2003 Chevrolet Cavalier Exterior Lighting Problems
Owners have filed 57 complaints with NHTSA about exterior lighting problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier, 8% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 13,192 miles. The words owners use most often: “turn signal” (39% of reports).
- 57exterior lighting complaints
- 13,192median miles at failure
- 5mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 1related recalls
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Turn signal: mentioned in 22 of 57 complaints (39%)
- Rear brake: mentioned in 6 of 57 complaints (11%)
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems happen?
Based on 34 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 57 complaints, 5 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
Chevrolet Cavalier exterior lighting complaints by model year
| Model year | Exterior Lighting complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 Cavalier | 5 | 2% | 85,019 |
| 2004 Cavalier | 8 | 2% | 89,500 |
| 2003 Cavalier | 57 | 8% | 13,192 |
| 2002 Cavalier | 14 | 7% | 69,058 |
| 2001 Cavalier | 7 | 3% | 62,650 |
| 2000 Cavalier | 13 | 4% | 55,850 |
| 1999 Cavalier | 11 | 5% | 59,500 |
| 1998 Cavalier | 17 | 5% | 119,750 |
| 1997 Cavalier | 13 | 2% | 119 |
| 1996 Cavalier | 17 | 3% | 101,500 |
| 1995 Cavalier | 7 | 3% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Exterior lighting:turn signal
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the rear lamps that provide stop and turn signals and tail lamp functions stop working because of inadequate contact between the bulb and socket. In addition, if one bulbs were to become inoperative while the vehicle was operating in cruise control, the cruise control would disengage when the remaining bulb was activated. If both lamps were to become inoperative, the cruise control would not engage.
Risk: An inoperative brake lamp will not convey the driver's intention of stopping to drivers in following vehicles, and an inoperative rear turn signal lamp will not convey the driver's intention to turn to drivers in following vehicles. Both of these failures can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the rear lamp bulb socket assemblies and apply grease or replace them if necessary. The recall began on january 18, 2005. Owners should contact chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438 or pontiac at 1-800-620-7668.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. While driving 5 mph entering the highway, the turn signal lamps failed to illuminate when activated and resulted in a crash. The contact's vehicle was struck on the rear driver side and spun onto the roadside. The air bags did not deploy and a police…
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. While driving 40 mph, the left and right turn signals became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vin was included in nhtsa campaign number: 04v524000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The…
Tl* the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. The contact stated the lower brake light does not work. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated they previously repaired the failure under nhtsa recall campaign id number 04v524000; exterior lighting, turn signal. Although the failure occurred…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2003 Chevrolet Cavaliers have exterior lighting problems?
No. NHTSA has 57 owner complaints about exterior lighting for the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier (8% of the 678 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 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier exterior lighting?
Yes: 1 safety recall list exterior lighting. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do exterior lighting problems start?
The median reported mileage is 13,192 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about exterior lighting problems on the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier?
The most frequent phrase is “turn signal”, in 22 of 57 complaints, followed by “rear brake” (6).
Other 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier problems
See all 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier problems or exterior lighting problems across all Cavalier years.