IllustrationMY GAUGES ON MY 2005 CAVALIER DON'T WORK AT ALL AND WANT TO SEE IF BE FIXED FOR FREE. *TR
2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Cavalier years
Owner complaints for the 2005 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
180–25K
4825–50K
7350–75K
4675–100K
37100–150K
8150K+
230 reports with mileage · 57 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 211 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports0 fire reports5 injury reports
What owners actually said
287 reportsFUEL PUMP. *TR
MY '05 CAVALIER, THE HYDRAULIC CLUTCH HOSE GOT A HOLE IN IT FROM RUBBING ON THE WIRING HARNESS THAT IS NEXT TO IT. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT I WOULD ASSUME BE RE-ROUTED OR BETTER PUT IN AN AREA WHERE THIS WOULD NOT HAPPEN. *TR
2005 CAVALIER SPEEDOMETER STARTED DISPLAYING INCORRECT SPEED AND WILL NOT RESET TO 0. THIS IS A DANGEROUS PROBLEM WHICH REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ATTENTION. RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET REVEALS THIS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AND SHOULD BE RECALLED BY THE MANUFACTURER (THERE IS EVEN AN ONLINE PETITION FOR RECALL). *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. THE SPEEDOMETER BECAME ERRATIC AND THEN FAILED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE FAILURE AND REPAIR WERE HER RESPONSIBILITY. SHE PAID $346.00 FOR THE REPAIR. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 67,900 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000. UPDATED 01/17/08 *BF UPDATED 01/17/08 *TR
SAFETY BELT DRIVER SIDE LOCKS AND CANNOT BE USED. *TR
I OWN A 2005 CHEVY CAVALIER. I HAVE ALSO EXPERIENCED PREMATURE BRAKE AND ROTOR FAILURE. AT 39,000 KM BOTH HAD TO BE REPLACED. THE DEALER SAID THE CAUSE WAS ROAD CONDITIONS ETC,,AND OFFERED NO HELP WHATSOEVER COMPLAINED TO GM SEVERAL TIMES,BUT HAVE NOT GOT ANY SATISFACTION YET! *JB
THE HYDRAULIC LINE/HOSE THAT RUNS BETWEEN THE CLUTCH MASTER CYLINDER AND THE SLAVE CYLINDER (TRANSMISSION) CHAFFED ON THE BRAKE LINES AND MAIN ELECTRICAL PLUG CAUSING CLUTCH FAILURE WHILE DRIVING. *TR
I SAW THAT MY REVERSE TAIL LIGHTS WERE NOT LIGHTING UP WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR MICHAEL AUTOMOTIVE IN FRESNO CA AND THEY TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO PAY THEM $110 TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED EVEN THOUGH MY CAR HAS LESS THEN 30,000 MILES ON IT AND BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW LESS THEN 2 YEARS AG…
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I SAW THAT MY REVERSE TAIL LIGHTS WERE NOT LIGHTING UP WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE I BOUGHT THE CAR MICHAEL AUTOMOTIVE IN FRESNO CA AND THEY TOLD ME I WOULD HAVE TO PAY THEM $110 TO HAVE IT DIAGNOSED EVEN THOUGH MY CAR HAS LESS THEN 30,000 MILES ON IT AND BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW LESS THEN 2 YEARS AGO. DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT WAS IN A MINOR FENDER BENDER. I TOLD THEM IT WAS NOT EVEN REAR-ENDED AND IT COULD NOT BE THE CAUSE OF THE PROBLEM AND THEY INSISTED IT MIGHT BE AND TO PAY THEM. I TOOK IT TO AN INDEPENDENT ELECTRICAL SHOP AND THEY CONCLUDED THAT IT WAS A SWITCH BOARD UNDER THE DASH AND IN NO WAY COULD HAVE BEEN HURT DUE TO A MINOR WRECK. I TOLD THE DEALER THIS AND HE STILL REFUSE TO FIX IT UNDER MY WARRANTY. I HAD THE REPAIR DONE AT AN INDEPENDENT SHOP, AND NOW CHEV. WILL NOT REIMBURSE ME FOR THE WORK, BECAUSE THEY TOLD ME NOT HAVING THOSE LIGHTS "IS NOT A SAFETY CONCERN" I THINK VERY MUCH OTHERWISE AND EVERY LIGHT ON A CAR THAT TELLS OTHER DRIVERS MY INTENTIONS IS VERY IMPORTANT! *TR
2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER LS COUPE, POWER WINDOW FAILURE, SOMETIMES WILL NOT OPERATE, WILL NOT OPEN OR CLOSE . AT THIS TIME, THE RIGHT WINDOW IS OPEN IN THE DOWN POSITION CANNOT CLOSE, ELECTRIC MOTOR WILL NOT OPERATE. *JB
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.