ENGINE SHAKES WHEN FIRST STARTED N WHEN IDLING, BUT NOT WHEN DRIVING. HOSES N BELTS R NOT IN GOOD SHAPE. NOT SURE ABOUT THE AIR BAGS BUT SEEN ON THIS SITE THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM. I HAVE SEEN THAT THERE ARE OR WHERE, QUIT A FEW RECALLS THAT WERE NOT TAKEN CARE OF. ESPECIALLY SAFETY ONES.
1999 Chevrolet Cavalier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 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
65 reports with mileage · 175 unknown
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.
- Electrical System. Review the 47 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 45 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 44 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Power Train complaints
20 reports1999 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS AND VEHICLE SOMETIMES EMITS WHITE SMOKE THROUGH THE VENTS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION AND RADIATOR NEEDED TO BE SERVICED. ALSO, A SERPENTINE BELT AND FUEL PAN WAS NEEDED.
TWO ISSUES LEFT CONSUMER STRANDED IN 1999 2.2L CHEVROLET CAVALIER CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF INPUT SHAFT/INPUT DRUM ASSEMBLY ON 3T40 TRANSMISSION, LEFT OPERATOR WITHOUT ANY FORWARD OR REVERSE DRIVE GEARS WHILE DRIVE WAS ENGAGED AND ROLLING. MANAGED TO AVOID CRASH. REMEDY WAS REPLACEMENT OF TRANSMISSION WITH REMANUFACTURED TRANS…
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TWO ISSUES LEFT CONSUMER STRANDED IN 1999 2.2L CHEVROLET CAVALIER CATASTROPHIC FAILURE OF INPUT SHAFT/INPUT DRUM ASSEMBLY ON 3T40 TRANSMISSION, LEFT OPERATOR WITHOUT ANY FORWARD OR REVERSE DRIVE GEARS WHILE DRIVE WAS ENGAGED AND ROLLING. MANAGED TO AVOID CRASH. REMEDY WAS REPLACEMENT OF TRANSMISSION WITH REMANUFACTURED TRANSMISSION. INCIPIENT WORSENING OF STARTING TIMES. POOR FACTORY ECM CALIBRATION IN ALL OR MOST 1999 2.2L CAVALIERS CAN LEAVE OPERATOR STRANDED IN WARM STARTING CONDITION. RESULTS IN POOR INITIAL RUNNING AND LARGE AMOUNT OF UNBURNED HYDROARBONS RELEASED TO ATMOSPHERE. A TECHNICAL BROCHURE EXISTS TO REMEDY THE SITUATION, BUT NO RECALL. DEALER WANTS $90 TO REPROGRAM ECM. *JB
WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH VEHICLE SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. TS
WHILE TRAVELING AT 55 MPH THE TRANSMISION BROKE APART, CAUSING RAPID LOSS OF POWER. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED, PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *MR
GAS GAUGE, SPEEDOMETER AND TEMPERATURE LIGHT WILL NOT WORK. AT THE SAME TIME ALL OF THE PANEL LIGHTS WILL COME ON - GAS LIGHT, ENGINE LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, ETC. THEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN EVERYTHING WILL WORK PROPERLY. THIS OCCURS AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, AND HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES. WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR T…
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GAS GAUGE, SPEEDOMETER AND TEMPERATURE LIGHT WILL NOT WORK. AT THE SAME TIME ALL OF THE PANEL LIGHTS WILL COME ON - GAS LIGHT, ENGINE LIGHT, BRAKE LIGHT, ETC. THEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN EVERYTHING WILL WORK PROPERLY. THIS OCCURS AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, AND HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES. WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER FOR THE ODOMETER READING HIEROGLYPHICS BUT NOTHING WAS RESOLVED.
VEHICLE DOES NOT CHANGE INTO GEARS PROPERLY. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURHTER INFORMATION.*AK
FIRST, THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT AT DEALERS, THE SENSOR FAN NOW DOES NOT WORK, THE BATTERY AND RADIATOR ARE NOT FUNCTIONING, THE STEERING IS MALFUNCTIONING, AND THE BRAKES ARE SLIPPING, AND NOW THE TRANSMISSION IS ALSO SLIPPING AGAIN, I REPORTED ALL THIS TO CHEVY AS I WAS NOT GETTING SATIFACTION FROM THE DEALERS IN FLOR…
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FIRST, THE WHOLE TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT AT DEALERS, THE SENSOR FAN NOW DOES NOT WORK, THE BATTERY AND RADIATOR ARE NOT FUNCTIONING, THE STEERING IS MALFUNCTIONING, AND THE BRAKES ARE SLIPPING, AND NOW THE TRANSMISSION IS ALSO SLIPPING AGAIN, I REPORTED ALL THIS TO CHEVY AS I WAS NOT GETTING SATIFACTION FROM THE DEALERS IN FLORIDA AND NOW THE MY VEHICLE IS BROKE DOWN AND WILL NOT RUN IN BRADENTON FLORIDA AT COX CHEVELOT ON CORTEZ ROAD IN FLORIDA, I CALLED AND TALKED TO SEVERAL WOMEN IN THE CUSTOMER SERVICE AT CHEVY AND THEIR NAMES ARE BRANDY MAYS AND LILLANIA LOPEZ, I STILL HAVE NO VEHICLE AND NOW I AM NOT RECEIVING ANY COURTEOUS SERVICE AS I WAS TOLD CHEVY WOULD BUY BACK THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS A LEASE. I HAVE PURCHASED A NEW CHEVY TRUCK AND DUE TO THE RED TAPE AND CHEVY NOW REFUSING TO HELP ASSIST ME WITH THE BUY BACK I AM UNABLE TO KEEP MY NEW TRUCK DUE TO THIS RED TAPE AND ALL THE FORMS AND INFORMATION THAT THE SERVICE DEPT. NOW SAYS I NEED TO HAVE HAD DONE, BUT I WAS NOT INFORMED WHEN I FIRST MADE THE COMPLAINT ON SEPT 7. I CALLED BACK ON SEPT, 28, WHEN I FOUND OUT THAT CHEVY WENT BACK ON THEIR WORD. I AM NOT A CAR DEALER, I DO NOT WORK AT CHEVY AS A SERVICE REPRESENTITIVE, AND I SURE DO NOT KNOW WHAT PAPERS OR FORMS ARE REQUIRED FOR THE MANUFACTURE IN DETROIT MICHIGAN NEEDS TO FILL OUT PAPERWORK. I AM AN UNSATIFIED CONSUMER, AND I FEEL THE RUN AROUND I AM RECEIVING IS A GREAT INJUSTICE. I LOVED MY CAR AND IT IS IMMACULATE INSIDE AND OUT. I ONLY WANT TO KEEP MY NEW CHEVY TRUCK WHICH IS NOT LOOKING AS A POSSIBLE OPTION AS CHEVY IS NOT COOPERATING, THE DEALER MOVED ITS LOT, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENTS IN FLORIDA WILL NOT SERVICE THE VEHICLE, AND IT IS AN ENGINE CENSOR CHIP, THE TRANSMISSION, THE RADIATOR SENSOR FAN AND NOW THE STEERING, I HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE ON HOW TO REPAIR A SENSOR CHIP OR ANY OF THESE THINGS AND SINCE THE CAR IS IN FLORIDA I CANNOT GET IT TO KENTUCKY. NOW GMAC, MY FINANCER ON MY NEW TRUCK WILL NOT FINANCE ME. *AK
FRONT TRANSAXLE WENT OUT AND WAS REPAIRED, AND THEN THE SEAL BEGAN LEAKING, ALSO INNER JOINT IN HALFSHAFT WAS REPLACED.*JB
ODOMETER TRIPS, CLUSTER REPLACED, ENGINE BURNING GASKET REPLACED, ELECTRICAL ELECTRICAL RADIO CASSETTE PLAYS SIDES A/B SIMUTANEOUSLY AND STATION ARE STATICKY, RADIO REPLACED ONCE PROBLEM STILL EXIST BUT CAN NOT BE DUPLICATED, BACK RIGHT PASSENGER DOOR STICK AND TRANSMISSION WILL NOT CHANGE INTO 3RD GEAR.
Official recalls
204V036000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch
Jan 27, 2004
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE ENGINE FAILS TO START AND THE DRIVER HOLDS THE KEY IN THE "START" POSITION FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, HIGH CURRENT FLOWS THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND SOMETIMES PRODUCES ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT INTERNAL SWITCH PARTS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE SWITCH IS DAMAGED, A FIRE COULD OCCUR IN THE STEERING COLUMN, EVEN WITH THE ENGINE OFF AND THE KEY REMOVED. THE FIRE COULD SPREAD TO THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR, WHICH COULD INJURE OCCUPANTS OR CAUSE DAMAGE TO ADJOINING STRUCTURES.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSTALL A RELAY KIT IN THESE VEHICLES TO PREVENT HIGH CURRENT FROM FLOWING THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND CHECK THAT YOUR CAR WILL START WITH A PROPERLY CHARGED BATTERY AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH. OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BEGIN ON MARCH 1, 2004. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537. CUSTOMERS CAN ALSO CHECK THEIR VEHICLE ONLINE BY GOING TO WWW.MYGMLINK.COM AND ENTERING THE VEHICLE'S IDENTIFICATION NUMBER.
99V218000 · Interior Lighting
Aug 11, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES DO NOT COMPLY WITH REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 101, "CONTROL LOCATION, IDENTIFICATION, AND ILLUMINATION." THE INSTRUMENT PANEL BACKLIGHTING MAY NOT FUNCTION AFTER ADJUSTING THE INTERIOR LIGHT INTENSITY.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE INSTRUMENT PANEL IS NOT LIT AT NIGHT, THE DRIVER MAY NOT BE ABLE TO SEE THE CONTROLS AND DISPLAYS.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL TEST THE BODY CONTROL MODULE, AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACE IT.
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.
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