I HAVE TO BUY NEW TIRES EVERY 2 WEEK AND FOR SOME REASON NO ONE CAN TELL ME WHATS WRONG WITH MY CAR
1994 Chevrolet Cavalier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1994 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: 13 of 212 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 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 56 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Service Brakes, Air complaints
4 reportsTHIS PROBLEM OF THE ABS SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONING STARTED A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO. I HAVE ALREADY SPENT WELL OVER 800 DOLLARS ON BRAKE WORK AT SEVERAL DIFFERENT BRAKE SHOPS. NOBODY KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS UNTIL I TOOK IT TO THE LAST PLACE. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS 1300 DOLLAR PROBLEM. I NEED TO REPLACE THE ABS BOX. WHILE DRIVING…
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THIS PROBLEM OF THE ABS SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONING STARTED A LITTLE OVER A YEAR AGO. I HAVE ALREADY SPENT WELL OVER 800 DOLLARS ON BRAKE WORK AT SEVERAL DIFFERENT BRAKE SHOPS. NOBODY KNEW WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS UNTIL I TOOK IT TO THE LAST PLACE. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS 1300 DOLLAR PROBLEM. I NEED TO REPLACE THE ABS BOX. WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY ONE DAY IN PERFECTLY CLEAR WEATHER I WAS TO FORCE TO HIT MY BRAKES AND ENDED UP SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL AND ALMOST BEING STRUCK BY NUMEROUS CARS UNTIL I FINALLY COME TO A STOP FACING TRAFFIC. THIS HAPPENED WHILE MY 15 MONTH OLD SON WAS IN THE CAR WITH ME. I HAVE READ IN NUMEROUS DIFFERENT WEB SITES ALL THE COMPLAINTS OF THE ABS SYSTEM FAILING ON 94 CAVALIERS. I THINK IF ANYTHING IS DECIDED TO BE RECALLED THIS IS DEFINITELY ONE OF THEM. NOT EVERYONE HAS THE MONEY TO JUST THROW AWAY ON HAVING THE PROBLEM FIXED. TS
ABS FAILS EVERY TIME ACTIVATED, SYSTEM CYCLES SLOWLY, WITH UNCONTROLLABLE LOCK AND RELEASE OF WHEELS. THIS HAS OCCURED ON A FEW OCCASIONS. 1 OCCASION RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. ENGINE/VEHICLE VIBRATES HEAVILY WHEN IDLING IN GEAR. HAS DONE SO SINCE PURCHASE, BUT HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. HORN PAD HAS DISLOGED AND FALLEN …
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ABS FAILS EVERY TIME ACTIVATED, SYSTEM CYCLES SLOWLY, WITH UNCONTROLLABLE LOCK AND RELEASE OF WHEELS. THIS HAS OCCURED ON A FEW OCCASIONS. 1 OCCASION RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. ENGINE/VEHICLE VIBRATES HEAVILY WHEN IDLING IN GEAR. HAS DONE SO SINCE PURCHASE, BUT HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. HORN PAD HAS DISLOGED AND FALLEN BETWEEN STEERING WHEEL SPOKES ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, NEARLY RESULTING IN ACCIDENTS. DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT LATCH DOES NOT RETAIN SEATBACK FROM TRAVELLING FORWARD. IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY. SAFETY ISSUE. AIR CONDITIONER FAILED AFTER ABOUT 9 MONTHS, WITH NO PRIOR USE. AFTER REPAIR, IT FAILED AGAIN WITHIN 3 MONTHS.
STRANGE NOISE, REPLACE ROTORS/PAD TWICE WITHIN 7 MONTHS.
Official recalls
194V115000 · Steering:linkages:knuckle:spindle:arm
Jun 24, 1994
THESE VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH OVERTORQUED DRIVE AXLE SPINDLE NUTS. THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE EXCESSIVE LOADS ON THE SPINDLE NUT AND DRIVE AXLE RESULTING IN FAILURE OF THE DRIVE AXLE OR THE SPINDLE NUT. FAILURE OF EITHER OF THESE COMPONENTS CAN RESULT IN SEPARATION OF THE STEERING KNUCKLE TIRE-WHEEL ASSEMBLY FROM THE DRIVE AXLE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CAN RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT-HAND AND RIGHT-HAND DRIVE AXLES, BEARING-HUB ASSEMBLIES, SPINDLE NUTS, AND WASHERS ON ALL INVOLVED VEHICLES. CORRECTIVE ACTION: DEALERS WILL REPLACE LEFT-HAND AND RIGHT-HAND DRIVE AXLES, BEARING-HUB ASSEMBLIES, SPINDLE NUTS, AND WASHERS ON ALL INVOLVED VEHICLES.
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
2EA94033 · Horn Pad Falls Off
Opened Sep 29, 1994 · Closed Mar 29, 1996
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Electrical System:horn
THIS INVESTIGATION IS CLOSED.GM WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT CAMPAIGN TO ADDRESS THE CONCERNS RAISED BY THE DETACHMENT OF THE HORN PAD FROM THE STEERING WHEEL IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES.FOR A TECHNICAL ANALYSIS OF THE PROBLEM SEE EA94-033 ENGINEERING TECHNICAL REPORT.
PE94042 · Horn Button Falling Off
Opened May 23, 1994 · Closed Sep 29, 1994
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Exterior Lighting
There is no summary currently available
Illustration