2002 Chevrolet Cavalier problems
Owners have filed 254 complaints with NHTSA about the 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier. Electrical system is the most reported problem area, at 14% of complaints. Next are brakes (12%) and engine (7%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 254 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Electrical system 14% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 35 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 42 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 54,000 miles 135 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 34 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 11 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 31 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 28 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 11 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 9 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 2 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 5 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 135 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 54,000 miles. For electrical system specifically, the median reported mileage is about 64,000 miles (17 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 35 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 42 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 84% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2002 ranks 12th most-complained-about out of 16 model years of the Chevrolet Cavalier with enough data (181 complaints in that window).
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl*the contact owns a 2002 chevrolet cavalier. While driving 17 MPH, the accelerator pedal extended to the floor when it was depressed. She depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to stop. The contact drove into a ditch to avoid being hit by a tractor trailer that was traveling 95 MPH. The entire passenger side of the vehicle was destroyed from the rear to the front end. The air bags failed to deploy. Five passengers sustained injuries. A police report was filed.
I have a 2002 chevrolet cavalier and I almost had a bad accident with this car. The ignition switch and wheels locked up on me and I was still in one place and a eighteen wheeler ran into me. I have been having trouble with this car everytime I look up.
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.
Brake 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.