AI Damage1991 Chevrolet Cavalier: common problems
Owners of the 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier filed 55 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and engine and cooling. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 55
- involving a crash
- 7
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 31% of all complaints
- 2 Engine and cooling 15% of all complaints
- 3 Seats 13% of all complaints
- 4 Seat belts 9% of all complaints
- 5 Service brakes 9% of all complaints
- 6 Steering 9% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 9% of all complaints
- 8 Powertrain 5% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 17 complaints (31% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine and cooling: 8 complaints (15% of all).
- Seats: 7 complaints (13% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 5 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 5 complaints (9% of all).
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- 3.1 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- automatic, 3-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 55 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 17 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 5 | 2 | 0 |
| Visibility | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Latches, locks, linkages | 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.
As the car rolled, the driver side door opened which defeated the ability of the seat belt to hold him inside because the seat belt design had the shoulder harness anchored to the top of the door/window frame and the lap belt anchored to the bottom of the door.
Why did the roof collapse injuring both occupants who were wearing seatbelts? Why did they have to use the jaws-of-life to rescue both girls?
Steering stiffened/locked as driver was pulling into parking space, causing minor contact with adjacent parked vehicle. Following contact, vehicle stopped and steering wheel realigned (with great effort) to complete parking.
Consumer was driving at 35 mph on the interstate when he suffered a heart attack. Vehicle flipped over the gurdrail. The consumer's air bag driver side did not deploy, and consumer was killed in the accident.
Son driving on slippery snow-covered road with little strreet lighting, driver lost control, vehicle veered off road and struck a tree, driver's seatback failed and driver was ejected backward through rear window and was killed.
After slightly bumping a parking stopper, the vehicle accelerator stuck open and caused the vehicle to suddenly take off, resulting in an accident.
Anything remaining of them is either rotting and rusting away, or has paint removed from them. The paint is also coming out of the front plastic bumper and from the front hood of the car. Some rust is also appearing at the sides.
While tightening up the lug nuts on the wheel, pieces of metal sheared off and dropped small pieces of metal on the ground. The lug nuts in question were newly purchased. Part#254 abn 10.9 manufactured by r+b inc.
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 5,078 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 14% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Cavalier has 187 complaints (25 years in the data). This year has 55, below average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Engine and cooling. Radiator and fan after a frontal hit, coolant level and condition, overheating.
- Seats. Occupant sensor, power adjustment, seat mounts.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
Other years of this model
- Cavalier 19833 sources
- Cavalier 19848 sources
- Cavalier 19854 sources
- Cavalier 198618 sources
- Cavalier 198724 sources
- Cavalier 198812 sources
- Cavalier 198943 sources
- Cavalier 199055 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 1991 Chevrolet Cavalier?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, engine and cooling, seats. Total complaints: 55. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (13%), seat belts (9%), windows, sunroof (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1991 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 1991 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 1991 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 2026-11-05.