Headlights fail intermittently during normal operation at any speed. Dealership examined vehicle four times, and determined that wiring harness has corroded, and has to be replaced. Please provide any additional information / documentation.
1998 Chevrolet Cavalier electrical complaints
Page 3 of 3: complaints 41 to 66 of 66, newest first, as owners wrote them.
When vehicle is first started it would stall out. Rpms would rev up from zero, and vehicle stalled. Had taken to dealer first time, and mechanic changed spark plugs. Problem reoccurred twice since then, 2 months later.
Vehicle has had major brake problems, rotors have been replace twice, due to them being warped, at times consumer is unable to stop at slow speeds, dealer states they can not find the problem.
Approxiamately 2 months into owning the vehicle the problems started. First the seat belt covers snapped off, I've had to have the steering stabilizers replaced 3 times already, the air conditioner which is rarely used failed at about 55-60,000 miles, the battery busted and leaked on the entire right side under hood, the jack was warped, the gas guage reads incorrectly, the sunroof stopped working after 30000 miles, dash rattles, glove box will not stay closed, pass seat gets stuck when you move it forward, the gas pedal gets stuck and you have to apply more force than usual to get it moving, drivers door does not close all the way, more air than normal comes into vehicle, thermostat failed at 30000 miles, installed sidewinder 6500 car alarm which failed to operate after the battery busted, plus numerous other problems not mentioned here.
Ever since we've bought this vehicle there's been nothing but problems. While backing out of the driveway it will stall out and shut off. In feb of 2000 the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The gas gauge flucuates. It will show 1/4 tank of gas left and ten minutes later the check gas light comes on and the gauge drops. Some kind of electrical wire on the front drivers side went bad. The driver's side door won't shut any more, the latch needs to be replaced. It's like every 3 ot 4 months something wither minor or significant goes wrong with it and persoanlly I am sick of it. I believe that my car is a lemon and I want to do something about it.
The radio has failed 3 times. Nlm
Horn becomes inoperable when making a left turn or right turn.
The wiring on my 1998 cavlier wore thrugh and shorted out ignition and other accessories. I paid dealer to make repairs the same problem has now happened to my daughter's 1998 cavalier at about the same mileage the dealer she is talking to says the problem was caused by the clip that retains the wiring harness and they state the defect is not covered by the extended warranty, chevrolet customer service refuses to talk because she has an extended warranty it seems to me that there is a problem with the way chevrolet supports the wiring harness under the dash if in one family the same defect develops at about the same mileage, on the make, and model of vehicle. Others must be having similar problems.
Car is a complete lemon made with poor quality. It is unrealible and a constant headache. No safety defect listed.
Air bag stays on, 3 modules replaced, problem still present. Horn would not work with steering wheel straight, replaced cancelling cam. Ok. Car would not drive straight, replaced steering gear box, ok. A/c rumbles at idle when hot, replaced belt and tensioner, problem still present but not as loud. Dome light stays on, replaced alarm module, ok.
Both turn signals and horn do not work, both are inoperable. Consumer has contacted dealer five tiems. Dealer has made changes to steering column. But, problem still occurs. Please provide any further details.
My vehicle has trouble doing everything a new car should do. This vehicle has jeopordized my families safety on numerous occasions. Having the horn not work when another vehicle pulls out on me is a serious matter which should be looked into. Everytime the oil is changed on the car they come back and tell me the transmission is leaking again. Obviously replacing the shaft seal is not fixing the problem especially when it leaks again 3000 miles in between dealership visits. Having a constant gasoline and sulfer odor emitting from the vehicle worries me especially considering I have two very young children.when brought up to the dealership they will not look into the matter anymore unless a engine light is on. This vehicle will shortly run out of warranty and I believe general motors has blown off my letters, phonecalls and e-mails knowing this. Thank you for your time in this matter, sincerely clifton cole.
This paticular vehicle has been a problem since I drove it off the lot. Nosafety defect mentioned in summary.
Egr valve: replaced twice, cleaned once; gm rep. Says not his problem after 24k miles; car has miss and idles rough, codes detected p0300, p0404, p1404, p0405; dlr replace PCM computer. Called state a.g.
Spark plug wires shorted. Yh
A fire started in the trunk area and spread underneath the vehicle while driving / parking the vehicle. Maufacturer's engineer inspected the vehicle and determined the fire started by a faulty tail light assembly in the trunk. Can the federal safety agency help in this matter or provide additional information.
Due to a short within a fuse, brake lights and tail lights keep going out. Dealer is aware of the problem.
Potential safty defect...at 55 m/p/h my car engine cut out , fortunately I was able to coast to side of road because I was entering an exit ramp. The car was towed to the dealership I purchased it at they detected a short in the system because after 3 attempts of changing the fuel fuse , unfortunately they could not detect the reason for these fuses blowing after 3 days of keeping my car and running it. They said they removed gas tank to try to find the problem but to no avail. Unfortunately I am not satisfied that this will not reoccur and am uncomfortable in driving the car because at any speed it can cut out and I loose my brakes steering and all control of the car. This has left me in a very unsure condition and I do not trust the car. The dealership said it could happen again and gave me 3 fuses to compensate me, I feel a more radical measure is warranted for the potential safty hazard of this car is a death trap! Thank you gp bell
The ignition cylinder lock failed.
While driving and with the air conditioner on or the defogger on, the vehicle will stall unexpectedly which may cause an accident. Been to dealer several times. Dealer replaced the crank case position sensor and a computer chip, but the problem would reoccur. Please provide further information.
Computer chip need reprogramming, causing transmission problems. Yh
There has been one thing wrong after the other ever since I bought this car and I believe it a piece of crap but I guess that I am stuck up it since chevrolet declined my buyback request.
Smell of burning wires when driving. Radiator hose failed prior to/after recall repairs. Also, transfer case malfunctioned prior to/after recall repairs 98v013000. In addition, rear passenger's side door handle broke inside.
The cavalier was driven to work by my daughter on 11-09-98. She parked the car and locked it and went to work at the after school day care for the ymca. About 5 minutes later, a parent entered and asked who owned the cavalier because smoke was coming from it's engine. By the time my daughter ran outside the car had burst into flames. The school custodians tried to put the fire out with fire extinguishers but they were only successful in putting out the flames that ran from my car to 2 others. The fire department was called and they determined that the fire started in the engine due to either faulty electrical or gas lines. I have contacted gm and they have had their inspector look at the car on 11-16-98. Since the inspector looked at the car, their customer service representative jenny yurenka will not return my phone calls. A receptionist informed me that it will take gm another 14 days to determine what to do with a car that bursts into flames for no apparent reasons.
All lights including all electrical components failed.
Both front struts started to leak and failed to function properly causing temporary loss of control on wet or rough roads.
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