IllustrationBRAKE LINES ARE CORRODED WAY TOO EARLY. BEGAN LEAKING. I'M TRYING TO REPLACE THEM MYSELF, BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE 1500-2000 DOLLARS FOR PARTS AND LABOR. LUCKILY THE BRAKES PEDALS WENT TO THE FLOOR IN THE DRIVEWAY WHEN I FOUND THE LEAKS. *TR
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
Service Brakes complaints
3 reportsDRIVER WAS HEADING SOUTH ON I684, ON THE EXIT RAMP TO 287 WEST, IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. VEHICLE SUDDENLY APPEARED TO SHUT OFF, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER AND BRAKE. DRIVER RAN OFF THE ROAD AND WENT NOSE FIRST INTO A DITCH, DAMAGING THE FRAME, RADIATOR, AIRCO AND NOSE OF VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED AS A RESULT. *TR
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND A DRIVER TRAVELING WELL UNDER THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT CUT IN FRONT OF ME. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES AND THE CAR STARTED SLIDING AND WHEN I ATTEMPTED TURN THE WHEEL TO AVOID COLLISION, THE WHEEL WAS LOCKED AND WOULD NOT TURN CAUSING ME TO HIT THE CAR SQUARE IN THE REAR. UPON IMPACT, BOTH AIRBAGS DEPL…
Read full complaint
I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND A DRIVER TRAVELING WELL UNDER THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT CUT IN FRONT OF ME. I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES AND THE CAR STARTED SLIDING AND WHEN I ATTEMPTED TURN THE WHEEL TO AVOID COLLISION, THE WHEEL WAS LOCKED AND WOULD NOT TURN CAUSING ME TO HIT THE CAR SQUARE IN THE REAR. UPON IMPACT, BOTH AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. AIRBAGS NEVER TOUCHED ME, BUT THE DRIVER'S SIDE COVER SHATTERED THE WINDSHIELD AND THE PASSENGER SIDE COVER SHATTERED THE PASSENGER WINDOW. *JS
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.