Problems · by component
2000 Chevrolet Cavalier power train problems
25 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier cite power train, 8% of all 326 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
25
8% of all complaints
Crashes
2
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
2
Reported by owners
What owners say about the power train
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“FUEL PUMP ON CHEVROLET CAVALIER Z24 WENT OUT AT 76,000 MILES. IT LOST POWER AND DIED ALL OF A SUDDEN IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. LUCKILY, NO CARS WERE AROUND AS IT WAS ALMOST MIDNIGHT. COST TO REPAIR WAS OVER $600, NOT INCLUDING THE TOWING. IN DOING SOME RESEARCH I HAVE FOUND THAT NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAD FUEL PUMPS MALFUNCTION ON THEIR CAVALIERS, AND ON SOME CARS NEWER AND MOST WITH LOWER MILES THAN ON THIS CAR. SAME STORY, JUST LOSES POWER AND DIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. THIS WAS EXTREMELY UNSAFE. OBVIOUSLY THIS WAS A DEFECT WITH THE CAVALIER, YET THEY WON'T ISSUE A RECALL. I HAVE NEVER HEARD FROM ANYONE THAT OWNED A CAVALIER THAT DIDN'T HAVE SOME SORT OF PROBLEM WITH IT. ALSO, HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE SHIFTER CABLE AND POWER WINDOW MOTOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. EXTREMELY UNHAPPY WITH THE CHEVROLET. *AK”
“DRIVESHAFT/POWERTRAIN FAILURE ON RIGHT SIDE DURING LOW SPEED (<15 MPH) RIGHT HAND TURN CAUSED LOSE OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE AND COLLISION WITH LIGHT POLE. DEPLOYMENT OF AIR BAGS CAUSED MINOR INJURIES TO DRIVER. VEHICLE A TOTAL LOSS. *JB”
“CONSUMER 2000 CAVALIER STALL WHEN TURNING OR STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT. *TS AFTER THE RECALL WORK WAS DONE FOR THE IGNITION THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO STALL. THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE OVERHAULED. TWO SENSORS HAVE BEEN REPLACED. THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER HAS BEEN REPLACED. THE FUEL PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED. *NM”
“I DRIVE MY CAR FOR CANADA POST ,SO I DO LOTS OF MILEAGE,BUT AFTER OWNING MY CAR FOR AROUND 5 MONTHS I WENT TO COME TO A STOP AND REALIZED I HAD VERY LITTLE BRAKES,I HAD TO PUMP THEM REPEATEDLY TO STOP AT A INTERSECTION,I CONTINUED TO THE NEXT BLOCK WHERE I OPENED THE DOOR AND PRESSED THE BRAKES TO NOTICE BRAKE FLUID POURING OUT OF THE WHEEL .I TOOK THE TIRE OFF AND SEEN THAT THE BRAKE LINE HAD BEEN RUBBING ON MY CV BOOT ,THE LINE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS GROOVED FROM RUBBING ON MY CV JOINT AND IN TURN BROKE THE CV BOOT AND BROKE THE BRAKE LINE ,I WENT TO GM AND ASKED IF THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS AND THEY SAID NO SO I REPLACED THE LINE MYSELF WITH A LITTLE MODIFICATION TO STOP IT FROM RUBBING BUT NOW I GOT A CV JOINT THAT IS ABOUT TO BRAKE DUE TO THIS BRAKE LINE CAN YOU PLEASE CHECK TO SEE IF THIS IS JUST MY CAR OR OTHERS ALL SO ,I HAVE ALL SO HAD MORE BRAKE PROBLEMS FROM THE DAY I BOUGHT THIS CAR SUCH AS ABS LOCKING UP ON MEAT INTERSECTIONS I THINK DUE TO TRACTION CONTROL I HAVE GONE TO TAKE OFF AND HAD TO CHANGE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO 1 ST GEAR IN ORDER TO CROSS A ROAD SAFELY I REPORTED THIS TO MY DEALER I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM AND THEY DID NOTHING…”
“ON THE DATE MENTIONED BELOW, MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING TO WORK WHEN THE CAR WOULDN'T GO INTO 3RD GEER. THE RPM'S WOULDN'T GO OVER 3 AND THE CAR WOULDN'T GO OVER 30 MPH. NO PREVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AT ALL. WE TOOK IT TO THE CHEVY DEALER AND THEY WANTED $400 JUST TO DROP THE PAN AND LOOK AT THE CAR. SINCE MY DAUGHTER NEEDED THE VEHICLE FOR WORK, I TOOK THE CAR TO A REPUTABLE COMPANY IN THE LOCAL AREA (THEY ALSO SERVICE MY COMPANY TRUCKS) AND THEY TOLD ME THE TRANSMISSION WAS SHOT, 3RD AND 4TH GEER WERE GONE. THEY AGREED TO WORK WITH ME ON THE PAYMENTS SINCE I DIDN'T HAVE $1300 TO COVER A USED TRANSMISSION AND THE LABOR. I PURCHASED THE CAR IN AUG 2002 WITH ONLY 16K MILES, WHEN THE TRANSMISSION WENT OUT IT HAD ONLY 27K. I'VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS AND CAN GET NO ASSISTANCE FROM CHEVY.... VERY UPSET AT THEIR LACK OF UNDERSTANDING AND COOPERATION AT ASSISTING IN THE FINANCIAL AID.”
“WE BOUGHT A USED CHEVROLET CAVALIER FROM THE YEAR 2000 WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY (GM CERTIFIED) FOR 3 MONTHS OR 3,000 MILES. SINCE THE BEGINNING THERE WERE 4 PROBLEMS NOT YET FIXED. 1 - THERE IS A POPPING NOISE UNDER THE BACK OF THE CAR. DEALER (KOONS CHEVROLET - WITHE MARSCH, MD) SAID HE COULDN'T DUPLICATE. AFTER BRINGING THE CAR FOR THE 3RD TIME, HE SAID THE BRAKES WERE DIRTY AND HE CLEANED THEM, BUT THIS NOISE IS STILL HERE, WHEN STARTING AT A RED TRAFFIC LIGHT FOR EXAMPLE, OR WHEN RIDING ON A ROUGH ROAD. 2 - THERE IS A GRINDING NOISE IN FRONT WHEN DRIVING. IT'S STOPPING WHEN PUSHING THE BRAKE PEDAL. IT'S LINKED WITH THE BRAKES FOR SURE. THE PADS ARE NEW AND THE DEALER SAID THE ROTOR MAKES HIS NOISE, BUT HE REFUSED TO CHANGE IT (WHEREAS IT'S UNDER WARRANTY). HE SAID IT'S NOT UNSAFE. BUT THIS NOISE IS COMING LOUDER AND I FEEL LIKE A LOSS OF CONTROL. 3 - THE ABS LIGHT COME ON EVERY SINGLE DAY WHILE DRIVING AND NOT BRAKING. THE 1ST TIME, THE DEALER CHANGED THE BULB. THE 2ND TIME PROBLEM WAS NOT SOLVE) HE CHANGED THE ALTERNATOR, BECAUSE MY CAR BROKE DOWN THE DAY BEFORE (NO MORE POWER AT ALL). HE SAID THE ALTERNATOR PUTTED A LOW VOLTAGE TO THE ABS CAUSING THE…”
Showing 6 of 25 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 10, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.