2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER Complaints

I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM WITH MY 2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. THE REAR BRAKE/SIGNAL LIGHTS KEEP BURNING OUT DUE TO BAD SOCKETS AND BULBS. COMBINED, I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE FIVE (5) LIGHT BULBS (THREE (3) ON THE RIGHT AND TWO (2) ON THE LEFT). THE FIRST TIME WAS APRIL OR MAY 2003 ON THE RIGHT SIDE, WHEN I WAS STILL IN PITTSBURGH. THE SECOND TIME WAS IN SEPTEMBER OR OCTOBER 2003, ALSO ON THE RIGHT SIDE, BUT THIS TIME WAS IN PORT ORANGE, FL, WHERE I FOUND OUT ABOUT THE SOCKET PROBLEM. THE THIRD TIME WAS TWO WEEKS FOLLOWING THE SECOND INCIDENT, THIS TIME ON THE LEFT SIDE, BUT THE DEALERSHIP HAD THE SOCKETS ON BACK ORDER. THE FOURTH TIME WAS IN JANUARY 2004, AGAIN ON THE LEFT SIDE, THIS TIME THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE SOCKET. THE FIFTH TIME WAS APRIL 30, 2004, AGAIN ON THE RIGHT SIDE, AFTER THE SOCKET WAS REPLACED.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE CONSUMER HAD A FRONT END COLLISION AND NEITHER OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED AND THE SEAT BELT DID RESTRAIN THE DRIVER. NO AIR BAG LIGHT WARNING PRIOR TO THE CRASH. *NM *SC *JB

I'VE OWNED MY 2003 CAVALIER FOR 1 YR. 3 MONTHS. I'M VERY IRRITATED WITH HAVING TO GO TO THE DEALERSHIP EVERY OTHER MONTH FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. I'VE HAD MY CAR IN 7 TIMES TO GET THE TAILLIGHT FIXED. THE FIRST 2 TIMES THE LIGHT BLEW OUT, MY RADIO COMPLETELY WIPED OUT MY PRESET STATIONS. I ALSO HAD MY CAR IN 2 MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT BECAUSE THERE WAS A BAD SNOW AND AS I WAS DRIVING 5 MPH I BUMPED OVER A POT HOLE WHICH ENDED UP CRACKING MY SPRING AND STRUT ON THE FRONT PASS. SIDE. I HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET BECAUSE THE REPAIR WAS $100 LESS THAN MY DEDUCTIBLE. AND I WAS IN THE SERVICE DEPT. A WEEK BEFORE COMPLAINING OF A SQUEAK COMING FROM MY FRONT TIRE THAT THEY PUT OFF AS THE WHEEL COVER.COINCIDENCE?THERE WAS NO REASON THAT THE SPRING AND STRUT SHOULD HAVE CRACKED LIKE THAT! I'VE ALSO, JUST FOR THE RECORD, ASKED THEM TWICE TO CHECK MY BRAKES BECAUSE AS I COME TO A STOP THEY BEGIN TO PULSATE. THE SERVICE DEPT. TOLD ME I NEEDED NEW BRAKES.I'VE ONLY HAD MY CAR FOR 1 YEAR, 24,000 MOSTLY HIGHWAY MILES!!! THEY WANT $250.00 TO FIX MY BRAKES AND THEY SHOULD STILL BE UNDER WARRANTY. EVEN MIDAS GURANTEES THEIR BRAKES W/ A LIFETIME WARRANTY. YOU'D THINK THE MANUFACTURER WOULD FOR AN ORIGINAL OWNER.IT'S ONLY 2 PADS FOR GOODNESS SAKE! IF I KNEW HOW, I'D DO IT MYSELF. A SERVICE TECH TOLD ME THAT GM IS WELL AWARE OF THESE SAFETY HAZARDS THAT OTHER GM CUSTOMERS LIKE MYSELF ARE EXPERIENCING, YET THEY AREN'T DOING A RECALL. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE SOMETHING BAD HAPPENS TO SOMEONE WHILE IN THEIR VEHICLE. NOT DOING ANYTHING IS BAD BUSINESS!! CUSTOMERS SHOULD BE FIRST PRIORITY. AS A MANUFACTURER, YOUR RESPONSIBILITY IS TOWARD YOUR CUSTOMER IF SOMETHING YOU SELL OR MANUFACTURE IS DEFECTIVE!!!*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT WITH HEADLIGHTS ON THE HEAD LIGHT CUT OFF WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, LEAVING CONSUMER BETWEEN FOUR TO SIX SECONDS WITHOUT A VISION OF THE ROAD. DEALER WAS CONTACTED. *AK

WILL BE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND GO TO PRESS THE BRAKE TO TURN OR STOP AND THE CAR STALLS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. HAPPENS VERY RANDOMLY EVERY SO OFTEN. HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP 4 TIMES FOR THIS PROBLEM AND CAN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG OR DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME WITH OTHERS IN THE CAR, INCLUDING A ONE YEAR OLD, AND HAVE ALMOST GOTTEN IN SEVERE ACCIDENTS. ONCE WITH AN EIGHTEEN WHEELER!! THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS AND SCARY PROBLEM!!

WHEN THE BRAKES ARE APPLIED VEHICLE SHAKES. CONSUMER STATES THAT THE ROTORS ARE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK

4/1/2004-CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. FUCILLO STATED THAT IT WAS THE EMISSION CONTROL AND THAT THE PART WAS ON NATIONAL BACKORDER. TERRY STATED HE DID NOT KNOW WHEN PART WILL BE IN. REAR AXEL RATTLES AND TIRES ARE WORN ON THE INSIDE. FUCILLO STATED THAT THERE IS ANOTHER CAVALIER IN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS. THEY CHANGED DEFECTIVE MUFFLER AND REPLACED BRACKETS. 4/5/2004-TOOK CAR TO BRESEE CHEVROLET. THEY WILL NOT WORK ON IT BECAUSE FUCILLO DID SO MUCH WORK ON IT. BRESEE HAD NO IDEA OF NATIONAL BACK ORDER ON PART. THEY SAID THEY WOULD SHIP THE PART UP TO FUCILLO. SVC MGR STATED THAT THE REAR AXLE IS NOT ALIGNED. THEY SAID THAT WE HAVE A LEMON AND THAT IF THEY HAD SOLD THIS CAR TO US, THEY WOULD HAVE REPLACED IT BY NOW. CALLED FUCILLO BACK & TALKED TO TERRY RIORDAN AND GOT NOWHERE. *JB

MY CAR HAS BEEN DYING AT RED LIGHTS AND WHILE I AM DRIVING IT! IT TAKES SEVERAL TRIES BEFORE THE CAR WILL RESTART. IT IS ONLY 9 MONTHS OLD. MY CAR DEALERSHIP TOLD ME I CAN BRING IT IN BUT THE WILL PROBABLY NOT BE ABLE TO DETECT THE PROBLEM. THEREFORE, THEY WILL PROBABLY NOT BE ABLE TO REPAIR ANYTHING. *AK

THE TIRES SHAKE AND VIBRATE AROUND SIXTY MILES/HR. SO I TOOK THEM TO SAM'S CLUB TO THEIR TIRE CENTER IN DECEMBER OF 2003. THEY ROTATED AND BALANCED THE TIRES. I DROVE THE CAR FOR ONE MONTH, THEN THE TIRES STARTED DOING THE SAME THING OVER AGAIN. ABOUT ONE MONTH LATER, I WENT BACK TO SAM'S CLUB AND THEY BALANCED MY TIRES AGAIN. SO HERE IT IS MARCH OF 2004, THE TIRES ARE DOING THE SAME THING AGAIN SHAKING AND VIBRATING AROUND SIXTY MILES/HR. I CALLED GOODYEAR , THEY TOLD ME TO BRING THE CAR IN. THEY LOOKED AT THE TIRES, AND SAID THAT THE REAR TIRES WERE WORN ON THE INSIDE, AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET THE TIRES FIXED. THEY COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE SPECIFIC ORIGIN OF THE VIBRATION. BASICALLY, FOR A BRAND NEW CAR, WE SHOULD NOT HAVE THESE KIND OF PROBLEMS AT 24,000 MILES (AS STATED BY MECHANICS FROM GOODYEAR, SAM'S CLUB AND FIRESTONE). 5. CRUISE CONTROL SWITCH- IF RIGHT TURN SIGNAL IS USED WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS ACTIVATED, THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL AUTOMATICALLY DEACTIVATE ITSELF. 6. POWER FAILURE- CAR ALL OF A SUDDEN LOST POWER WHILE AT A STOPLIGHT. 7. A/C & HEATER- A/C AND HEATER MAKE LOUD NOISE. 8. REAR TURN SIGNAL LIGHT BULBS BURNED OUT 4 TIMES ON EACH SIDE. GM REPLACEMENT BULBS LAST ONLY 1 TO 1 1/2 MONTH. *NM

WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS AND DASH LIGHTS DIM TO A SOFTER SHADE OF LIGHT. I HAVE ALSO CHANGED THE REAR SINGLE LIGHTS IN MY CAR THREE TIMES IN THE PAST 6 MONTHS. THIS CAR HAS A BAD BRAKE PROBLEM. THE FRONT OF THE CAR SHAKES VERY BAD WHEN YOU APPLY THE BRAKES WHILE EXITING A HIGHWAY. CITY DRIVING IS NOT AS BAD, BUT WHEN THE BRAKES GET WARMED UP THEY PULSATE WHEN I COME TO A STOP. AT THE END OF THE DAY, I PULL MY CAR INTO MY DRIVEWAY AND THE FIRST THING I SMELL WHEN I GET OUT IS A BURNING SMELL FROM THE BACK BRAKES. I CALLED THE FUCILLO CHEVY SERVICE DEPARTMENT IN DECEMBER 2003. I TALKED TO A SERVICEMAN ABOUT MY BRAKE PROBLEM. HE TOLD ME THAT MY PULSATING BRAKES IS THE ABS SYSTEM WORKING IN THE SNOW. NOW THE ROADS ARE DRY AND MY BRAKES ARE STILL PULSATING. I COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING IN MY ORIGINAL PAPERWORK ON MY CAR SHOWING THAT IT HAS THE ABS SYSTEM. NOW MY BRAKES ARE SHOT. THE CAR HAD ONLY 6500 HUNDRED MILES ON IT WHEN I FIRST CALLED IN DECEMBER OF 2003. IN JUNE OF 2003, I BOUGHT THIS CAR AND TEST DROVE IT. THE CAR SEEMED TO BE A GOOD CAR, EXCEPT FOR THE NOISE THAT I HEARD COMING FROM THE FRONT LEFT TIRE AREA. IT SOUNDED LIKE A RUBBER BAND WHEN IT SNAPS. I BROUGHT IT UP TO MY SALESMEN ROCKY FROM THE CHEVY DEPARTMENT. HE TOLD ME THAT IT'S A NEW CAR. NOW WHEN THE FRONT TIRES ARE TURNED TO THE RIGHT, IT MAKES A CRUNCHING NOISE. WHEN I DRIVE OVER ANY BUMP AT ANY SPEED, IT FEELS LIKE THERE ARE NO SHOCKS OR STRUTS ON THIS CAR AND MAKES A BAD CLUNKING SOUND. *NM