AI Damage1987 Chevrolet Cavalier: common problems
Owners of the 1987 Chevrolet Cavalier filed 24 complaints with NHTSA, most often about seat belts and steering. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 24
- involving a crash
- 3
What fails most often
- 1 Seat belts 25% of all complaints
- 2 Steering 25% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 13% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 5 Seats 8% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
- 7 Tires 8% of all complaints
- 8 Structure 4% of all complaints
- Seat belts: 6 complaints (25% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 6 complaints (25% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 3 complaints (13% of all).
- Powertrain: 2 complaints (8% of all).
- Seats: 2 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 2.8 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 3-speed
- manual, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 24 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seat belts | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Steering | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Consumer has been experiencing constant blowouts and flats with the tires. One incident led to the vehicle slamming into a street curb.
Only the lap part of the seat belt was holding her. Vehicle was totalled. Dealer was not contacted concerning incident.
Driver lost control of vehicle and crashed into a tree, the seat belt did not restrain him in the seat consumer's son was drving on a gravel road and he came over ah hill and caught the pile of gravel and lost control of vehicle, whic then turned over three or four times and driver was thrown from vehicle,the seat…
But my tire tread had separated from my tire. I purchased those tires brand new from firestone on 05/24/2002.
Belt that holds drivers seat to the floor broke and the car could not be driven. Seat belt on drivers side sometimes will not pull out.
The bolts in the steering column are loose, causing the steering wheel to move freely, resulting in loss of vehicle control. Please give any further details.
While adjusting driver's seat, the seat track anchor broke away from the frame, rendering seat inoperative.
Accelerator cable sticks in freezing weather, causing loss of control.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 7,585 of 36,659 model years in the NHTSA data (top 21% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Cavalier has 187 complaints (25 years in the data). This year has 24, below average.
What to check before buying
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
- Cavalier 19833 sources
- Cavalier 19848 sources
- Cavalier 19854 sources
- Cavalier 198618 sources
- Cavalier 198812 sources
- Cavalier 198943 sources
- Cavalier 199055 sources
- Cavalier 199155 sources
- Cavalier 1992134 sources
- Cavalier 1993146 sources
- Cavalier 1994212 sources
- Cavalier 1995270 sources
- Cavalier 1996503 sources
- Cavalier 1997540 sources
- Cavalier 1998345 sources
- Cavalier 1999240 sources
- Cavalier 2000315 sources
- Cavalier 2001243 sources
- Cavalier 2002196 sources
- Cavalier 2003678 sources
- Cavalier 2004330 sources
- Cavalier 2005287 sources
- Cavalier 999911 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1987 Chevrolet Cavalier?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: seat belts, steering, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 24. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: seat belts (29%), tires: bulges, blowouts (8%), brake failure (4%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1987 Chevrolet Cavalier?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1987 Chevrolet Cavalier from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1987 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-06.