NHTSA Complaint #701344 — 1996 CHEVROLET CAVALIER

THE PROBLEM IS THAT WHEN YOUR DRIVING AT NIGHT THERE IS A POWER DRAIN ON THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. WHENEVER YOU APPLY THE BRAKES THE HEADLIGHTS WILL DIM, THE A/C WILL SLOW DOWN, AND THE INSTRUMENT DASH LIGHTS WILL DIM.THE CHEVY DEALER IN INVERNESS FIRST WORKED ON THIS PROBLEM ON 1-23-98 AND STATED THAT THIS IS NORMAL FOR THIS VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM CONTINUED TO GET WORSE SO I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN AGAIN ON 2-23-98. AGAIN THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG BUT THEY SAID THE BATTERY WAS DRAINED SO THEY WENT AHEAD AND REPLACED THE BATTERY.THIS SOLVED THE PROBLEM FOR A WHILE BUT AFTER ABOUT TWO MONTHS THE PROBLEM STARTED AGAIN AND I RETURNED BACK TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. AGAIN THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE BUT THEY WENT AHEAD AND REPLACED THE ALTENATOR AND RECHARGED THE BATTERY. THIS HAS NOT SOLVED THE PROBLEM AND JUST THIS LAST WEEK 12-7-98 I RETUNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AGAIN. THEY KEPT THE VEHICLE FOR FOUR DAYS AND SAID THAT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG BUT THAT THE BATTERY WAS DRAINED AGAIN SO THEY CHARGED IT AND THAT THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THEY WERE GOING TO DO. MY CONCERN IS THAT MY FAMILY WILL BE OUT AT NIGHT AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START