IllustrationI HAVE A 2004 CHEVROLET CAVALIER AND THE SPEEDOMETER FAILED ON ME. I REPLACE THE SPEED SENSOR BUT PROBLEM IS NOT RESOLVED. I FEAR THIS COULD BE A DANGEROUS SITUATION ON THE ROAD AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR
2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Cavalier years
Owner complaints for the 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier are substantially higher than 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
430–25K
7225–50K
6150–75K
3475–100K
36100–150K
18150K+
264 reports with mileage · 66 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 185 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. 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.
17 crash reports6 fire reports15 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
185 reports2004 CAVALIER GAUGES GO CRAZY. 110MPH IN THE DRIVEWAY, TACHOMETER SAYS 9000 RPM WHEN I AM IDLING. GAS GAUGE IS NO LONGER RELIABLE.. PARTICULARLY A PROBLEM IN COLD AND DAMP WEATHER, HOT WEATHER AND ON OPEN HIGHWAY. I NEVER KNOW HOW FAST I AM DRIVING, WHETHER I WILL RUN OUT OF GAS, OR IF THE ENGINE RPM'S ARE SO HIGH THE MO…
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2004 CAVALIER GAUGES GO CRAZY. 110MPH IN THE DRIVEWAY, TACHOMETER SAYS 9000 RPM WHEN I AM IDLING. GAS GAUGE IS NO LONGER RELIABLE.. PARTICULARLY A PROBLEM IN COLD AND DAMP WEATHER, HOT WEATHER AND ON OPEN HIGHWAY. I NEVER KNOW HOW FAST I AM DRIVING, WHETHER I WILL RUN OUT OF GAS, OR IF THE ENGINE RPM'S ARE SO HIGH THE MOTOR WILL EXPLODE.. 31,000 MILES ON THE CAR SO IT IS LOW MILEAGE. *TR
DEFECTIVE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL. SPEEDOMETER DOESN'T READ THE PROPER SPEED LIMIT AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WILL NOT "RESET" (?) IT JUST KEEPS GOING CLOCKWISE AROUND THE DIAL. *TR
THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER ON MY 2004 CHEVROLET CAVALIER HAS FAILED TO OPERATE PROPERLY. *TR
SPEEDOMETER AND GAS GAUGE AND RPM GAUGE NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR PROBABLY 3 YEARS. STARTED HERE AND THERE AND NOW, MY SPEEDOMETER IT NEVER WORKING. EACH DAY IS DIFFERENT. SOMETIMES IT WILL START ON 35 MPH AND I CAN EASILY CALCULATE MY SPEED FOR ABOUT A HALF HOUR UNTIL IT GETS STUCK. OTHER DAYS IT WON'T …
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SPEEDOMETER AND GAS GAUGE AND RPM GAUGE NOT WORKING CORRECTLY. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR PROBABLY 3 YEARS. STARTED HERE AND THERE AND NOW, MY SPEEDOMETER IT NEVER WORKING. EACH DAY IS DIFFERENT. SOMETIMES IT WILL START ON 35 MPH AND I CAN EASILY CALCULATE MY SPEED FOR ABOUT A HALF HOUR UNTIL IT GETS STUCK. OTHER DAYS IT WON'T MOVE AT ALL. I NEVER KNOW HOW FAST I AM GOING. ALSO, GAS GAUGE DOESN'T WORK, THANK GOD MY GAS LIGHT DOES. ONE TIME FIRESTONE TRIED TO FIX IT, AND IT WORKED FOR ABOUT 3 DAYS, THE IT WAS MESSED UP AGAIN. IT USED TO ONLY HAPPEN IN EXTREME HOT OR COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS, BUT NOW IT HAPPENS DAILY. *TR
CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE WIRING IN THE FLOOR LEFT OF THE BRAKE PEDAL. DRIVER AND PASSENGER ESCAPED THE VEHICLE WITH JUST MINOR INJURIES. A PASSER BY CUT THE BATTERY CABLE AND THE FIRE/SMOKE STOPPED. *TR
I HAVE A 2004 CHEVY CAVALIER AND RECENTLY THE SPEEDOMETER HAS JUST STOPPED WORKING. SOMETIMES IT DECIDES TO WORK DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS, BUT MOST LIKELY IT IS ON 80MPH WHEN IM DOING 20MPH OR IT JUST SITS AT THE BOTTOM ALL TOGETHER. I WAS ABOUT TO HAVE A MECHANIC FIX MY CAR AND I DID SOME ONLINE RESEARCH. I FOUND A WEBSITE WIT…
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I HAVE A 2004 CHEVY CAVALIER AND RECENTLY THE SPEEDOMETER HAS JUST STOPPED WORKING. SOMETIMES IT DECIDES TO WORK DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS, BUT MOST LIKELY IT IS ON 80MPH WHEN IM DOING 20MPH OR IT JUST SITS AT THE BOTTOM ALL TOGETHER. I WAS ABOUT TO HAVE A MECHANIC FIX MY CAR AND I DID SOME ONLINE RESEARCH. I FOUND A WEBSITE WITH 33 ADDITIONAL COMPLAINTS WITH THE SAME ISSUE WITH A 2004 CHEVY CAVALIER(HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/CHEVROLET/CAVALIER/2004/ACCESSORIES-INTERIOR/SPEEDOMETER_STOPPED_WORKING.SHTML). THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD TO DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS AND GM NEEDS TO RECALL THIS AND CORRECT THE PROBLEM IMMEDIATELY, IT IS UNACCEPTABLE. *TR
I HAVE A 2004 CAVALIER AND ALL THE GAUGES HAVE STOPPED WORKING. ONCE IN A WHILE THE RPM GAUGE WORKS. I INVESTIGATED AND HAVE FOUND VARIOUS WEBSITES WITH LOTS OF OTHER PEOPLE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM. THE COST OF REPAIR IS 500+ DOLLARS WITH NO SIMPLE DO IT YOURSELF FIX AVAILABLE. *TR
ALL THE DIALS IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL GO HAYWIRE. I HAVE TRIED DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY BUT IT STILL HAPPENS. DON'T KNOW HOW FAST I AM GOING WHO HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE CAR. OR EVEN IF THE TEMP IS OKAY. *TR
MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE OVEREXTENDED CLOCKWISE PAST THE MAXIMUM TEMP THRESH HOLD UNTIL THE NEEDLE WAS POINTING DIRECTLY RIGHT (TOWARD PSGR). THE TIP OF THE NEEDLE, BEING STUCK IN THAT POSITION, PHYSICALLY BLOCKED THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE FROM GOING ANY HIGHER THAN 10 MPH. EVENTUALLY THE SPEEDOMETER JUST FAILED, THE TEMPERATURE GA…
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MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE OVEREXTENDED CLOCKWISE PAST THE MAXIMUM TEMP THRESH HOLD UNTIL THE NEEDLE WAS POINTING DIRECTLY RIGHT (TOWARD PSGR). THE TIP OF THE NEEDLE, BEING STUCK IN THAT POSITION, PHYSICALLY BLOCKED THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE FROM GOING ANY HIGHER THAN 10 MPH. EVENTUALLY THE SPEEDOMETER JUST FAILED, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE STILL CONTINUED TO NOT WORK, AND APPROXIMATELY 1 MONTH AFTER THAT THE GAS GAUGE FAILED AS WELL (THAT NEEDLE IS ALL OVER THE PLACE). THE ONLY GAUGE IN THE CLUSTER THAT IS WORKING IS THE TACHOMETER. THIS SEEMS TO BE A POPULAR DEFECT FOR THIS CAR, AS I HAVE READ MANY OTHERS-SAME PROBLEM. MY CAR IS A 2004 CHEVROLET CAVALIER AND HAS LESS THAN 25,000 MILES AND HAS BEEN TAKEN EXCELLENT CARE OF AND NOW I'M AFRAID TO DRIVE IT OUT OF TOWN. THIS PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE A RECALL FROM GM. VERY UNHAPPY. *TR
Official recalls
104V300000 · Seat Belts:rear/other
Jun 23, 2004
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 210, 'SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES.' THE PASSENGER-SIDE REAR SAFETY BELT MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED WITH AN INCORRECT NUT AND BOLT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN A SEVERE CRASH, THE UPPER SEAT BELT ANCHORAGE MAY SEPARATE. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SEAT BELT COULD THEN BE REDUCED AND THE OCCUPANT COULD RECEIVE GREATER INJURIES.
Remedy: DEALERS ARE TO INSPECT THE SAFETY BELT ANCHORAGE AND INSTALL A NEW NUT AND BOLT, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 23, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
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.