NHTSA Complaint #758889 — 1995 CHEVROLET CAVALIER

THE FIRST INCIDENT WITH MY 1995 BASE MODEL CHEVROLET CAVALIER WAS WHEN THE HORN STOPPED WORKING, WHEN I NEEDED IT MOST ON A FREEWAY WHEN SOMEONE WAS ABOUT TO HIT ME WHILE CHANGING LANES. THE HORN FAILED, AND IT HAD TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF ABOUT $100, WHICH I COVERED, SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS RECENTLY OFF OF WARRANTY. MONTHS LATER, THE TRUNK LATCH REFUSED TO WORK. I COULD NOT OPEN THE TRUNK FROM THE REAR OR FROM THE INSIDE OF THE CAR. IN LATE 2000, MY BRAKES WERE MAKING GRINDING NOISES. TURNS OUT THE ROTORS WERE BADLY WARPED AT 50,000 MILES. NOW, 15,000 MILES LATER, THE BRAKES ARE GRINDING AGAIN, WHICH LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE ROTORS MAY ONCE AGAIN BE WARPED. AT THE BEGINNING OF 2002, I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR A ROUTINE INSPECTION, ONLY TO DISCOVER THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS CRACKED AND LEAKING COOLANT ALL OVER MY ENGINE. THE HEAD GASKET HAD TO BE REPLACED, WHICH WAS A VERY COSTLY REPAIR. ONLY RECENTLY HAVE I HEARD THAT THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE COVERED BY A "SECRET" WARRANTY UP TO 7 YEARS OR 100,000 MILES, SOMETHING I WISH I HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF BEFORE THIS HAPPENED. FINALLY, WITHIN WEEKS OF THE HEAD GASKET REPAIR, THE PLASTIC ON THE DRIVER'S SEATBELT SNAPPED OFF, SO NOW I MUST HAVE THE ENTIRE SEATBELT REPLACED. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH ALL OF THE PROBLEMS I HAVE EXPERIENCED WITH THIS CAR, AND I HAVE HEARD THAT OTHER CAVALIER OWNERS HAVE HAD EVEN WORSE EXPERIENCES THAN ME! I WOULD LIKE TO SEE GENERAL MOTORS STAND BY THEIR PRODUCTS AND AT LEAST REIMBURSE ME FOR SOME OF THE HEAD GASKET REPAIR COST, WHICH WAS NEARLY SEVEN HUNDRED DOLLARS, BUT THIS MAY ONLY BE A PIPE DREAM. THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE CAVALIER ENGINE HEAD GASKETS FOR THE 2.2 L ENGINES. THIS SEEMS TO BE A LONG-RUNNING PROBLEM ON CAVALIERS THROUGHOUT THE 1990S THAT GM HAS YET TO PUBLICLY ADMIT OR ADDRESS. WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR THEM TO RECALL IT, SOMEONE DYING ON THE ROAD WHEN HIS OR HER CAR EITHER STALLS IN BUSY TRAFFIC OR CATCHES ON FIRE?