSS POWER AND STALLED WHILE DRIVING. SOLELY DUE TO PURE LUCK, I HAD NOT YET ENTERED ONTO THE LOCAL INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AND DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE CHEVROLET DEALERSHIP AND THE FUEL PUMP HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE CAR WAS NO LONGER UNDER GM WARRANTY AND THE TOTAL COST OF REPAIR TO ME WAS OVER $800. *TR

MY 2003 CAVALIER (49,198 MILES) BROKE DOWN ON THE HIGHWAY AT 9:30 AT NIGHT. HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP AND FOUND OUT IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP/ FUEL FILTER. QUOTED ME $900 FOR EVERYTHING (DIAGNOSTIC, FUEL PUMP, AND LABOR). HAD A FRIEND WHO DID IT FOR ALOT CHEAPER THEN THAT. THEN THE WARRANTY I HAD ON IT EXPIRED AND GM FAILED TO TELL ME. I BOUGHT A EXTENDED WARRANTY AND APPARENTLY IT STARTED ON THE DAY I SIGNED THE PAPERWORK. WHY WOULD I WANT DOUBLE COVERAGE (MANUFACTURER'S AND EXTENDED)? *TR

WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH, 2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER WITH 88,505 MILES BEGAN LOSING SPEED/ACCELERATION. DRIVER WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER BEFORE ENGINE STOPPED. DRIVER TURNED OFF IGNITION AND WAS NOT ABLE TO RESTART ENGINE. FUEL PUMP FAILED AND WAS REPLACED AT A LOCAL GARAGE. RE: NHTSA ACTION NUMBER EA07015. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 CHEV CAVALIER. OWNED IT FROM THE TIME IT HAD 4 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. RECENTLY I NOTICED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WASN'T READING QUITE CORRECTLY. I FIRST NOTICED IT WHEN THE SPEEDOMETER READ THAT I WAS GOING 15 MILES AN HOUR OVER THE SPEED LIMIT AND PEOPLE WERE TAILGATING ME. I DIDN'T REALIZE WHY UNTIL WHEN I CAME TO A STOP MY SPEEDOMETER WAS STUCK AT 20MPH. OVER TIME I HAVE NOTICED THAT THIS PROBLEM HAS ONLY GOTTEN WORSE. EVERY NOW AND THEN IT WILL READ AT 60MPH AT A DEAD STAND STILL. BUT THAT IS NOT EVEN THE HALF OF IT, IT STILL GOT WORSE. AT A STAND STILL IT WOULD READ 100MPH+ AND WHEN MOVING IT WOULD GO BACK OVER AND START AT 0MPH. RIDICULOUS!!! I HAVE RECEIVED TWO TICKETS BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. ALSO, ON TOP OF ALL OF THAT, MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE WILL SOMETIMES READ 260 DEGREES. I'VE CHECKED THE WATER AND ANYTHING THAT WOULD BE CAUSING MY TEMP TO READ EXCESSIVELY HIGH AND THERE ARE NO OTHER PROBLEMS. THE WHOLE DASHBOARD CLUSTER IS MESSED UP. SOMETIMES MY FUEL GAUGES WON'T EVEN READ CORRECTLY. THE PROBLEM HAS JUST GOTTEN OUT OF HAND. I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT CAN COST AS MUCH AS $1,000 TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR

THE EVENT LEADING UP TO THE FAILURE WAS WHILE THE CAR WAS TRAVELING DOWN THE ROAD, THE CAR STOPPED RUNNING. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART AND HAD TO BE TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THE FAILURE WAS THE FUEL PUMP AND TO CORRECT THE FAILURE THE FUEL PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE. *TR

THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAS BEEN DAMAGED AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE REPAIR SHOP SAYS THAT THE DAMAGE WAS A RESULT OF UNBURNED GASOLINE GOING INTO THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WHEN THE COIL FAILED. THE COIL ASSEMBLY FAILED AND TWO CYLINDERS STOPPED FIRING. I ONLY DROVE THE CAR ABOUT ONE-MILE TO THE REPAIR SHOP AFTER THE FAILURE (WHICH HAPPENED SUDDENLY). THE COIL ASSEMBLY HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF ABOUT $400. AFTER IT WAS REPLACED, THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON AND THE REPAIR SHOP SAYS THAT THE ON-BOARD COMPUTER DIAGNOSTICS INDICATES THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAS FAILED. THE CAR CANNOT HAVE ITS REGISTRATION RENEWED WITHOUT A FUNCTIONING CATALYTIC CONVERTER, WHICH WILL COST ABOUT $500 TO REPLACE. *TR

THE TRACTION-CONTROL DOES NOT WORK. THE DASHBOARD SHOWS THE "SERVICE," "ABS," AND "LOW TRAC" LIGHT. THESE TYPICALLY COME ON SOON AFTER THE ENGINE IS STARTED, WHEN THE BRAKES ARE PRESSED OR THE STEERING WHEEL IS TURNED. *TR

PLEASE ALSO SEE COMPLAINT ODI NUMBER 10218011, INVOLVING THE SECOND INSTRUMENT PANEL THAT WILL HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THIS COMPLAINT INVOLVES THE FIRST INSTRUMENT PANEL THAT HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE SPEEDOMETER AND THERMOSTAT GAUGE DID NOT WORK CORRECTLY AND GAVE ERRONEOUS READINGS. THIS IS A SEPARATE COMPLAINT ABOUT A SIMILAR PROBLEM AS LISTED ABOVE THAT OCCURRED SEVERAL YEARS AGO. THAT PROBLEM WAS REPAIRED AT A COST TO ME OF ABOUT $500. I DID NOT KEEP ALL THE PAPERWORK, BUT I SUPPOSE THAT THE JACK SCHMITT CHEVROLET SERVICE DEPARTMENT WILL HAVE THAT DATA. THE "INCIDENT DATE" LISTED IS AN ESTIMATE, I DO NOT RECALL THE DATE OR YEAR EXACTLY, IT COULD HAVE BEEN IN 2006. MILEAGE AT THE TIME IS UNKNOWN. *TR

THE INSTRUMENT PANEL SPEEDOMETER AND THERMOSTAT GAUGE ARE NOT WORKING CORRECTLY, BUT ARE GIVING ERRONEOUS READINGS. THE INSTRUMENT PANEL HAS FAILED FOR THE SECOND TIME. THE CAR WAS PURCHASED IN 2003 AND THE FIRST INSTRUMENT PANEL ONE WAS REPLACED ABOUT THREE-YEARS LATER FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THE COST TO US THEN WAS ABOUT $500. *TR

I HAVE A 2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER LS SPORT COUPE WITH APPROXIMATELY 72,000 MILES ON IT. LAST NIGHT, WITHOUT ANY WARNING, MY VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AND I WAS LEFT STRANDED WITH GROCERIES IN MY CAR AT A GROCERY STORE PARKING LOT. I HAD IT TOWED TO A VERY REPUTABLE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND WAS INFORMED THIS MORNING THAT MY FUEL PUMP HAS TO BE REPLACED. THE REPAIRS ARE GOING TO COST ME APPROXIMATELY $700. IN SEARCHING THE INTERNET, I CAME ACROSS A MESSAGE BOARD WHERE OVER 330 POSTS HAVE BEEN MADE BY CONSUMERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM I'M HAVING. THE WEBSITE ADDRESS IS HTTP://WWW.TOPIX.COM/FORUM/AUTOS/CHEVROLET-CAVALIER/TVINIC5TFU5SFSI5H ALSO, THE MECHANIC AT THE REPAIR SHOP INFORMED ME THAT HIS SHOP REPAIRS APPROXIMATELY 3-4 FUEL PUMPS ON CHEVROLET CAVALIERS EACH WEEK. HE STATED THAT THEY ARE DEFECTIVE WHEN THEY COME FROM THE MANUFACTURER, SO WHEN THEY GET BETWEEN 60,000-80,000 MILES ON THEM, THEY FAIL WITH NO WARNING SIGNS. *TR