1998 Chevrolet Cavalier: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 473 complaints
473
Total Complaints
81,518mi
Median Mileage
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
Top Issue
42
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

55,000 25th Percentile
81,518 Median Mileage
125,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
34
STEERING:RACK AND PINION
31
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
22
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
20
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH
14
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
14
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
12
AIR BAGS
12
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
12
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
11

Severity Assessment

42
Crashes
11
Fires
38
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHENEVER BRAKES ARE APPLIED, CAN HEAR REAR BRAKES SCRUBBING. THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. THEY WOULD HOLD SOMETIMES. *AK"
"ABS BRAKES GO ON BY THEMSELVES INTERMITTENTLY AT HIGH SPEEDS WITHIN 20 MINUTES OF STARTUP."
"CONSUMER COMPLAINED THAT ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED AFTER ONLY 15300 MILES. SERVICEMAN INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT IT RESULTED FROM THE WAY DRIVER WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28