Engine cooling system leak. Usually leaks after consumer parks or stops for a long time.
1997 Chevrolet Cavalier engine complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 110, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Dealer stated that in the past three months he has corrected two prior cases with same year, make and model.no safety defect.
Mechanic at dealership said that they had received letters that this was occuring on these vehicles due to small hole for oil to chain clogging but I had no recalls or warnings of this. This car has relatively few miles on it and at the time this happened, I had just stopped to turn into a parking lot. There could have been a serious accident if it had happened during the turn or if I had been driving down the road as the car lost power immediately. If the dealerships are receiving letters, why aren't the owners. I realize that there can be failure of this part, but if the failure is due to the clogging of the area that keeps the chain oiled, then this is a defect in the car not the wear of the part.
For those of you with problems with your engine coolant, I finally got mine fixed. After telling me it was the temperature sensor and the thermostat it ended up being a crack in the radiator cap, something that costs $10. A good way to prevent engine shutdown is to turn your vent fan to hot air, as hot as u can get it. That will bring down the tempature reading, everytime. Something to look for when your stuck in traffic alot, thats when it happens when you idle to long.
When ever the car is started there is a bad knocking/ticking sound as if your car was low on oil...and even when the oil is changed and/or checked and the oil level is fine...the problem still occurs...I have notified the dealer more than 20 times about this problem(while under warranty) and they could not find what was causing the problem..their (chevy's)engineer was even in town at one time and they had to bring it in then and he/she could not even figure out what was causing the problem....if he can't figure out what the problem is..then I think they need to investigate further and pull the engine completely down there could be a serious problem that could cause the engine to have to be replaced and want the owner to cover the charges when it is not even the owners fault...can you please let me know what I need to do to get a recall done on all the cavaliers that have this problem.
I noticed that my 1997 chevrolet cavalier had been leaking coolant, when I proceeded to find the leak I was unsucessful. Many other complaints on your website have proven to have the same problem. The leak appears to be around the front head gasket. It could possibly have a cracked head. This sounds like a logical explanation due to the violent vibration from the engine, white smoke from the tail pipe and overheating.the coolant must be leaking into the fuel mixture at the head. The car is at an undriveable state. Dealerships which I have contacted told me about recalls of a similar nature for the 1995 and 1996 cavalier models. Why hasn't there been a recall on the 1997 model? Thank you.
Pistons replaced after much debating, noise is occorring again.
Windshield wipers stay in upright postion, coolant leaking.
Vehicle stalls when first starting up. Takes a few times before vehicle will stay running. Engine check light and ets light have been on. Dealer cannot remedy problem.
Consumer had just gotten home and parked vehicle. 5-10 minutes later, horn was blowing. Consumer looked outside front end of vehicle was on fire. Dashboard and steering column were completely destroyed. Chevrolet dealer said they couldn't find anything wrong. Therefore, they wouldn't be liable. Allstate insurance adjuster took one look,and could tell it was an electrical fire. Chevrolet dealer was not responding to insurance adjuster. Vehicle was under extended warranty when it caught on fire.*ak engine light illuminated, dealer had replaced the oil pump, solenoid, and exhaust however light still illuminated. Battery light illuminated. Windshield wiper skips and chatters across windshield, dealer replaced blade. Trunk would not open from inside lever, compartment lid release broke. Clicking noise was heard when turning steering wheel, dealer could not find problem.
Consumer stated that sometimes could try to start engine but it will not start. Consumer had taken vehicle to dealer and could not find what was causing problem. Also, fuel was leaking and vehicle could get on fire.
Defect 1: ABS light would come on when making a left hand turn. Abs would no longer activate while light was on. Defect 2: alternator--went out while driving in city traffic, rush hour. Had previously asked dealer to check, but they claimed it was functioning properly. Defect 3: rack and pinion steering assembly--went out shortly after alternator, while driving in the dealership parking lot. Defect 4: timing chain tensioner--technician said this caused major engine damage--gears, head, etc. Defect 5: horn--has worked sporadically, at best, for the last year and a half. Seemed like a short.
Vehicle will stall while idling and without warning , dealer has replaced throttle positioning center, and reprogrammed PCM, but defect still occurring, and causing safety hazard.
When starting vehicle a strong odor enters passenger's compartment, following extreme vibration in the front end, cause unknown. Dealer can not identify the problem. Please give any further details.
The engine has stalled multiple times while driving. The dealer has been unable to identify or rectify the problem. The power steering and brakes become difficult to operate when the vehicle stalls, and because it seems to occur randomly may lead to substantial injury if the vehicle stalls while in traffic.
My concern is the car is only 3 yrs old and we are continueing to have problems occur, the cigarette lighter has a short in it as well.
1). Wheel bearings wearing out then tires and when driving on wet pavement cant go more than 40 MPH or car will spin around in road . Back left brake light always not working. Engine with only 12,000.00 miles knock bad untill warmed up and some times dont stop when warm.ignition switch will lock up and cant get car to crank must wiggle and giggle to get it to work.horn has not worked since bought car.transmission clatters when trying to give to much gas
Blown head gaskets/valve covers on vehicle with just over 30,000 miles. Vehicle's warranty is up due to a purchase date of sep96. Please advise on any recall information. I was told this is comon with cavaliers.
Complete engine shut down while in rush hour traffic at 25 MPH on 3 separate occurrences. Each occurrence was 24 to 48 hours after a oil change and "topping off fluids" at the same dealership where the vehicle was purchased. After each oil change, the smell of hot oil was prevalent the next day. After the first engine shut down occurence, the dealership inspected the car but found nothing wrong. The engine has shut down on jan 12, 1999, apr 12, 1999, and june 12, 2000. Oil changes took place 3 days before each occurrence. The engine has never shut down in traffic without a recent oil change. The vehicle speeds at the time of the engine shut down have all been approximately 25 MPH due to rush hour traffic while on the expressway.
While driving all signal lights came on, and engine lost power. There was no steering, and finally vehicle had to be towed. Vehicle had been repaired for the same problem onc ebefore.
Since I bought the car, it has had numerous trips to the dealer for repair, including head gaskets, water pump and other things were replaced. Each time I received the car back, it still makes a "ticking noise" that makes my car sound like a diesel engine. My car is not a diesel!!! I am unsure what to do now that I have had the car for this length of time. All the times it was in for repair, I was told that all small engine cars will make that noise.
Loud knocking coming from engine. Took it in to dealer and was told that piston is rocking in cylinder, and that gm cannot do anything about it and that extra warranty wont cover.
While traveling at any speed intermittently vehicle would stall and lose power. Dealer has repaired vehicle three times, but problem returns. . Please provide further information.
We have had problems with this car from the date that it was purchased. The brake rotor problems have been worked on several times, and it will stop for a while, but will continue to worsen with time. The ABS light and low coolant light have been on and off for over and year and we were told that we would have to pay to have them fixed, the sound from the exhaust, possibly the catalytic converter, has been going on for over a year and again, we were told we needed to replace it, that it was not covered under warranty. Then engine is sounding more awful as time goes on...lots of noise under the hood especially at crusing speed, and then again when slowing to a stop, and more recently even when idling. Not only was this car not serviced properly when I would bring it in with a complaint, but I feel as if the dealers were purposely putting me off just so the warranty would run out and I would have to fix these problems myself. Obviously I am not the only on that has had similiar problems. And also, the car has been leaking antifreeze for a number of months, but cant seem to find the leak. Definitely can smell the burning antifreeze, especially after an extended trip.
In jul7 of 1999, the ets off light and theengine check light came on. The mechanic said the computer showed due to emission regulations, the egr valve needed replaced. Replaced the valve, a month later the two lights came on again. I was told the egr valve was defective. Had it replaced again. A couple months later, the two lights came on again. The mechanic told us the system was very sensitive, but the egr was fine and just reset the lightls. Last week the two lights came on again, the egr was replaced again. The next day, the car started jerking fiercely and the two lights came on again. I don't know what the problem is with this system and we are having a difficult time finding the problem. I don't know if it's a computer defect, a valve defect or what. But it's not save to have a vehicle that constantly shuts off the traction system due to this problem and causes the car to jek while driving.
Horn: has never worked from the time the car was received. Have had the dealer fix it 3 times but it still doesn't work. Heater fan: failed during the winter of 1997. Past warranty period?? Have not gotten it fixed yet. Engine problem: stalls intermittently while driving after the car has warmed up, especially when coming to a stop. Will hesitate and jerk while driving it. Have replaced: spark plug wires, plugs, fuel filter, fuel pump and have had the catalytic converter checked. Problem is not resolved. Unable to drive it more than 2 miles. Ignition: key would not turn in ignition/ replaced by dealer x 3.
Defective head gaskets leaks coolant which may spray unto the engine compartment and cause a fire. Common problem. Please provide further information.
In december 1999, I experienced a loss of engine coolant level and the low engine coolant indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. I assumed the thermostat was failing and had a local service station replace it and flush the radiator. Several days later the low engine coolant light illuminated on the instrument panel. Upon inspection, I had lost some coolant and experienced the smell of hot coolant which I attributed to the recent radiator flush. I took it back to the service station and the coolant system was pressure tested to check for leaks and passed. After being idle for over 1 week, on january 3, 2000, I checked the engine coolant level and it was low. I filled the engine coolant reservior to full and after short trips the level had held at full. On january 4, 2000, while driving to work, I experienced a rough idle and in addition to the low engine coolant level illuminating on the instrument panel, the check engine light and the traction control lights also lit up on the dash. I took it to the dealer, hawthorne chevrolet, expecting to have them finally resolve my problem and they informed me they suspected my engine block was cracked and estimated the job at over $3400.00. I noteiced service bulletin #'s 67-62-04, 970501776109 & 970501738309 posted on your website refers to similar defects as those I have experienced. If the engine has a defect, what recourse do I have? I have followed the recommended maintainance schedule and feel frustrated that gm and hawthorne chevrolet knew of the potential problems but failed to take the preventative measures to avoid perminant damage to the engine. I have taken the car to the service station where I had the thermostat replaced and their conclusion is the head gasget has failed or the head has cracked, based on the fact that there isn't any coolant in the oil pan. I received an estimate of $950.00 for the repairs. I'm not a happy cavalier owner. I thank you.
Drivers door misadjusted causing water to leak inside of vehicle. Nlm
Car was taken in to dealer twice for a water leak. They did nothing. We gave up and about 38000 mile later, we had a blown engine head gasket.
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