Suspension complaints by model year
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (struts, shocks, control arms, ball joints, springs).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the front driver's side tire had detached. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. An independent mechanic went to the contact's residence and diagnosed that the lower control arm rusted and detached from the subframe. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.
The vehicle steering is not tight and I am not able to tightly control the movement completely when going over bumps or making turns. The wheel steering feels loose and unsecured. When driving the speed limit on the highway, the vehicle drifts regardless if I have control.
I have noticed a lot and I mean a lot of these cavaliers have had horrible frame problems I use to work on cars everyday until the last year when I got out of the mechanics field an now I own a 03 Chevy Cavalier its a two door 5 speed 2.2 I was on my way home from the store and I felt something rubbing so I stopped an got out to find out my k frame was horribly rotted an broke now this vehicle is 13 years old but as rotted out as it was it wasn't something that just happened its been bad I was just the lucky owner that the frame gave out on an I demand to know why this isn't a recall another thing is I owned a 98 Ford f150 which had recalls an when I was sent the letter about the recalls I asked Ford why the frames on the f150 or ranger wasn't a recall they had no answer. …
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. …
On nov 12, 2004, my fiance was driving to work on a highway and our 02 Chevy Cavalier ls sport coupe went out of control causing a bad crash inside of a tunnel. The tires were in good condition, the car has traction control and the weather was fine. After just getting our car back from being in the shop for repairs to the front end for three months (due to excessive damage), we took the car to get inspected and it failed because hey found that the rear wheel bearing is damaged and will cost almost $500 to be replaced/repaired. There was no indication or warning prior to the accident that this bearing had been going bad. We had a wheel bearing replaced about a year or so ago but it was the front wheel bearing. We do not understand how two bearings could have went bad so quickly, as the car was only about a year old when the first one went. …
I bought this car a 2002 Chevy Cavalier in 2005, and at the time there was 25K original miles so I was told. Since then I have found out there has been 5 recalls on this car for various safety hazards, none of which I was ever told about prior or during my purchase of this vehicle. The signals have failed, I had to pay for them to be replaced, the bearings on the tires caused dry rot and I had to pay to replace those, both were on the recall list. The engine would over heat in the idle position, and they replaced an air filter sitting that as the problem and it wasn't. The pedal sticks when I accelerate and sometimes gets stuck, the rockerarms have started to go bad and it has caused the valve stems to bend,thus causing the oilpump to seize up and now my cars engine has a blown gasket,this is under the engine component system recall, which was reported in 2007. I was never notified. …
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.
Noise sounded like it was coming from underneath vehicle. The noise was actually coming from the right strut mount. Dealers replaced mount under warranty.I don't know whats going to happen to this Cavalier am convinced it is a poorly built automobile and a lemon.GM should replace this vehicle with another vehicle at no charge,but not a Cavalier.
Related recalls (2)
Suspension › Rear
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. One of the rear suspension trailing arm bolts can fatigue and break.
Remedy: Dealers will replace the rear suspension trailing arm fasteners.
Suspension › Front › Control arm › Lower arm
These vehicles have been built with welds missing from the front suspension lower control arm assemblies causing excessive loads on the existing welds.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect both left-hand and right-hand front suspension lower control arm assemblies and replace all control arm assemblies found with omitted welds.
Frequently asked questions
Which Chevrolet Cavalier years have suspension problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 1996 (27), 1997 (27), 2003 (22), 2000 (21) and 2001 (15) model years. Suspension complaints make up 5% of all complaints for the 1996.
Is there a recall for Chevrolet Cavalier suspension problems?
Yes — 2 recalls, including 98V-319 (rear, Dec 15, 1998); 95V-025 (lower arm, Feb 16, 1995). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Chevrolet Cavalier suspension problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 69,000 miles; 44% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the front (37 mentions), followed by the rear (28).
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.