NHTSA Complaint #10584436 — 2004 CHEVROLET CAVALIER

CLUTCH FLUID LEAK FROM SLAVE CYLINDER DETECTED 4/19/14. FLUID LEVEL IN MASTER CYLINDER WAS LOW BUT NOT DANGEROUSLY SO, SO I ADDED DOT-3 TO MASTER CYLINDER. EVENING OF 4/22 NOTICED NO NEW LEAKAGE ON GARAGE FLOOR. ON MORNING OF 4/23 EN ROUTE TO WORK, NOTICED CLUTCH ENGAGED MUCH CLOSER TO FLOOR THAN USUAL, AND HAD MUCH MORE "PLAY" BETWEEN IT'S NORMAL POSITION AND WHEN CLUTCH BEGAN TO ENGAGE. IN CITY-STREET TRAFFIC, SPEED LIMIT 50 MPH, CLUTCH BEGAN TO SEIZE, CAUSING INABILITY TO SHIFT INTO ANOTHER GEAR. CLUTCH PEDAL TO FLOOR, CAR IN GEAR, RIGHT FOOT OFF GAS, CAR MOVED FORWARD UNDER POWER. TURNED AROUND TO HEAD BACK HOME AND WITHIN TWO MILES CLUTCH WENT BACK TO MOSTLY NORMAL OPERATION. AFTER ANOTHER 3 MILES (THE ENTIRE TRIP WAS ON CITY STREETS WITH SPEED LIMITS BETWEEN 40 AND 55 MPH, INCLUDING LOTS OF STOPLIGHTS=MORE SHIFTING) CLUTCH SEIZED UP ENTIRELY. PEDAL FLAT TO FLOOR, NEEDED TOE UNDER LEVER TO PULL IT BACK UP. STUCK IN 3RD GEAR, NO AMOUNT OF PUMPING THE PEDAL WOULD ALLEVIATE THE PROBLEM. UPON STOPPING, CHECKED FLUID LEVEL IN MASTER CYLINDER AND IT IS SLIGHTLY LOWER THAN WHEN IT WAS FILLED ON 4/19, BUT LEVEL HAD NOT CHANGED IN 24 HOURS. UNABLE TO SHIFT INTO ANY GEAR, CAR WILL NEED TO BE TOWED HOME THEN TO SHOP. *TR