NHTSA Complaint #10116264 — 2000 CHEVROLET CAVALIER

(1) ORDINARY TO LOW USAGE OF A 2000 2.2 L CHEVROLET CAVALIER, WHICH HAD 19,900 MILES WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED IN NOVEMBER, 2004. (2) PERSISTENT PROBLEM WITH A "CLUNKING" SOUND IN THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE OF CAR, WHEN TURNING. THE PROBLEM IS ESPECIALLY NOTICEABLE AT LOW SPEEDS. THE NOISE IS A POSSIBLE INDICATION OF A STEERING OR POWERTRAIN MALFUNCTION. (3) THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTOMOBILE REPAIR SHOP TO IDENTIFY AND REPAIR THE PROBLEM CAUSING THE NOISE. THE REPAIR SHOP IDENTIFIED AND REPLACED A CRACKED BRAKE ROTOR. MOREOVER, THEY REPLACED THE OTHER ROTOR AND BOTH BRAKE PADS. FURTHERMORE, THE REPAIR SHOP LUBRICATED THE DRIVER SIDE LOWER BALL JOINT, THE SADDLE ON STRUT, AND THE TIE ROD. ALSO, THE AXLE WAS INSPECTED EXTERNALLY, BUT NO PROBLEMS WERE IDENTIFIED. THE REPAIR SHOP INDICATED THAT IT MIGHT TAKE A WEEK FOR THE "CLUNKING" NOISE TO DISAPPEAR, AS THE LUBRICANT WORKED INTO THE JOINTS. HOWEVER, AS OF APRIL, 2005 THE PROBLEM STILL REMAINS.*AK