Tl* the contact owned a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. While driving 5 MPH entering the highway, the turn signal lamps failed to illuminate when activated and resulted in a crash. The contact's vehicle was struck on the rear driver side and spun onto the roadside. The air bags did not deploy and a police report was filed. All three occupants in the vehicle were severely injured and required medical attention. The vehicle was destroyed. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v524000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. ...updated 02/19/16 *bf updated 09/20/16*lj
2003 Chevrolet Cavalier lights problems
57 complaints (8% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 12,484. 8 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 57
- of this car's complaints
- 8%
- typical mileage
- 12,484
- crashes
- 8
- recalls
- 1
Which part fails
- Turn signal31
- Brake lights18
- Tail lights6
- Headlights5
- Turn signal: flasher unit3
- Headlights: switch1
- Hazard flashing warning lights1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Chevrolet Cavalier lights problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier lights
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
Exterior lighting: turn signal
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the rear lamps that provide stop and turn signals and tail lamp functions stop working because of inadequate contact between the bulb and socket. In addition, if one bulbs were to become inoperative while the vehicle was operating in cruise control, the cruise control would disengage when the remaining bulb was activated. If both lamps were to become inoperative, the cruise control would not engage.
- Risk
- An inoperative brake lamp will not convey the driver's intention of stopping to drivers in following vehicles, and an inoperative rear turn signal lamp will not convey the driver's intention to turn to drivers in following vehicles. Both of these failures can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the rear lamp bulb socket assemblies and apply grease or replace them if necessary. The recall began on january 18, 2005. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑630‑2438 or pontiac at 1‑800‑620‑7668.
Recall number 04V524000 · Recall details
Related investigations
Turn signal malfunction
On may 14, 2004 the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation (pe04-043) based on consumer complaints alleging that the brake/tail turn signal lamps would not operate properly when either the tail lights were turned on, the brake pedal was depressed, or when the turn signal switch was activated.on september 14, 2004 odi upgraded pe 04-043 to an engineering analysis (ea04-028).gm states that some brake/tail/turn signal lamp bulbs can prematurely become inoperative due to excessive heat buildup within the bulb sockets.the cause of the excessive heat build up was determined to be a lack of thermal grease placed in between the bulb and the socket. By letter dated october 27, 2004 gm notified the federal safety agency that it will conduct a safety recall (the federal safety agency # 04v524) covering all my 2003 vehicles.gm dealers will inspect the rear lamp bulb socket assemblies and apply thermal grease to them or replace them with new assemblies with thermal grease already attached.model year 2004 and newer vehicles have the thermal grease installed from the factory. The action taken by gm is sufficient to resolve the issues raised by this investigation.accordingly, this investigation is closed.
EA04028
Turn signal malfunction
Complainants allege that the rear turn signals fail to illuminate and do not provide a signal to drivers in following vehicles.odi has received one report of a crash where the complainant braked and attempted to make a left turn and the following vehicle impacted the complainant's vehicle in the driver-side door.in may 2002, gm's supplier made changes to the bulb socket that included stopping the use of thermal-mastic grease in the bulb socket.gm reports that the grease reduces arcing at the contacts and dissipates heat thus preventing melting of the socket material or burning of the contacts.most of the subject vehicles were produced without grease applied to the bulb socket.in june 2003, gm directed the supplier to resume the use of grease in the socket.gm issued technical service bulletin (tsb) 04-08-42-004a on july 15, 2004 advising technicians to make sure that adequate amounts of grease were added to the bulb sockets on all service parts.odi will upgrade this investigation to ea 04-028 to further examine the issue.
PE04043
What 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. While driving 40 MPH, the left and right turn signals became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 04v524000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. The contact stated the lower brake light does not work. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated they previously repaired the failure under the federal safety agency recall campaign id number 04v524000; exterior lighting, turn signal. Although the failure occurred again he had to pay for the new repairs since they were not covered under the recall. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 168,000.
The tail light/turn signal burned on the driver's side about 2 months ago I replaced the bulb 2 days later the passenger side went out I replaced that bulb and since that about every 2 days I burn another bulb I took it to the dealership thinking it was the recall they have on the tail light/turn signal and the dealership inspected it the first time and said nothing was wrong the second time this week I took it back with the bulb burned out and they said there was no problems found I can't get them to do the recall work because they say there is no problems with the lights but I am paying 4.00 a bulb everytime it burns out and I have done this for 2 months now and I guess I will have to keep doing this I don't know what else to do.
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier . The left tail light turn signal was inoperable. The bulb had not blown therefore she speculated that there was an electrical failure. The vehicle was previously repaired according to recall campaign id number 04v524000 (exterior lighting:turn signal), therefore she was ineligible for a free remedy. No further repairs had been made to remedy the failure. The current and failure mileages were under 77,000. The vehicle identification number was unavailable.
The campaign 04083 was performed on my vehicle, but it didn't fix my problem. The chevrolet service mechanic advised that they checked the sockets, found that they did not need to be replaced and greased accordingly, but that the turn signals are inoperative at times due to the fact the turn signal switch is bad & needs to be replaced to get them to work all of the time. I have all of the same issues that this campaign indicated it would resolve, but my turn signals are still going out sporadically, and it occurs more often if my lights are turned on and if I press down the break. I've been having to replace my break lights often and this started occurring the last time I had my left break light replaced a few months ago. The turn signal works at least the first time I put it on, but then will not flashing & stop making noise shortly after before I've even made my turn. The first problem arose with my blinkers flashing very quickly which was resolved after replacing my break light, but I've had problems on and off with my turn signals ever since. My 2003 chevy cavalier has 105,517 miles on it.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the turn signal failed to activate after several attempts. The failure occurred intermittently and the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician discovered that the vehicle was previously repaired according to the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v524000 (exterior lighting:turn signal); however, the remedy was insufficient. The turn signal module was replaced, but the failure recurred three weeks later. The vehicle has not been repaired again. The failure mileage was unknown and current mileage was 100,000.
I have went through over 10 bulbs in my back tail-light on the driver side. Every time I go out and about it blows and when I pull the bulb out the plastic is always melted over the contact wires. Recently I was on my way to my girlfriend's family's christmas event and I got pulled over for my tail light being out, which had been replaced a few days before. I showed the police and he only gave me a warning, although I am getting sick of this happening. I went into an advance auto parts store to just go ahead and replace the entire socket, but when they called a chevrolet dealership all they recommended that I do is replace the bulb, again. I replaced the bulb and what do you know it blew within 3 days. I am still currently in the process of trying to figure out how to fix this inconvenient problem before I just sell my car to get a better one.
The car has been in two accidents. The both were completely repaired, the rear lights have had problems due to poor connections and the fuel pump went out.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. The contact's vehicle was repaired according to the federal safety agency campaign id number 04v524000 (exterior lighting:turn signal) in 2006. Two years later, while driving at an unknown speed, she noticed that the passenger side brake lamp and turn signal were inoperative. She repeatedly replaced the brake light bulb, but it continued to fail. The manufacturer stated that because her vehicle was previously repaired under recall, she would be responsible for the repair costs. The contact is in the process of taking the vehicle to an authorized dealer for a diagnosis and repair. The failure and current mileages were 62,011.
Questions about the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier lights
Does the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier have lights problems?
Owners have filed 57 complaints about the lights of the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier, 8% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier lights problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 12,484 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier lights?
Yes, 1 recall: 04V524000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Chevrolet Cavalier have the most lights problems?
The Chevrolet Cavalier model years with the most lights complaints are 2003 (57 complaints), 1996 (29 complaints) and 2000 (19 complaints).
Other 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier problems
Fuel system 383Electrical 106Engine 47Visibility 38Brakes 34Suspension 22Steering 19Airbags 18Transmission 16Acceleration 13Body 11Seat belts 8Tires 4Driver assistance 3Locks 3Wheels 3Seats 1
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