1997 CHEVROLET CAVALIER Electrical Systemignition Problems

THE CYLINDER LOCK HAS BEEN REPLACED FOUR TIMES. THE VEHICLE IS IN THE ON POSITION. THE KEY IS STUCK. CONSUMER HAD TO LET THE VEHICLE RUN UNTIL IT SHUT ITSELF OFF, MEANING IT HAD TO RUN OUT OF GAS. IT WILL NOT LET THE CONSUMER RELEASE THE KEY FROM THE IGNITION.*AK

CONSUMER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AS STATED IN NHTSA RECALL 02V07000. ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE ENGINE FAILS TO START AND THE DRIVER HOLDS THE KEY IN THE "START" POSITION FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, HIGH CURRENT FLOWS THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND SOMETIMES PRODUCES ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT INTERNAL SWITCH PARTS. THIS RECALL FAILED. *AK

THE RECALL REMEDY FOR THE IGNITION SWITCH RECALL 02 V 070 000 FAILED. THE DEFECT OCCURRED AND ALMOST CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. *NLM

WHEN THE BRAKE WAS APPLIED, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED STOPPING DISTANCE. *JB AFTER THE CONSUMER RECEIVED SERVICE FOR THE IGNITION RECALL, THE CONSUMER HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND THE VEHICLE DIDN'T START UNTIL THREE TRIES LATER. SCC

MY CAR WAS PARKED ALL DAY AT WORK. AFTER WORK I DROVE DOWN TWO BLOCKS TO A STORE WHERE I NEEDED TO RUN IN TO PICK SOMETHING UP. I RETURNED TO MY CAR 10 MINS LATER AND MY CAR WOULD NOT START. DASH LIGHTS WERE FUNCTIONAL, BUT CAR WOULD NOT TURN OVER. INITIALLY IT SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS TRYING TO TURN OVER BUT DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO DO SO. AFTER ATTEMPTING TO START SEVERAL TIMES, IT NO LONGER MADE ANY SOUND WHEN I TURNED THE KEY. TRIED TO JUMPSTART CAR, BUT CAR WOULD NOT TAKE IT. CHECKED ALL FUSES, SEEMED TO BE FINE. DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE THE BATTERY, AS ALL LIGHTS AND CAR ALARM WORK. THIS PROBLEM CAME WITHOUT ANY WARNING SIGNS, WITH THE OCCASION OF A FEW TIMES IN THE PAST WHERE THE CAR STALLED OUT. NO WARNING SIGNS/PROBLEMS PRIOR TO THIS CURRENT PROBLEM. TAKING...

A FIRE STARTED IN THE STEERING COLUMN WITHIN 15 MINUTES AFTER TRYING TO GET VEHICLE TO START. DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

AFTER RECEIVING THE NOTICE IN THE MAIL CONCERNING THE RECALL I CONTACTED MY DEALER ANDEAN CHEVROLET, ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT THE REPLACEMENT PARTS WERE ON "NATIONAL BACK ORDER" AND TO NOT EVEN BRING IN MY CAR THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY OR ANYONE ELSE COULD DO. I THEN ASKED WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN IF I'M DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND MY CAR SHOULD REALLY START ON FIRE. THE REPLY I RECEIVED WAS "THAT VERY RARELY HAPPENS, AND TO CALL BACK IN 3-4 WEEKS." TWO DAYS LATER I STARTED HAVING TROUBLE STARTING MY CAR. WHEN I TRIED STARTING IT AND IT DIDN'T I CONTINUED TO TRY TO START IT FINALLY ONLY TO END UP GETTING A MACHANICS HELP. THIS CONTINUED FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND EVEN BEING STRANDED IN A VERY SECLUUDED AREA BECAUSE OF THIS IGNITION PROBLEM. I EVEN ENDED UP REPLACING THE BATTERY DUE TO TRYING TO START THE...

I HAVE BEEN HAVING A PROBLEM STARTING MY CAR FOR SOME TIME NOW. SOMETIMES WHEN YOU TRY TO START IT THE FIRST COUPLE OF TIMES IT JUST CLICKS. THEN IT WILL START UP. IT WASN'T UNTIL APRIL 15TH THAT THE CAR JUST FINALLY DECIDED NOT TO RUN ANYMORE. THEY ARE TELLING ME THAT THE PART FOR MY CAR THAT INVOLVES THE RECALL WILL NOT BE IN UNTIL JULY. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT I AM SUPPOSED TO DO IN THE MEAN TIME. THEY ARE NOT OFFERING A RENTAL CAR. I HAVE ALREADY LOST TIME OFF OF WORK BECAUSE OF THIS WHOLE MESS. I FEEL THAT I HAVE PAID MY CAR OFF AND GENERAL MOTORS SHOULD AT LEAST GIVE A LITTLE. CONSIDERING I HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS OUT OF MY CAR SINCE SIX MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW. GENERAL MOTORS IS RUINING THEIR NAME AND REPUTATION BECAUSE I...

HAD RECEIVED RECALL NOTICE 02V070000. CONTACTED DEALER FOR APPOINTMENT. TOOK VEHICLE ON APPOINTED DATE. WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC NO PARTS WERE AVAILABLE. GAVE NO INDICATION OF TIME FRAME FOR PARTS.*AK

RECEIVED RECALL LETTER 02V070000 ON 01/V/070/000. PARTS ARE NOT AVAILABLE, AND THERE IS CONCERN OF A FIRE THAT MAY START AS A RESULT. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE RECENT RECALL ON MY 97 CHEVROLET. I CURRENTLY HAVE THE DEFECT AND THE CAR CAN CATCH FIRE AT ANY TIME. THE PROBLEM IS RECALL APRIL 2002. MY CAR IS HAVING THE PROBLEM DESCRIBED IN THIS RECALL NOTICE. IE, WHEN KEY IS TURNED, THERE IS A CLICKING NOISE, ENGINE DOES NOT TURN OVER. CAR AT THE DEALERSHIP. RELAY REPAIR KIT NOT DUE TO DEALER UNTIL MAY 2002. MY CAR HAS THE DEFECT AND I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT UNTIL MAY.*AK

CONSUMER TURNED VEHICLE ON AND NOTHING HAPPENED. SHE DID THIS 3 TIMES. ALSO, AFTER TAKING AUTOMOBILE TO MECHANIC, SHE WAS TOLD BY MECHANIC THAT HE COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH IT. *AK

WHEN TURNING IGNITION VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. CONSUMER THOUGHT BATTERY WAS WEAK. CONSUMER FELT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH BATTERY, IT WAS HEATING UP IGNITION, AND COULD CAUSE A FIRE.*AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN WITHOUT WARNING, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WOULD STALL OUT AT LEAST 3 OR 4 TIMES A WEEK AFTER IT HAD BEEN SITTING 6 HOURS OR LONGER. HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO 4 DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS, AND EACH MECHANIC COULD NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. PROBLEM WAS CONSISTENT.*AK

I HAVE CALLED THIS MORNING (12/06/00) TO NHTSA, YOU SAID YOU WILL SEND ME A FORM TO FILL OUT. BUT THEN I GOT INTO THIS WEBSITE. SO I WOULD LIKE TO FILE AND DOCUMENT ASAP BECASUE I FEEL VERY UNSAFE WHILE DRIVING. I AM SURE MY VEHICLE HAS A DEFECT OR PROBLEM WHICH COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT OR INJURY OR DEATH TO MYSELF AND OTHERS. THE PROBLEM FIRST APPEARED IN EARLY JULY/00: SOON AFTER STARTING THE CAR, WARNING LIGHTS (OIL PRESSURE AND CHARGING SYSTEM) LIT UP AND THE CAR STALLED AND LOST POWER. POWER BRAKE WAS GONE, AND I WAS HEADING DOWN A STEEP SLOPE! LUCKILY I MANAGED TO STOP THE CAR WITHOUT CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. I CAN RESTART THE CAR AND DRIVE ON. IT HAPPENED 2 TIMES MORE AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TO CHECK. IT CANNOT REPEAT THE CONDITION, SO NOTHING WAS DONE. FOR THE NEXT...

VEHICLE CONTINUALLY STALLING. SEVERAL TRIPS TO DEALER AND THE DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO IDENTIFY PROBLEM. ERROR CODES P0 171 AND P0 507, REPAIRS HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL. *AK

MY CAR HAS NOT STARTED 4 TIMES. I KEEP IT MANTAINED AS SCHEDUALED. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALERSHIP I BROUGHT IT FROM, BUT THEY HAVE CHARGED ME TO MUCH MONEY AND ALWAYS TELL ME NOTHING IS WRONG. IF SOMEONE JUMPS MY CAR IT WORKS FINE, BUT I HAVE TO JUMPSTART IT IN ORDER TO GET IT RUNNING AGAIN. WHAT COULD BE WRONG?*AK

NOVEMBER 13, 1998 CAR WOULD NOT START IN MORNING. CALLED FOR SERVICE, ABLE TO GET CAR STARTED BEFORE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED. TOOK CAR IN TO SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, CHARGED $70 AND SENT HOME. FEBRUARY 1999, IGNITION FAILED TWO MORNINGS IN A ROW, AGAIN PROBLEM CLEARED UP BEFORE TOW TRUCK ARRIVED. DEALER UNABLE TO GIVE ANY FURTHER EXPLANATION. FEBRUARY, 1999 HORN CEASED FUNCTIONING, CHECKED FUSES ALL SEEM OK. SCHEDULED TO TAKE CAR IN FOR SERVICE IN EARLY APRIL. *AK

ON MAY 29 1998 MY CARS ETS/ ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON, AND I TOOK IT TO A CHEVROLET DEALER TO FIND OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE NUMBER 2 ENGINE CYLINDER MISFIRING, AND THEY TRIED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. WITHIN THE NEXT FEW DAYS I WAS BACK FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS TIME THE CALLED THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANT FOR HELP, AND THEY DID THIS ANOTHER TIME AS THEY DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. I THEN MOVE TO FT. POLK LA. AS I AM IN THE MILITARY. ON 1 JAN 9, THE SAME PROBLEM STARTED UP AGAIN. THIS TIME THEY DID THE SAME THING THE OTHER SHOP DID. I HAVE HAD MY CAR IN THE SHOP FOR A TOTAL OF 4 TIMES THAT THEY HAVE WORKED ON IT, REPLACING THE CYLINDER CAP/FUEL INJECTOR AND COIL HOUSING. AND THEY TALKED TO THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANTCE PERSONNEL...

SPARK SPLUG FAILED CAUSING ENGINE PROBLEMS.

COILS IN HOUSING FAILED, DEFECTIVE CONTROL MODULE.