IllustrationTHE SPEEDOMETER WAS THE FIRST GAUGE TO NOT WORK. IT IS NOW STUCK AT 45MPH AT ALL TIMES. NOW MY GAS GAUGE DOES NOT WORK. IT EVEN INTERFERES WITH THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE. NOW THE RPM GAUGE IS STARTING NOT TO WORK. SOME DAYS IT WORKS FINE AND OTHER DAYS IT SITS AT 5 THOUSAND. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE IS THE ONLY GAUGE THAT WORKS. *TR
2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Cavalier years
Owner complaints for the 2005 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
180–25K
4825–50K
7350–75K
4675–100K
37100–150K
8150K+
230 reports with mileage · 57 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 211 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports0 fire reports5 injury reports
Fuel System, Gasoline complaints
8 reportsTHE GAUGES HAVE STOPPED WORKING THE, FUEL GAUGE, THE SPEEDOMETER,THE TEMP GAUGES ALL STOP WORKING. I HAVE A 2005 CHEVY CAVALIER. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE DID NOT PROVIDE ACCURATE READINGS. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD GET STUCK ON VARIOUS SPEEDS AND DISPLAY INACCURATE READINGS AS WELL. THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD GET STUCK DISPLAYING A SPEED OF 20 MPH, 60 MPH, 80 MPH AND 110 MPH…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FUEL GAUGE DID NOT PROVIDE ACCURATE READINGS. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD GET STUCK ON VARIOUS SPEEDS AND DISPLAY INACCURATE READINGS AS WELL. THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD GET STUCK DISPLAYING A SPEED OF 20 MPH, 60 MPH, 80 MPH AND 110 MPH. IN ADDITION, THE FUEL GAUGE FAILURE WOULD OCCUR DURING COLD WEATHER AND DISPLAY READINGS OF EMPTY WHEN FUEL WAS PRESENT IN THE FUEL TANK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO HAVE THE FAILURE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 58,000.
I PURCHASED A 2005 CHEVY CAVALIER NOVEMBER 2004. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. AS OF DEC. 2009 MY CARS ODOMETER HAS STOPPED WORKING AND THE GAS GAUGE IS NOT ACCURATE. ALSO MY DASHBOARD SIGNALS ABS, TRAC OFF, AND THE SERVICE SIGN COME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. THESE SIGNS COME ON WHEN I AM REVERSING THE CAR AND OCCASIONALLY WHILE DRIVING THE…
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I PURCHASED A 2005 CHEVY CAVALIER NOVEMBER 2004. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. AS OF DEC. 2009 MY CARS ODOMETER HAS STOPPED WORKING AND THE GAS GAUGE IS NOT ACCURATE. ALSO MY DASHBOARD SIGNALS ABS, TRAC OFF, AND THE SERVICE SIGN COME ON SIMULTANEOUSLY. THESE SIGNS COME ON WHEN I AM REVERSING THE CAR AND OCCASIONALLY WHILE DRIVING THE SPEED LIMIT. THESE ARE ALL ISSUES THAT ARE NOT NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR ON A CAR BUT RATHER A DEFECT. THEREFORE, I HOPE SOMEONE WILL LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE FURTHER. *TR
ON MY 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER, THE ENGINE REPEATEDLY CUTS OUT, STALLS, WHILE IDLING OR TURNING, ESPECIALLY IN HOT WEATHER. IT STALLED OUT 5 TIMES IN 2 MILES THE OTHER DAY AND I HAD TO LEAVE IT AT THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP. IT HAS BEEN THERE A WEEK AND THEY CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHY IT IS STALLING. AFTER GOING ONLINE AND READING ABOUT MAN…
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ON MY 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER, THE ENGINE REPEATEDLY CUTS OUT, STALLS, WHILE IDLING OR TURNING, ESPECIALLY IN HOT WEATHER. IT STALLED OUT 5 TIMES IN 2 MILES THE OTHER DAY AND I HAD TO LEAVE IT AT THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP. IT HAS BEEN THERE A WEEK AND THEY CANNOT FIGURE OUT WHY IT IS STALLING. AFTER GOING ONLINE AND READING ABOUT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR, 2004 AND 2005 AT LEAST, I FELT I SHOULD REPORT IT. *TR
I HAVE A 2005 CHEVY CAVALIER LS SPORT. THE GAS GAUGE DOESN'T WORK WITH IT, WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR NONE OF THE GAUGES WORKED, THEY FIXED EVERYTHING BUT THE GAS GAUGE STILL DOESN'T WORK. I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IF U RUN OUT OF GAS ON THE HIGHWAY OR DOWNTOWN IT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF YOU!! CHEVY VEHICLES …
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I HAVE A 2005 CHEVY CAVALIER LS SPORT. THE GAS GAUGE DOESN'T WORK WITH IT, WHEN I BOUGHT THE CAR NONE OF THE GAUGES WORKED, THEY FIXED EVERYTHING BUT THE GAS GAUGE STILL DOESN'T WORK. I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IF U RUN OUT OF GAS ON THE HIGHWAY OR DOWNTOWN IT COULD CAUSE AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF YOU!! CHEVY VEHICLES ARE THE MOST CRAPPYEST VEHICLES EVER!!! MY CAR ONLY HAS 53 THOUSAND ON IT AND SO FAR THE AXEL IS BAD AND ALL OF MY MOTOR MOUNTS ARE BROKE EXCEPT ONE AND I HAVE THIS ANNOYING CRACKING NOISE ALL THE TIME AND MY ABS, SERVICE AND TRAC OFF LIGHT STAYS ON ALL THE TIME!!! MY ENGINE FAN ALSO DOESN'T RUN, SO WHEN MY CAR SITS THERE AND IDLES MY TEMP GAUGE GOES UP, SO I HAVE TO JUST SHUT OFF MY CAR SO IT DOESN'T OVERHEAT. *TR
FUEL GAUGE DOESN'T WORK ALL THE TIME FUEL GAUGE CAUSES THE TEMP GAUGE TO HANG UP. *TR
FUEL PUMP. *TR
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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.