IllustrationWHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD. PROBLEM FIRST OCCURED APPROXIMATELY SIX MONTHS AFTER VEHICLE PURCHASED. DEALER STILL NOT FIND THE CAUSE. HOWEVER, BRAKES HAVE BEEN REPLACED. *AK
1992 Chevrolet Cavalier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1992 Chevrolet Cavalier do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 140.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cavalier years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 5 of 134 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 48 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
15 crash reports8 fire reports9 injury reports
Service Brakes, Hydraulic complaints
48 reportsWHILE TRAVELING 35-40MPH & APPLYING BRAKES TO SLOW DOWN. COULD FEEL ABS KICKING IN, BUT VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP. FINALLY VEHICLE STOPPED AFTER GOING SOME DISTANCE. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER & WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC THE ABS SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE & NEEDED CORRECTING. *AK
WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 55MPH ABS LIGHTS CAME AND STAYED ON. CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND THEY TURNED OFF THE ABS LIGHTS. THEY COULDN'T DETERMINE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. *AK
IN RAINY OR HOT CONDITIONS ABS BRAKING LIGHT COMES ON AND OFF. ALSO WHILE DRIIVING , BRAKES WILL ACTIVATE UNEXPECTEDLY. DLR CANNOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WITH SO MANY COMPLAINTS- WHY WON'T THEY RECALL AND FIX THESE CARS? NO SAFETY DEFEC TMENTIONED IN SUMMARY. *AK
ABS BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE ABS LIGHT TO STAY ON WHILE DRIVING. ALSO, UPON BRAKING VEHICLE JOLTS, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH MAY RESULT IN A CRASH. DEALER REPLACED PARTS, BUT PROBLEM STILL EXISTS. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THEY WILL ACT LIKE THEY ARE SLIPPING, THEN PEDAL WILL GO TO THE FLOOR, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY WILL CATCH AND THE CAR JERKS TO A STOP. HAVE TO CHANGE BRAKE PADS VERY FREQUENTLY. ALSO HAVE HAD THE CALIPERS COMPLETLY BREAK OFF CAR! *AK
CONSUMER IS EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS WITH ANTI-LOCK BRAKES. WHE BRAKES ARE APPLIED THEY CAR FAILS TO STOP. THE CAR SLOWS DOWN BUT CONTINUES TO GLIDE. THE CONSUMER IS UNAWARE OF THE PROBLEM. *AK
THE ABS BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING A GRINDING NOISE/PEDAL GOING TO THE FLOOR, AND EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE DETAILS. *AK
FRONT BRAKE HOSE FAILED, ALSO ABS BRAKES MALFUNCTIONED. *AK
Official recalls
191V166000 · Latches/locks/linkages:hood:latch
Sep 23, 1991
THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH SPRING IS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED OR MISSING, LEADING TO A CONDITION WHERE THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH DOES NOT ENGAGE THE SECONDARY STRIKER.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE SECONDARY HOOD LATCH IS NOT ENGAGED, AND THEPRIMARY HOOD LATCH WAS ALSO NOT ENGAGED, THE HOOD COULD OPEN UNEXPECTEDLY. IFTHIS OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, THE HOOD MAY CONTACT THE WINDSHIELD,REDUCING THE FORWARD VISION AREA OF THE DRIVER AND A VEHICLE CRASH COULD OCCUR.
Remedy: INSPECT HOOD LATCH ASSEMBLIES AND, WHERE NECESSARY, INSTALL A NEW SECONDARY HOOD LATCH SPRING.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.