Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Power suddenly shut off, causing power steering to fail, which made me wreck into a ditch. It also caused the airbags to not deploy and prevented seatbelts from locking into place when the brakes were hit.
I had been reading about recent recalls with GM, especially ignition switches. I have a 2003 Chevy Cavalier and it was diagnosed with a bad ignition switch. I first noticed when I went to start the car in the morning, a day after coming home from work. Good thing it happened then because I would have been stranded off site. I went to start the car, nothing happened except wipers and radio did not work as well which I thought was strange. Finally the radio at least came on at some point, but car still would not start. After it was fixed they said the ignition switch was bad and the mechanic asked if I had looked for the recall on it. I searched online but did not find it. I know my car is older, however of all the cars I ever owned and I had many, I never had any issues with ignition switches! I think I had one of the defective switches and would like to look into this matter. …
Instrumet cluster problems for a few years. Fuel sending unit has been replaced at about 52,000 miles after quiting twice while driving highway speed of 55 MPH. Dealer claimed the car quit because of a bad battery the first time and did not diagnose the problem correctly. It was not the battery. The fuel sending unit intermittently reads well beyond full and interfears with the temperature gage function. Now speedometer is stuck at 85 MPH while turned off. I was driving with the cruise doing 67 MPH, I slowed down to make a turn at an at grade insection to a road posted at 55 MPH. I completed the turn and sped up. The speedometer read 58 MPH but it felt llike I was gong about 30 MPH. I stopped at another intersection and the speed dropped to 40 MPH. I made the turn and acelerated and the speed went to 110 MPH but I was not going near that fast. …
I own a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier ls and on dec. 25 when I turned on the rear defrost button smoke started to come out from inside the steering wheel column. I could not get the rear defrost to turn off so I had to turn off the car and remove the fuse to it. Shortly after this incident the power windows have stopped working and the fuse to them is still good, I replaced it just in case but the windows still do not work. The odometer has also stopped working so I have had to guess my speed. I feel that this is a huge safety concern since the rear defrost does not work I cannot see out the rear window on cold days, I also cannot tell how fast I am driving which can cause an accident, and the power windows have stopped working. The car is due for inspection next month and I cannot afford to fix these problems, this is my only vehicle and rely on it to get to and from work everyday. …
Tl contact owns a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier. The contact stated that within a few minutes after parking her vehicle, it caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact stated that the electrical system caused the fire. Prior to the failure, she noticed that the windows opened after the vehicle was turned off. When she turned the air conditioner off green smoke emitted into the vehicle and the fire started immediately after the green smoke was present. The dealer and manufacturer have not been notified. The vehicle identification number is unavailable. The current and failure mileages were approximately 75,000. Updated 10/21/09 the consumer stated when she turned the ac switch to off, smoke began to emit from the vehicle. The consumer stated even though the car was off, the ac was still on. Updated 10/20/09
First problem with my car was a short in the brake lights. Chevrolet repaired that. Then the horn would work randomly. Chevrolet replaced that. The A/C failed to work on the driver side. Chevrolet repaired that. Then the keyless entry randomly stopped working, Chevrolet told me they cannot find anything wrong the keyless entry still doesn't work properly. Then the car started turning off while I was driving. Chevrolet again told me they could not repair the problem due to nothing registering on the computer. My car turned off mid turn and I hit a brick wall. Chevrolet investigated the accident and told me my car didn't turn off. I got my car back last Tuesday and my car turned off again. I made an appointment to bring my car back to Chevrolet and its turned off again. I guess Chevrolet will never be able to repair my problem.
January 14,2009 my car almost caught on fire due to acid from my battery liking into the battery pan. I had to unhook the battery and take it out of the car. My step son was driving by my house when my cars lights were on andthe car had been sitting for about 3 hours. I went outside and the lights were very dim. I tried to start it up and the car started smoking and I immediately turned the car off. There were sparks so I had to put out the small flame and remove the battery. I had the car towed to parker Pontiac Buick GMC that same day. The small fire burned through my windshield washer fluid line the cost to me for repair of the small fire was about 487.00.
I was driving and had been in my car for about five min and smoke started coming out of the bottom of where the radio and heater controls are..at that time I pulled over and saw flames in the dash and it was growing and I called 911 fire and we closed the doors and waited til the fire truck got there and handled the fire. It completely destroyed my dash steering column front windshield and head liner...all my instrument panels and wiring are fried. I believe it was a faulty wiring system...if not would like to know how this could have been prevented and how do I fix my car..
My car has the same problem with the instrument cluster that was recalled for other GM vehicles. The fuel level gauge, temperature gauge, RPM, speedometer.... None of my gauges work. They gave the wrong readings, the hand wouldn't return to their starting positions, then the hands went lower than their starting positions to the point they all didn't work anymore. This car needs to be added to the GM recall list for the same problem.
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.
Electrical complaints in other Cavalier years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier?
NHTSA has 106 complaints about the electrical system of the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier, 16% of the model year's 678 complaints. The component named most often is instrument cluster/panel (31 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2003 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 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 60,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 3 crashes, 4 fires and 3 injuries to electrical system 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.