1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 117 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier, 23% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 94,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “head gasket” (28% of reports).
- 117engine and engine cooling complaints
- 94,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 53%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Head gasket: mentioned in 33 of 117 complaints (28%)
- Water pump: mentioned in 11 of 117 complaints (9%)
- Provide further information: mentioned in 6 of 117 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 15 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 117 complaints, 1 mention a crash.
Chevrolet Cavalier engine and engine cooling complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine and Engine Cooling complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Cavalier | 6 | 2% | 52,000 |
| 2004 Cavalier | 15 | 5% | 30,000 |
| 2003 Cavalier | 43 | 6% | 52,500 |
| 2002 Cavalier | 22 | 11% | 54,000 |
| 2001 Cavalier | 29 | 12% | 67,000 |
| 2000 Cavalier | 54 | 17% | 56,000 |
| 1999 Cavalier | 44 | 18% | 61,200 |
| 1998 Cavalier | 55 | 16% | 65,000 |
| 1997 Cavalier | 106 | 20% | 75,000 |
| 1996 Cavalier | 117 | 23% | 94,000 |
| 1995 Cavalier | 82 | 30% | 73,306 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine and engine cooling for the 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
There's alot of stuff wrong with this car. It ran good and is reliable when running,but recently stop running. *tr
I replaced the battery on my 1996 chevrolet cavalier 2.4l with manual transmission about 3 days ago. Today as i was driving to get gas the vehicle started to idle low as if it was not getting enough fuel to the engine. As i came to a stop it got worse and then i check the dash for any indication of…
I purchased a 1996 chevy cavalier in 1999 and from the beginning had problems with the check engine light continually on etc. From 1999 to sept 2010 - i took it to several chevy dealers while it was under warranty and they never fixed the problem completely and the lights remained on. I was told to…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1996 Chevrolet Cavaliers have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 117 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier (23% of the 503 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier engine and engine cooling?
No recall currently lists engine and engine cooling for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems start?
The median reported mileage is 94,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier?
The most frequent phrase is “head gasket”, in 33 of 117 complaints, followed by “water pump” (11).
Other 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier problems
See all 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Cavalier years.