1997 Chevrolet Cavalier Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 78 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier, 14% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 100,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (41% of reports).
- 78air bags complaints
- 100,000median miles at failure
- 42mention a crash
- 36mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 38%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.
- Air bag: mentioned in 32 of 78 complaints (41%)
- Bags deployed: mentioned in 21 of 78 complaints (27%)
- False deployment: mentioned in 7 of 78 complaints (9%)
- Driver passenger: mentioned in 5 of 78 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 11 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 78 complaints, 42 mention a crash, 36 an injury.
Chevrolet Cavalier air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Cavalier | 6 | 2% | 66,500 |
| 2004 Cavalier | 15 | 5% | 50,000 |
| 2003 Cavalier | 18 | 3% | 27,000 |
| 2002 Cavalier | 14 | 7% | 33,000 |
| 2001 Cavalier | 21 | 9% | 48,000 |
| 2000 Cavalier | 18 | 6% | 130,000 |
| 1999 Cavalier | 24 | 10% | 96,044 |
| 1998 Cavalier | 34 | 10% | 100,000 |
| 1997 Cavalier | 78 | 14% | 100,000 |
| 1996 Cavalier | 73 | 15% | 89,000 |
| 1995 Cavalier | 20 | 7% | 115,635 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Air bags
Problem: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. Because of certain calibrations in the air bag's sensing and diagnostic module, an inadvertent air bag deployment could occur in a low speed crash or when an object strikes the floor pan.
Risk: Air bags deploy with great force and can seriously injure unrestrained occupants who are too close to them.
Fix: Dealers will recalibrate the air bag sensing and diagnostic module.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Air bags deflated september 9, 2012 while in motion turning a 90 degree bend then braking into road bank on a the side of a country dirt road. An early inspection was handed down from the commonwealth state of pennsylvania on july, 01, 2016. Shortly after the vehicle was involved in auto accident…
Tl* the contact owns a 1997 chevrolet cavalier. The contact was sitting at a traffic stop when her foot slipped off the brake and caused her to lightly crash into the rear of a preceding vehicle. The contact stated there was no damage to either vehicle but the air bags deployed erroneously, causing…
While driving at 55mph the passenger side airbag deployed. When the airbag deployed it ripped apart the dash and busted the windshield. Luckily my son was not injured and managed to keep the car under control to get it off the highway without having an accident. When gm was contacted they said…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Chevrolet Cavaliers have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 78 owner complaints about air bags for the 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier (14% of the 540 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 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier air bags?
Yes: 1 safety recall list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 100,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 32 of 78 complaints, followed by “bags deployed” (21).
Other 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier problems
See all 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier problems or air bags problems across all Cavalier years.