2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER Complaints

MY HUSBAND AND I WENT LOOKING FOR A CAR AT THIS DEALERSHIP ON OCT. 31, 2010. WE FOUND THIS CHEVROLET CAVALIER (2003). WHEN WE BOUGHT THE CAR IT HAD NO INFORMATION ON IT; SO I CHECKED ON CARFAX AND FOUND THAT IT HAD COUPLE OF RECALLS ON IT; BUT NOTHING ABOUT THE FUEL PUMP. SO NOW THE CAR GO'S OUT WON'T START. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ABOUT THIS. WE ARE ON A FIXED INCOME AND CAN'T AFFORD THIS RIGHT NOW. THERE WAS A RECALLED THE CARS FROM 1998 TO 2002 AND FIXED THE PROBLEM. WE WILL HAVE TO HAVE IT FIXED OR GET RID OF IT OR TRADE IT IN. *TR

I HAD LEFT MY MOTHERS AND DROVE APPROXIMATELY 35 MILES AND STARTED SLOWING TO MAKE A TURN INTO OUR LOCAL GROCERY STORE WHEN MY 2003 CAVALIER STALLED AND WOULD NOT RESTART BACK. UPON CHECKING I DISCOVERED THERE WAS NO FUEL TO THE FUEL RAIL.I HAD JUST OVER 1/2 TANK OF FUEL IN THE TANK. I HAD ANOTHER TURN KEY AND THERE WAS NO WHIRRING TO INDICATE FUEL PUMP WAS OPERATING. I CALLED TOW SERVICE AND TOWED IT HOME. I DROPPED THE TANK AND REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AND PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED. ANOTHER SYMPTOM NOT LISTED IN THE COMPLAINTS WHEN MY PUMP FAILED ALL THE GAUGES ON THE DASHBOARD WOULD REGISTER (FUEL GAUGE AND TEMP GAUGE) THEN WOULD DROP TO 0 AND WOULD FLICKER CONTINUOUSLY WHEN KEY WAS TURNED TO THE ON POSITION. UPON PURCHASING NEW PUMP ASSEMBLY THAT THE WIRING HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED AS WELL. YOU CAN NOT PURCHASE A NEW HARNESS TO RESOLVE ISSUE HAD TO CUT THE FUEL PUMP LEADS OFF OF PUMP WIRING HARNESS AND PURCHASE A NEW CONNECTOR AND SPLICE THEM TOGETHER. I FEEL THERE MAYBE MORE CUSTOMERS WITH THESE VEHICLES THAT HAD SERVICE DONE IN A LOCAL SHOP THAT WAS NOT REPORTED TO NHTSA OR TO GM. AS THIS REPAIR WAS VERY EXPENSIVE AT THE TIME AND MANY WOULD SEEK REPAIRS FOR LOWER RATES THEN OFFERED BY A DEALERSHIP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING MPH AND ABOVE, THE SPEEDOMETER AND TEMPERATURE GAUGES WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. IN ADDITION, THE FUEL GAUGE WAS PROVIDING INACCURATE FUEL LEVEL READINGS. THE VEHICLE WAS NEITHER INSPECTED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED NO ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 63,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. THE CONTACT WAS DRIVING 30 MPH WHEN THE DEFROSTER WAS ENGAGED AND THE CONTACT BEGAN TO SEE BLACK SMOKE COMING THE VENTS. THE CONTACT MERGED ONTO THE SIDE SHOULDER AND SECONDS LATER, THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE FROM THE VENTILATION SYSTEM. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. UPDATED 9/27/11 *CN UPDATED 3/29/12 *CN

2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER GIVING OFF FUMES FIRST TIME I FILLED IT TO THE TOP WITH GASOLINE. THAT EVENTUALLY SET OFF A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON THE DASH. I USED MY OBD2 SCANNER AND IT WAS A CODE FOR A HIGH EVAP LEAK. IT WAS TOO DIFFICULT TO FIND THE LEAK AT MY HOME, SO I HAD THE DEALERSHIP DO A SMOKE TEST AND REVEALED A CRACK AT THE SEAMS OF THE GAS TANK. DEALERSHIP SAID NO RECALL FOR THAT MAKE AND MODEL. ESTIMATE FOR REPLACEMENT AND LABOR WAS $1,000. I FOUND A SALVAGE YARD GAS TANK FROM A LOW MILEAGE OLDSMOBILE ALERO AND THE LOCAL REPAIR SHOP REPLACED IT. MECHANIC MENTIONED IT IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE TO FIND A CRACK AT THE SEAMS OF A NEWER GM SMALL CAR WITH A PLASTIC GAS TANK. I RESET THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CODE MYSELF AND THE PROBLEM NEVER REAPPEARED. *KB

FUEL PUMP FAILURE AT 80,340 MILES. PUMP FAILED IN THE DRIVEWAY. REPAIR COST: $695 + TOWING. *TR

SPEEDOMETER STICKING AT 80 TO 160 MPH, EVEN THOUGH THE CAR HAS NEVER EVER BEEN DRIVEN AT THOSE SPEEDS, SPEEDOMETER REGISTARS ANWHERE FROM 10MPH TO OVER THE LIMIT OF THE SPEEDOMETER (180MPH) WHEN THE CAR IS SHUT OFF OR STOPPED. THIS STARTED AT 25,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE STARTED REGISTERING OVER THE RED (AND HAS ACTUALLY TOUCHED THE SPEEDOMETER GAUGE NEEDLE) APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR LATER STARTED AT 32,000 MILES. AT 39,000 THE GAS GAUGE STARTED DOING THE SAME THING. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING WITH A PORTABLE GARMIN NUVI GPS SINCE 2008, JUST TO USE THE ESTIMATED SPEED IN THE HOPES I WILL NOT GET A SPEEDING TICKET. THE FIRST TIME I LOOKED DOWN AND SAW MY SPEEDOMETER AT 85 MPH, I INSTINCTIVELY SLAMMED ON THE BRAKES, AND WAS EXTREMELY LUCKY NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME. I WAS ONLY GOING 50 MPH AT THE TIME THIS HAPPENED. I NOW HAVE A TEEN DRIVER, AND I CANNOT ALLOW HER TO DRIVE THIS CAR BECAUSE SHE IS NOT EXPERIENCED ENOUGH TO ESTIMATE HER SPEEDS. I WILL NEVER KNOW IF MY CAR TRULELY OVERHEATS BECAUSE IT OVERHEATS ON THE GAUGE 3-5 TIMES A WEEK. I HAVE TO FILL MY GAS BASED ON WHEN I FILLED IT LAST & HOW MANY MILES I HAVE DRIVEN SINCE AS I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH GAS I HAVE. THIS CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION, THAT CAN LEAD TO DEATH AND INJURY, AS A TOLD YOU MY EXPERIENCE WITH INSTINCTIVELY SLAMMING ON THE BRAKES, AND I WOULD HATE TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS IF I RUN OUT OF GAS UNKNOWINGLY IN THE 3RD LANE OF AN EXPRESSWAY. I ALSO OWN A 2002 CHEVY CAVALIER WHOSE GAS GAUGE REGISTARS 1/4 OF A TANK WHEN IT IS EMPTY. I SPEND OVER $450 AT A GARAGE TO FIND OUT THAT THE CAR WAS NOT BREAKING DOWN, BUT WAS ACTUALLY RUNNING OUT OF GAS. THE 2003 CHEVY CAVALIER OF COURSE HAS THE MORE DANGEROUS PROBLEM WITH THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER A MESS. UNFORTUNATELY, THE VECICLE WAS NOT STILL UNDER WARRANTY WITH THE LOW MILEAGE, AS IT HAD BEEN OVER 3 YEARS. WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE CARS? LETS HOPE I'M NOT DRIVING IN FRONT OF YOUR MOTHER OR DAUGHTER TOMORROW. *TT

ALL GAUGES WORK ERRATICALLY OR NOT AT ALL. LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE HAVING SIMILAR PROBLEM. READ THERE STORIES HERE: HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/CHEVROLET/CAVALIER/2005/ELECTRICAL/GAUGES_HAVE_GONE_HAYWIRE.SHTML. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. THE CONTACT STATED THE LOWER BRAKE LIGHT DOES NOT WORK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THEY PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED THE FAILURE UNDER NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 04V524000; EXTERIOR LIGHTING, TURN SIGNAL. ALTHOUGH THE FAILURE OCCURRED AGAIN HE HAD TO PAY FOR THE NEW REPAIRS SINCE THEY WERE NOT COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 168,000.

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2003 CHEVY CAVALIER AND I HAVE 2 COMPLAINTS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLS AS THERE ARE MANY WITH THE SAME 2 PROBLEMS, FIRST EVERY GAUGE IN MY CAR QUIT WORKING NO RPM, NO GAS GUAGE AND NO SPEEDOMETER. SECOND EVER SINCE I BOUGHT MY CAR FOR NO REASON AT ALL IT WOULD JUST STALL AT REDLIGHTS WHEN I WOULD TAKE OFF, DEALER SAID NO PROBLEM, I HAVE NEARLY WRECKED MANY TIMES BECAUSE OF THIS, THE LATEST WAS TODAY I HAVE READ MANY FORUMS THAT SAY THEY FOUND OUT IT WAS THE FAULTY PLASTIC FUEL PUMP, WHY NO RECALL THIS IS GOING TO GET SOMEONE KILLED. *KB