Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. The contact stated that the vehicle could not be shifted out of park. When the contact inserted the key into the ignition switch, it became difficult to turn and the overhead light did not turn off. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 8,161.
Chevrolet Cavalier headlights problems
87 of the 4,549 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Cavalier describe headlights failing or too dim, most of them for the 2000 model year.
- owner complaints
- 87
- worst model year
- 2000
- typical repair cost reported
- $300
- typical mileage
- 50,000
Is there a fix? There are 5 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Wipers 5Fire or smoke 5Check engine light 4Water leak 3Door locks 3Won't start 2Steering noise 2Harsh shifting 2
What owners say
Low and high-beam headlights appear dim when turned on compared to other cars. May be due to corroded/defective wiring. Appears to be a very common problem with this chevrolet model. Looking for recall information related to this issue.
All of the trouble lights come on including the service light with a wrench. Then, all of the gauges drop to nothing; you don't know how fast you're traveling, what your fuel capacity is, the temperature gauge drops to nothing along with the tachometer dropping to nothing. In the odometer and "error" message replaces the odometer reading. The gauges will intermittently go off and on or all of them will drop of with no reading. The other evening, I was coming home on a winding back country road and all of my lights went out. I have to limit my driving to daytime driving and only use the running lights as it appears to only aggravate the problem when I use my headlights. Today, everything above happened along with some news things. The vehicle was shut off, the key was removed from the ignition and the running lights remained on as did the warning alarm as though the key were left in the ignition. I left the car only after I pulled the left and right fuse from the panel. When I returned to the car, I inserted the fuses and started the vehicle but was unable to shift the car into gear as the car would not let me depress the button on the shifter to do so. I have to now shut the car off and pull the ignition fuse and then reinsert it to get the car in gear. What the heck?
When I turn on my car defroster, it starts popping very loud. At one time it started popping when I set the car at idle, and when I returned to the car, it was filled with smoke or dust. I had to air out the car for a while before I could drive it. The defroster doesn't pop every time, and it quits after about 30 minutes each time. Also, when I bought the car, it needed a new console, so I had it replaced. The day-time running lights go out and flash at people. When they go out, the service light comes on. I have to drive with my headlights on so the day-time running lights do not flash at people.
As I was going to turn the switch on to turn on my car it didn't want to start. I had some one fix it but could not find a way to fix it. They had to add a button under the steering wheel to start the car as I turn the switch on. There was couple a of times where the car would go on passlock by itself and wouldn't start until a long period of waiting. The external headlights burn constantly and I would buy new bulbs for the back lights. One time our neighbor said he heard noise like fireworks on our property and he said that he seen our car was sparking light out of the steering wheel. That morning of that day he told us and as we were checking the car I could smell something burned. As a result of that the car didn't want to start . The auto repair people had to come to our house to figure out what was wrong with it. They had told me that some wires inside the steering wheel had burned but mostly I have been fixing more of electrical switches and burned wires. I appreciate for taking your time to read this and I'm looking forward to hear from you.
Purchased used 2000 cavalier in 2006. First problem (which has continued for 5 years) is that the service light will come on when the car is cranked unless the headlights are first turned on. If you turn the headlights off while driving, the service light comes on. It will not go off unless you turn the car off and restart it (with headlights on). Second problem is that fuel hand does not reflect accurate amount of gasoline in tank. It goes up and down while driving (with the check gauges light on). Or sometimes it is stuck on e or stuck on f regardless of how much fuel is actually present. Third problem is that car intermittently overheats and is always losing coolant. I have replaced thermostat, water pump, & radiator. Three different mechanics cannot find a leak in the cooling system (despite pressure testing, compression testing, & block testing). We are baffled why it cannot retain constant coolant levels. This is a very frustrating situation as I am left without reliable transportation.
Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet cavalier. The contact stated that the head lamps on his vehicle looked as if there was a glaze on them. They were sand blasted and now he cant even see the light bulb. The dealer was contacted and stated that they would sell him a kit to clean the head lamps. The contact stated that the dealer should be responsible to repair the head lamps. No repairs were made. The failure and current mileage was 136000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 chevrolet cavalier. The contact stated that in 2005 when she made a right turn at 15 MPH, the steering wheel made a clicking noise and began to vibrate. The failure continued to occur. There were no warning lights that would allude to the cause of failure. The contact also noticed that the steering wheel would unlock and turn involuntarily when it was supposed to be locked. The fuel gauge was also defective. She also noticed that the lights on the instrument panel, and headlights, were also faulty. The bulbs in the left rear turn signal and brake light burned out and melted after they were used three to four times. The contact called the local dealer to ask about related recalls and was informed that there were no open recalls for her vehicle; however, the contact found eight recalls for her year, make and model vehicle. The current mileage was approximately 100,000. The failure mileage was approximately 77,000.
Clutch pedal started to stop short. While driving through light snow I pressed the pedal to shift gear before a slight turn and incline the pedal stayed down. The lack of power to the wheels within 5 seconds caused the vehicle to fishtail and I was not able to control the vehicle even while trying to brake and go into the spin to correct. The vehicle spun around going backwards then the front end tried swinging back and hit the center median damaging the front end-bumper ripped off, reinforcement bent/folded, fenders warped, both headlights broken, condenser slightly folded to leak, radiator support warped, frame bent. The slave cylinder was leaking...again this was the second time. Pedal would start to stop short then the slave would start to leak. First time the dealer replaced the slave and everything was working. Then this happened. I was told that because the second incident was "just out of the repair warrant by 800 mi they-the dealer- was "liable for nothing" and would do nothing to help." the vehicle's slave was replaced and everything was working-with the clutch-when in 2009 the problem happened again. I was able to take the car to the dealer again...again...again and the master cylinder for the clutch was replaced.-problem was solved. Have not had a problem since......this whole issue shows that the vehicle was not properly diagnosed which caused the second failure and the accident.
Headlights flickering when they flicker the heater loses pressure.
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
Interior lighting
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with the bi-fuel option fail to comply with fmvss no. 101, "control location, identification, and illumination." the instrument panel lights in these vehicles are at full illumination levels and cannot be adjusted. The standard requires at least two levels of illumination.
- Risk
- This could make it more difficult to see objects outside the vehicle when driving at night.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel type indicator switch assembly, which includes the instrument panel illumination control.
Recall number 00V201000 · Recall details
Interior lighting
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles do not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 101, "control location, identification, and illumination." the instrument panel backlighting may not function after adjusting the interior light intensity.
- Risk
- If the instrument panel is not lit at night, the driver may not be able to see the controls and displays.
- Remedy
- Dealers will test the body control module, and if necessary, replace it.
Recall number 99V218000 · Recall details
Interior lighting
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. These vehicles were built with the potential for the interior lamps to come on unexpectedly while the vehicles are being driven. This does not meet the requirements of fmvss no. 101, "controls and displays."
- Risk
- The interior lamps coming on unexpectedly could startle a driver causing a momentary loss of control increasing the risk of a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will run a diagnostic test on the lamp control module and, if necessary, replace it.
Recall number 98V027000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: hazard flashing warning lights
- What is wrong
- The front and/or rear hazard warning lamps (four-way flashers) do not flash when the hazard switch is activated. This fails to comply with fmvss no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment."
- Risk
- If these lamps were not flashing, other vehicles would not be aware that this vehicle was stopped increasing the risk of an accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers or vehicle owners will inspect for proper function of the hazard warning lamps. If necessary, dealers will replace the hazard lamp switch.
Recall number 96V250000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Cavalier headlights
Which Chevrolet Cavalier years have headlights failing or too dim problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2000 (12 complaints), 1998 (10 complaints) and 2003 (10 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix headlights failing or too dim on the Chevrolet Cavalier?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $300 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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