IllustrationSPEEDOMETER AND OTHER GAUGES GOING HAYWIRE. AT TIMES I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT SPEED I AM GOING. I CAN BE STOPPED AT A REDLIGHT AND MY SPEEDOMETER READS 90MPH. OR I CAN BE KEEPING WITH THE FLOW OF TRAFFIC ON ROUTE 30 AND IT READS 20MPH. *TR
2004 Chevrolet Cavalier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Cavalier years
Owner complaints for the 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier are substantially higher than the model-year median of 140.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cavalier years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
430–25K
7225–50K
6150–75K
3475–100K
36100–150K
18150K+
264 reports with mileage · 66 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 185 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 27 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
17 crash reports6 fire reports15 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
185 reportsTHE FUEL GAUGE AND SPEEDOMETER FAILED FOR THE PAST TWO YEARS IN COLD WEATHER. I NOW HAVE 48,000 MILES ON THE CAR. THE CAR WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A DEFECTED INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND GMC TOLD ME IT WAS NOT THEIR PROBLEM AND THE COST TO FIX IT IS $480.00. *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2004 CHEVY CAVALIER STOPPED WORKING CORRECTLY ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. IT WILL STICK AT RANDOM PLACES ON THE DIAL, EVEN WHEN NOT DRIVING, WILL NOT REGISTER THE CORRECT SPEED, AND SOMETIMES ROLL ALL THE WAY OVER, POINTING AT THE ODOMETER. THE TACHOMETER AND COOLANT TEMP. GAUGE STICK ALSO WHEN IT GETS COL…
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THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2004 CHEVY CAVALIER STOPPED WORKING CORRECTLY ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. IT WILL STICK AT RANDOM PLACES ON THE DIAL, EVEN WHEN NOT DRIVING, WILL NOT REGISTER THE CORRECT SPEED, AND SOMETIMES ROLL ALL THE WAY OVER, POINTING AT THE ODOMETER. THE TACHOMETER AND COOLANT TEMP. GAUGE STICK ALSO WHEN IT GETS COLD OUTSIDE. ALL OF THESE PROBLEMS SEEM TO GET BETTER WHEN THE WEATHER WARMS UP, BUT ARE STILL PRESENT. I HAVEN'T HAD THE MONEY TO GET THIS FIXED (ESTIMATED AT 700 DOLLARS) SO THEREFORE NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS SAFETY DEFECT AND A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED! I HAVE READ MANY MORE COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER CAVALIER OWNERS ABOUT THE SAME ISSUES! *TR
DEFECTIVE STEPPER MOTORS ON THE CLUSTER INSTRUMENT PANEL. NOW AFFECTING FUEL GAUGE,SPEEDOMETER,AND TACHOMETER ON ABOUT A YEAR NOW. JUST FOUND OUT WHAT IS CAUSING THE PROBLEM. GM ALREADY RECALLED TRUCKS AND SUV'S. NO RECALL ON CARS YET. *TR
2004 CHEVY CAVALIER, SPEEDOMETER IS CRAZY 1999 CHEVY CAVALIER, GAS GAGUE IS BUSTED BOTH REPAIRS ARE EXCEEDINGLY EXPENSIVE/DANGEROUS, WOULD LIKE A RECALL. *TR
WE HAVE 2 2004 CHEVY CAVALIERS. ON ONE OF THE CAVALIERS NOT TO LONG AFTER WE BOUGHT IT, THE SPEEDOMETER WENT OUT ON IT AND WE COULDN'T READ THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR. WE HAVE TRIED TO BUY USED ONES AND PUT THEN IN THE CAR AND THAT FAILED AND YOU STILL CAN'T READ THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR. ON THE SECOND CAVALIER THE SPEEDOMETER IS ACTI…
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WE HAVE 2 2004 CHEVY CAVALIERS. ON ONE OF THE CAVALIERS NOT TO LONG AFTER WE BOUGHT IT, THE SPEEDOMETER WENT OUT ON IT AND WE COULDN'T READ THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR. WE HAVE TRIED TO BUY USED ONES AND PUT THEN IN THE CAR AND THAT FAILED AND YOU STILL CAN'T READ THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR. ON THE SECOND CAVALIER THE SPEEDOMETER IS ACTING FUNNY. WHEN THE CAR SETS FOR OVERNIGHT AND THE NEXT MORNING YOU GO AND TURN IT ON IT SAYS THAT YOU ARE GOING A HIGH AMOUNT OF SPEED, WHEN IT HAS BEEN PARKED FOR A LONG TIME. IT KEEPS OCCURRING DAILY, AND THEN SOMETIMES WHEN YOUR DRIVING IT WILL SAY THAT YOUR GO 0 MPH, WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. WE HAVE LOOKED TO GET THESE FIXED, BUT THE LOCAL CHEVY DEALER THAT WE TALKED TO HAS SAID THAT HE HAS HAD SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF THIS GOING WRONG IN THE CAVALIERS AND THE CHEVY TRUCKS. BOTH OF MY CARS HAVE AROUND 74,000 MILES ON IT, AND IF OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM, A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED, AND WE THINK THE COMPANY SHOULD PAY FOR IT, SINCE IT HAS HAPPENED IN BOTH CARS AROUND THE SAME MILEAGE POINT. *TR
AT ABOUT 40K MILES, THE TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER STARTED ACTING ERRATICALLY. SPEEDOMETER CONSTANTLY AT 60 EVEN WHEN AT A STOP. TACH NO LONGER WORKS AT ALL. WILL HAVE TO REPLACE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER. ESTIMATE IS ABOUT $450.00. *TR
I STARTED LOOKING FOR A FIX FOR MY WIFE'S CAR AND I HAVE FOUND THAT ACROSS THE NATION THERE ARE PEOPLE DRIVING WITH NO SPEEDO, TACH, DASH LIGHTS, OR HORN. THIS IS A DIFFERENT MIX OF PRBS FOR EACH BUT THEY ALL COME BACK TO THE DASH OF THE CHEVY CAVALIER. *TR
MY SPEEDOMETER HAS STOPPED WORKING. IT HAS BEEN REPAIRED ONCE AND HAS STARTED NOT FUNCTIONING AGAIN. IT OCCASIONALLY WORKS CORRECTLY, BUT MOSTLY IT GOES UP TO A HIGH READING AND STICKS THERE. *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER DOES NOT READ ACCURATELY. SOMETIMES IT READS TOO FAST AND SOMETIMES TOO SLOW. NO ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED, BUT THE POTENTIAL IS THERE. THE PROBLEM IS SPORADIC, HAPPENING OVER THE COURSE OF A DAY, SEVERAL DAYS A WEEK. I HAVE NOT HAD IT REPAIRED. *TR
Official recalls
104V300000 · Seat Belts:rear/other
Jun 23, 2004
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 210, 'SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY ANCHORAGES.' THE PASSENGER-SIDE REAR SAFETY BELT MAY HAVE BEEN INSTALLED WITH AN INCORRECT NUT AND BOLT.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IN A SEVERE CRASH, THE UPPER SEAT BELT ANCHORAGE MAY SEPARATE. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE SEAT BELT COULD THEN BE REDUCED AND THE OCCUPANT COULD RECEIVE GREATER INJURIES.
Remedy: DEALERS ARE TO INSPECT THE SAFETY BELT ANCHORAGE AND INSTALL A NEW NUT AND BOLT, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 23, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438 AND PONTIAC AT 1-800-620-7668.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.