Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (front, side and curtain air bags, sensors and inflators).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Dt: the consumer states that a 2001 Chevrolet caviler has faulty seat belts. The consumer was in involved in a crash with a garbage truck. The consumer was hit by another vehicle that ran a red light. The consumer was knocked under the garbage truck. The consumer had one passenger and two family pets with him. The driver and passenger were buckled up. The passengers knees went through the dashboard. The seatbelt did not hold the passenger securely in the seat. The seatbelt looped the passengers bowels. This happened on Friday and on Monday the passenger had to have major surgery to remover some of her intestines. The speed was about 30-35 MPH when the crash occurred. A year later the passenger was still having problems with her knees, from the crash. The passenger ended up with cancer in the knees, in the exact same spot that her knees were injured in the wreck. …
I was in a very serious car accident where my Cavalier flipped end over end and rolled numerous times. At no time did my air bags deploy. The car was deemed a complete loss. The accident was deemed an act of nature/god. No at fault.
Dt: the contact stated that there were two cracks running side by side from the windshield to the passenger side on the dashboard. The contact discovered the problem on October 5, 2005. He was concerned about it because there was an air bag on the passenger's side. The cracked area was where the air bag was located. When he took vehicle to dealer to be looked at they said that everything in the dash area was connected to the dashboard. The cracked part of the dashboard was loosening from the rest of the dashboard.
At 55 MPH consumer applied brake, vehicle vibrated and consumer lost control without warning. Vehicle spun around, hit a guardrail head on, then skidded 35 yards down a embankment. Passenger suffered back injuries. Vehicle was totalled yet the air bags did not deploy, the ABS system did not work and the vehicle did not stop until it hit the guardrail and skid 35 yds down the guardrail, the turn sugnal failed due to a blown fuse.
At 55 MPH consumer applied brake, vehicle vibrated and consumer lost control without warning. Vehicle spun around, hit a guardrail head on, then skidded 35 yards down a embankment. Passenger suffered back injuries. Vehicle was totalled however the air bags did not deploy, the ABS did not work and the vehicle did not stop until it hit the guardrail and skid 35 yards down the guardrail, the turn sugnal failed due to a blown fuse.
2001 Chevrolet Cavalier, front driver side seat belt defective. " hair trigger press to release button" my daughter christina, age 23 was wearing her seat belt, when on impact her buckle unlatched, causing her to be ejected from her vehicle. Contributing factors are inertial unlatching where the seat belt becomes unlatched during the collision. Also both air bags did not did not deploy and side impact.
Car was involved in a accident with a 18 wheeler it hit the side the went around to the front there were three people in the car two kids and one adult driver the seat belts popped aloosed and the air bags did not deploy there were pictures taken at the scene and there is a police report this is a very bad problem my kids are only two and five and there seat belts did not hold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
2001 Chevrolet Cavalier. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle passenger side front wheel assembly collapsed. The consumer stated his vehicle collided with a park car. The seat belt was tight, and the air bag failed to deploy. The consumer stated the side wheel was at a 90 degree perpendicular angle to the side of the vehicle. The entire wheel assembly looked destroyed.
The dashboard cracked and I still have not been able to get it fixed I have learned since then that this is a common problem for the Chevrolet cavaliers and I worry that if I get into an accident that my airbags wont properly deploy because of the cracked dashboard. Now my windshield fogs up causing visibility issues because of the leaks caused by the cracking.
Vehicle involved in accident and air bags did not fully deploy. The consumer's husband was involved in an accident. The vehicle's driver's side air did not fully deploy and the passenger's side air bag deployed violently and shattered the windshield. The consumer's husband sustained injuries.
Airbag complaints in other Cavalier years
Frequently asked questions
How common are airbag problems on the 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier?
NHTSA has 21 complaints about the air bags of the 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier, 9% of the model year's 243 complaints. The component named most often is frontal (11 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier airbag problems?
No. NHTSA lists no air bags recall for the 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier, though it has 1 recall for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier airbag problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 48,000 miles, and 43% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 13 crashes, 0 fires and 9 injuries and 1 death to air bags problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.