1997 Chevrolet Cavalier Engine and Engine Cooling Problems
Owners have filed 106 complaints with NHTSA about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier, 20% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 75,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “head gasket” (11% of reports).
- 106engine and engine cooling complaints
- 75,000median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 2mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 18%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 12 of 106 complaints (11%)
- Water pump: mentioned in 8 of 106 complaints (8%)
At what mileage do engine and engine cooling problems happen?
Based on 19 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 106 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 3 a fire, 2 an injury.
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 1997 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.
The first incident that occur was in 2009. It was that the switch of the key engine did not want to start. Someone came to fix it but could not find a way to repair it. He had to add a button under the steering wheel and i would be tuning the key to the engine to start i would have to push that…
I just got a used chevy cavalier a 97 model and it over heats constantly and there is a pop an sparks when starting the car and the lights won't turn off and now there is wobbling in the passenger side wheel and white smoke coming out the back . I only had it for maybe two days now and the fan to…
Dt: contact states the timing chain on her vehicle broke on a busy road. The timing chain has been replaced, but within 6 months the timing chain broke again. The engine was replaced in the vehicle. The car started making a loud knocking noise, now the vehicle will only go approximately 15 mph.*ak
Frequently asked questions
Do all 1997 Chevrolet Cavaliers have engine and engine cooling problems?
No. NHTSA has 106 owner complaints about engine and engine cooling for the 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier (20% 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 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 75,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine and engine cooling problems on the 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier?
The most frequent phrase is “head gasket”, in 12 of 106 complaints, followed by “water pump” (8).
Other 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier problems
See all 1997 Chevrolet Cavalier problems or engine and engine cooling problems across all Cavalier years.