3rd Generation (1995—2005) Cavalier Problems

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This generations ranks 65th out of 85 Chevrolet generations in reliability and is generally a good bet. Owners have the most complaints about the interior (28%), engine (16%), and the electrical (9%). We've listed some of the most recent complaints below, see them all on CarComplaints.com.

  1. Gauges Have Gone Haywire 64 complaints at an average of 74,259 miles in the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier.
  2. Gauges Gone Haywire 57 complaints at an average of 68,290 miles in the 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier.
  3. Speedometer Stopped Working 41 complaints at an average of 60,558 miles in the 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier.

What Cavalier Year is Most Reliable?

Generations are a good baseline for prediciting reliability, but there will almost always be year-to-year differences. We've calculated a reliability score for each model year within this generation, but we've based that score on how the model year compares to all Chevrolet model years.

Watch out for the 2004 model year which has the highest PainRank™ score in this generation.

Year Complaints Recalls TSBs PainRank (?)
2005 167 1 330 21.99
2004 279 2 330 29.4
2003 216 2 339 28.86
2002 100 5 324 18.42
2001 52 6 278 13.53
2000 78 7 283 13.33
1999 43 8 96 7.13
1998 43 11 93 6.13
1997 52 13 83 8.72
1996 29 13 74 3.8
1995 16 9 80 1.52

Watch out for these common problems

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