"How reliable is the 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier?"

"Based on 355 NHTSA complaints, the 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier has a median complaint mileage of 50500 miles. The most common issue is Electrical System."

"What are common problems with the 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2001 Chevrolet Cavalier is Electrical System, accounting for a significant portion of the 355 total complaints filed."

2001 Chevrolet Cavalier: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 355 complaints

355

Total Complaints

50,500mi

Median Mileage

Electrical System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

26,102 25th Percentile

50,500 Median Mileage

92,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Electrical System

Automatic Transmission

Switch

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Fuel System, Gasoline

Engine

Frontal

Fuel Pump

Rotor

Rack And Pinion

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 55 MPH SOMETHING FELL FROM UNDER VEHICLE, HITTING THE LOWER FRAME/BUMPER AND HOOD. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO DEALERSHIP FOR REPLACEMENT OF COMPUTER MODULE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK"

"VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY, AT ANY SPEED, AND WILL START AGAIN AFTER 3 TO 10 MINUTES. BEEN TO DEALER 3 TIMES, ONCE A BURNT OUT WIRE ON ALTERNATOR WAS REPLACED. DEALER KEPT TELLING CONSUMER THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH VEHICLE. *AK"

"I HAVE HAD [XXX] LOOK AT THE DEFECT WITH THE AIRBAG. THEY SAID THEY REPLACED A WIRE. THE LIGHT CONTINUES TO COME ON. I'M CONCERNED THAT IF THERE IS A CRASH, IF THE AIRBAG WILL WORK! FOR MY SAFTY, PLEASE HELP ME TAKE CARE OF THIS PROBLEM! THANK YOU, [XXX]. *AK INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT T..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Electrical System 26 complaints

25th: 20,000 mi Median: 90,000 mi 75th: 115,000 mi

Automatic Transmission 17 complaints

25th: 19,427 mi Median: 30,000 mi 75th: 47,525 mi

Switch 13 complaints

25th: 51,000 mi Median: 85,610 mi 75th: 96,421 mi

Service Brakes, Hydraulic 12 complaints

25th: 10,625 mi Median: 11,455 mi 75th: 33,026 mi

Fuel System, Gasoline 12 complaints

25th: 29,445 mi Median: 67,000 mi 75th: 115,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

PA: 29 IL: 24 OH: 24 VA: 21 CA: 15 NH: 15 GA: 14 MD: 13 AZ: 13 FL: 12

Who Files Complaints?

44.2%

Original Owners

55.8%

Second+ Owners

Chevrolet Cavalier — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	70	-	Front Underhood	2
1991	77	90,000	Engine	8
1992	178	64,750	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	16
1993	237	-	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	13
1994	310	98,200	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	41
1995	392	83,750	Engine	42
1996	748	63,871	Engine	73
1997	751	84,197	Gasoline	86
1998	473	81,518	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	42
1999	337	62,000	Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip	37
2000	447	56,110	Electrical System	28
2002	254	54,000	Electrical System	35
2003	866	60,000	Fuel System, Gasoline	53
2004	428	51,862	Electrical System	21
2005	362	65,345	Electrical System	8

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