On or about march 8th, 2014, I noticed that holes had appeared on the drivers and passenger side of the vehicle on the bottom and when I went to further exam the hole, I then realized the underside of the car is completely corroded. The sheet metal on the passengers side is coming off in sheets and the hole has become much larger in size. Also, the vehicle pulls to the left and right pretty strongly. The inside floor of the car feels squishy like the floor is going to fall out. Higher speeds seem to make more sheet metal fall off.
Chevrolet Cavalier pulling problems
17 of the 4,549 owner complaints about the Chevrolet Cavalier describe pulls to one side, most of them for the 1997 model year.
- owner complaints
- 17
- worst model year
- 1997
- typical mileage
- 97,000
Is there a fix? There are 2 recalls for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Steering lock-up 3Engine failure 2Stalling 1Spongy pedal 1Jerking 1Fuel pump 1Fuel gauge 1Grinding brakes 1
What owners say
Temperature gauge stopped working, reads sometimes, and sometimes does not. Replaced sensor and had no effect on gauge function. Fuel gauge is intermittent after the temperature gauge stopped functioning as well. Door on heating underneath the dash clacks constantly unless you set the heat in recirculation mode. Needles of the two gauges hit each other as they wander aimlessly through their orbits. Horn stopped working at 98000 miles. This vehicle is plagued by bad wiring and parts. However, it is a fine running vehicle and should ast another 100000 miles if you're willing to drive it without gauges, horn and only run through the heat and AC in recirculation mode. Chevrolet knows this has happened constantly with these vehicles and should recall and correct them. If I can't trust the original gauge cluster, how can I trust a new set if I take the vehicle to the dealer for repair and pay an exorbitant price to have them replaced and repaired? I would expect this from a chrysler product but never a chevrolet!!!
In response to previous investigation the federal safety agency action number pe07033 I was driving my 2003 chevy cavalier on 95 south bound, when the trac off light came on and the vehicle jerked and stalled a little bit. I attempted to continue driving, however noticed the vehicle stalling even more. I was in an extremely dangerous place in highway traffic, and knew I had to pull off the road immediately. My car shut off as I was pulling to the right shoulder of the highway and I was almost hit by vehicles going 60-70 MPH. I was able to coast to the shoulder of the road - in a position where I was not even able to exit my vehicle from the driver side. I had the vehicle towed to my mechanic, who informed me that the fuel pump and fuel filter need to be replaced. This is going to cost me approximately $417. I have researched this problem on the web and find it to be extremely common. To say that this isn't a big problem with this type of vehicle is unfair.
Dt: the consumer owns a 2003 chevrolet caviler. Was losing control of the steering and the brakes. It started in the winter. The consumer stated the direction that car was headed was the way it stayed. Also, she noticed that there was a hum in the steering wheel which lasted a couple of seconds each time. The consumer contacted the dealer, and they said that it did not sound to them as dangerous. A couple of months later the problem finally came to ahead in june. Lights came on the dashboard. The belt broke, and the alternator seized. When the car was repaired by the dealer they concluded the alternator and the belt malfunctioned. Also heard a grinding noise in the brakes. The dealer never did any repairs to the steering. The consumer said that the key was hot after it had been in the ignition. And the steering wheel was tight when turning to the right. The car went back to the dealer , and she did not have the tightness to the steering. But, the car was still pulling to the right. The brakes were spongy. There was a popping sound in the front wheel. There was a delay in the speed of the car. And almost had a collision.
Recall campaign: power steering gear recall. *nm the consumer had difficulty keeping the steering from wandering after the recall repair was done, the consumer had no problems with the vehicle prior. Recall# 02v286000. *sc after having the vehicle in the dealer 3 times the rack and pinion was finally replaced in which the consumer stated should have been included in the recall. The consumer is requesting reimbursement.
Defective steering column in 97 cavalier, caused an accident resulting in extreme injuries. *bf the federal safety agency campaign id number : 02v286000. The consumer was making a slow left and the vehicle pulled to the right. The air bag deployed late striking the consumers left eye. *tc
While driving on a back road between 25-30 MPH vehicle started pulling to left. This resulted in the vehicle crashing into an embankment. Upon impact, the vehicle turned around and went backwards 15 yards. The vehicle was totaled. The driver had to climb out of the window to exist the vehicle. The police officer indicated that this occurred due to an equipment failure. The axle broke on the rear passenger wheel.
The vehicle pulled to the left and the steering wheel was not aligned.
While driving through a parking lot I turned the wheel to go left and the steering wheel locked up and began pulling right almost causing me to run into another vehicle. Had I been going any faster I would have crashed and died. On the way home the wheel locked up again turning left onto our road and I almost drove off the road. I've parked the car and haven't driven it since with concern that this life threatening problem will cause a serious accident. Many other gm vehicles have reports of this steering problem with 97 vehicles which can be seen in a report by guy cramer at http://www.yfiles.com/gm-steering-problem.htm.
Mid-way through a left turn from a stop sign, the steering locked up and began pulling to the right. Initially the car steered freely to the right and only locked left; then both right and left locked up. Mechanic says the steering gear on the power assist rack & pinion failed creating a safety issue.
Related recalls
Steering: rack and pinion
- What is wrong
- Certain passenger vehicles and mini vans have lower pinion bearings in the power rack and pinion assembly in which the retainer tabs were not crimped properly. These and some other retainers used in vehicles assembled between january 1, 1996 and october 31, 1997, could fail and permit the ball bearings to escape.
- Risk
- If this occurs, the pinion shaft can be forced upward during left turns and back down as the steering wheel is moved back and to the right. If the pinion shaft moves further, the driver will need to exert more effort to turn the steering wheel, similar to a vehicle without power assisted steering. If the pinion shaft moves even further, the driver will require much higher effort to turn left and may not be able to turn the wheel as much as intended. With the maximum pinion shaft movement, which requires internal gear component damage, the driver can encounter high resistance to turning left, followed by unintended power assist to the right. In any of these conditions, a crash could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new lower pinion bearing unless inspect of the existing bearing indicates that replacement of the gear assembly is necessary. Owner notification began january 24, 2003. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1‑800‑222‑1020, pontiac at 1‑800‑762‑2737, or oldsmobile at 1‑800‑442‑6537.
Recall number 02V286000 · Recall details
Steering: linkages: knuckle: spindle: arm
- What is wrong
- These vehicles were built with overtorqued drive axle spindle nuts. This condition can cause excessive loads on the spindle nut and drive axle resulting in failure of the drive axle or the spindle nut. Failure of either of these components can result in separation of the steering knuckle tire-wheel assembly from the drive axle.
- Risk
- This can result in loss of vehicle control and a vehicle accident.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the left-hand and right-hand drive axles, bearing-hub assemblies, spindle nuts, and washers on all involved vehicles. Corrective action: dealers will replace left-hand and right-hand drive axles, bearing-hub assemblies, spindle nuts, and washers on all involved vehicles.
Recall number 94V115000 · Recall details
Questions about the Chevrolet Cavalier pulling
Which Chevrolet Cavalier years have pulls to one side problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1997 (6 complaints), 1996 (5 complaints) and 2003 (3 complaints).
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