IllustrationAFTER AN ACCIDENT, MY RIGHT REAR DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE. OCCASIONALLY, YOU CANNOT START IT ON THE FIRST TRY. THE BRAKES LOCK AND THE TIRES DO NOT TREAD ALTHOUGH THEY ARE BOTH UNDER 6 MONTHS OLD.*AK
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
30–25K
1625–50K
1650–75K
1375–100K
7100–150K
10150K+
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.
27 crash reports2 fire reports15 injury reports
What owners actually said
240 reportsVEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING ONGOING BRAKE PROBLEMS, FRONT ROTORS HAVE WARPED SEVERAL TIMES AND HAVE BEEN REPLACED, BRAKE PADS AND THE CALIPER MOUNTING SLEEVES HAVE ALSO BEEN REPLACED, THE BRAKE LIGHT AND ABS LIGHT WERE ILLUMINATED AT THE SAME TIME, DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS DUE TO A FAULTY EBCM COMPUTER MODULE WHICH HAD BEEN BAD F…
Read full complaint
VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING ONGOING BRAKE PROBLEMS, FRONT ROTORS HAVE WARPED SEVERAL TIMES AND HAVE BEEN REPLACED, BRAKE PADS AND THE CALIPER MOUNTING SLEEVES HAVE ALSO BEEN REPLACED, THE BRAKE LIGHT AND ABS LIGHT WERE ILLUMINATED AT THE SAME TIME, DEALER STATED THAT THIS WAS DUE TO A FAULTY EBCM COMPUTER MODULE WHICH HAD BEEN BAD FOR A WHILE, BRAKE PROBLEMS STILL EXISTS. DRIVER'S SIDE AXLE SEAL LEAKED. CONSUMER STATED THAT THE FRONT END SEEMED LOOSE WHILE DRIVING, DEALER FOUND NO PROBLEMS WITH THE STEERING LINKAGES. THE BLOWER CONTROL SWITCH WAS REPLACED DUE TO BLOWER INOPERABLE ON HIGH. *SLC
CAR WAS PURCHASED AS A DEMO VEHICLE FROM THE DEALER BUT IS STILL COVERED UNDER THE MANUFACTUERER'S ORIGINAL EXPRESSED WARRANTY. FIRST FAILURE RESULTED IN CAR STALLING AND TOWED AND BATTERY REPLACEMENT BY OWNER (6/00). BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND CAR TAKEN TO ORIGINAL DEALER (CASA CHEVROLET) ON 8/11/00, DEALER COULD NOT DUPLIC…
Read full complaint
CAR WAS PURCHASED AS A DEMO VEHICLE FROM THE DEALER BUT IS STILL COVERED UNDER THE MANUFACTUERER'S ORIGINAL EXPRESSED WARRANTY. FIRST FAILURE RESULTED IN CAR STALLING AND TOWED AND BATTERY REPLACEMENT BY OWNER (6/00). BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND CAR TAKEN TO ORIGINAL DEALER (CASA CHEVROLET) ON 8/11/00, DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. CAR THEN TAKEN TO SECOND GM DEALERSHIP (GALLES CHEVROLET) ON 8/21/00, ALTERNATOR FAILED TEST AND REPLACED. BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN AND CAR STALLED AND TOWED TO GALLES CHEVROLET ON 9/22/00, FUSE LINK AT STARTER REPLACED. BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND CAR STALLED AND TOWED TO GALLES CHEVROLET ON 10/04/00, ALTERNATOR FAILED TEST AND REPLACED. BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND CAR WAS DRIVEN TO GALLES CHEVROLET ON 10/10/00, PCM REPLACED. IN ALL INSTANCES THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. BATTERY LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON 10/17/00 BUT IS INTERMITTENT AND CAR HAS NOT STALLED TO DATE. LETTER SENT TO MANUFACTUER REQUESTING REPURCHASE OF VEHICLE UNDER LEMON LAWS FOR FAILURE/INABILITY TO REPAIR THE SAME DEFECT WHILE UNDER WARRANTY.*AK
WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 35MPH ON A SIDE STREET AND A DEER RAN IN FRONT OF VEHICLE, AND ROLLED UP ONTO THE VEHICLE, AND ROLLED BY DOWN TO THE GROUND. SENSOR WENT OFF AND MODULE LIGHT CAME ON. BUT, AIRBAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY, AND VEHICLE'S FRONT WAS SMASHED IN. CONSUMER STATED THAT THAT DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM.*AK
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED TO WORK. PROBLEM WAS CAUSING THE LIGHTS INSIDE & OUTSIDE NOT TO COME ON. HAD THE FUSES REPLACED FOR ALL ELELCTRICAL COMPONENTS. ALSO HAD THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS CHECKED & MECHANIC INDICATED NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND. BEEN BACK TO DEALER TWICE ABOUT ELECTRICAL CLUSTER PROBLEM.*AK THE CUSTOMER STATES THAT TH…
Read full complaint
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILED TO WORK. PROBLEM WAS CAUSING THE LIGHTS INSIDE & OUTSIDE NOT TO COME ON. HAD THE FUSES REPLACED FOR ALL ELELCTRICAL COMPONENTS. ALSO HAD THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS CHECKED & MECHANIC INDICATED NO PROBLEM WAS FOUND. BEEN BACK TO DEALER TWICE ABOUT ELECTRICAL CLUSTER PROBLEM.*AK THE CUSTOMER STATES THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SHOP FIVE TIMES FOR ELECTRICAL, INSTRUMTNT CLUSTER, BRAKE LIGHTS AND BACK UP LIGHTS. *YH
CATALYTIC CONVERTER DEFECTIVE. *SLC
POSSIBLE ELECTRICAL FAILURE, ETS LIGHT, SAFETY BELT LIGHT, AND AIRBAG LIGHT FLASH ON AND OFF. *SLC
VEHICLE STALLS WHILE COMING TO A STOP OR MAKING A TURN INTERMITTENTLY FOR PAST 6 MONTHS. (8 TIMES IN ONE DAY) CHEVY DEALER HAS MADE REPAIRS. PROBLEM STILL EXISTS
ONE OR MORE FRONT ROTORS WARPED--DEALER CONTACTED, BUT CLAIMS WARPED ROTOR (EVEN AT 30K MILES) IS CONSIDERED "NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR" UNDER GM WARRANTY, AND THUS NOT COVERED.
HIT BRAKES, AIRBAG DEPLOYED, CAUSING ACCIDENT, GM WAS CONTACTED, UPON THEIR INVESTIGATION, NO FAULT, LACK OF EVIDENTS, EVIDENTS WAS DESTROYED AT DEPLOYMENT OF AIRBAG
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.