IllustrationWE WERE TOLD THE CAR WAS INSPECTED BEFORE WE BOUGHT IT! HEAD LIGHT OUT OF ADJUSTMENT BRAKE AND TAIL LIGHTS NOT WORKING ENGINE STARED RUNNING ROUGH FEW HOURS AFTER WE DROVE OFF A CD WAS FOUND STUCK IN THE PLAYER DOOR NEEDED ALIGNMENT PARKING BRAKES NOT WORKING RIGHT. *NM
2002 Chevrolet Cavalier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2002 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
280–25K
1625–50K
3150–75K
1275–100K
9100–150K
6150K+
102 reports with mileage · 94 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 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 22 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
24 crash reports4 fire reports19 injury reports
Parking Brake complaints
2 reportsDT:THE CONTACT COMPLAINED ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT PROBLEMS. THE REAR SEAT BELT WERE NOT RETRACTING. A PIECE OF PLASTIC BROKEN ON THE SEAT BELTS. THE SEAT BELTS WERE INOPERABLE. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND THE SEAT BELTS COULD BE REPAIRED AT CONTACT'S EXPENSE. , THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. ALSO , THE EM…
Read full complaint
DT:THE CONTACT COMPLAINED ABOUT TWO DIFFERENT PROBLEMS. THE REAR SEAT BELT WERE NOT RETRACTING. A PIECE OF PLASTIC BROKEN ON THE SEAT BELTS. THE SEAT BELTS WERE INOPERABLE. THE DEALERSHIP HAS BEEN CONTACTED AND THE SEAT BELTS COULD BE REPAIRED AT CONTACT'S EXPENSE. , THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN CONTACTED. ALSO , THE EMERGENCY BRAKE HAD TO BE REPAIRED. THE DEALERSHIP ADJUSTED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE CABLE. HOWEVER, WHEN THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS USED IT WOULD NOT HOLD THE VEHICLE. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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.