NHTSA Safety Recalls
2003 Chevrolet Cavalier Recalls
The 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier has 2 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on November 1, 2004.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 2
- Owner complaints
- 678
- Crashes reported
- 31
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
6 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
2 recalls on the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier
2003 Chevrolet Cavalier complaints by year
NHTSA has received 678 owner complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier, the newest on July 7, 2025. Of these, 31 describe a crash (5%) and 6 a fire; owners reported 18 injuries and 1 death.
In complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier, the component group named most often is the fuel system, gasoline (50%), followed by the electrical system (16%) and the exterior lighting (8%).
1 of the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier's 2 recalls also concerns the exterior lighting.
Where 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier owners gave the mileage (553 complaints), the median was 63,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Fuel System, Gasoline340
- Electrical System106
- Exterior Lighting57
- Engine And Engine Cooling43
- Fuel System, Other37
- Visibility37
Complaints received, by year
| 2002 | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 42 | |
| 2004 | 66 | |
| 2005 | 42 | |
| 2006 | 17 | |
| 2007 | 105 | |
| 2008 | 179 | |
| 2009 | 86 | |
| 2010 | 49 | |
| 2011 | 35 | |
| 2012 | 11 | |
| 2013 | 10 | |
| 2014 | 13 | |
| 2015 | 10 | |
| 2016 | 7 | |
| 2018 | 2 | |
| 2021 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier peaked in 2008, when NHTSA received 179. 25% arrived between 2002 and 2006, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2003 vehicles, the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier drew 1.4× the complaints of the median Chevrolet Cavalier year in the same window: 1st highest of the 6 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 1/5
The 678 complaints about the 2003 Chevrolet Cavalier are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Chevrolet Cavalier by model year
Other 2003 Chevrolet models
Newest record on this page: July 7, 2025. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted