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#BS-1998-CHECAV-1B45

1998 Chevrolet Cavalier

Based on reports from 473 owners and 11 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
473
Crashes
42
Fires
11
Recalls
11
TSBs
105
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 473 complaints, 42 crashes, 11 fires, and 11 recalls. Complaint rate is 4.2x the class average.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

abs very sensitive almost impossible to stop wet or snow

7 complaints • Severity 8.3/10

$X,XXX
2

instrument cluster doesnt light sometimes

4 complaints • Severity 7.5/10

$X,XXX
3

electrical fire

2 complaints • Severity 8/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited SlipHIGH

34 owners reported service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip issues — failures commonly reported around 82K miles.

!Inspect the Steering:rack And PinionMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

12
0–30K
18
30–60K
30
60–90K
12
90–120K
16
120–150K
16
150K+

Peak failure range: 60–90K miles (30 reports) • Median: 82K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip (34 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip34 (7%)
Steering:rack And Pinion31 (7%)
Air Bags:frontal22 (5%)
Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline20 (4%)
Electrical System:ignition14 (3%)
Electrical System:ignition:switch14 (3%)
Electrical12 (3%)
Airbags12 (3%)

1998 Chevrolet Cavalier: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip Issues

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip complaints account for 7% of all reports filed for the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier, with 34 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 82,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 82K-mile mark.

Steering:rack And Pinion Issues

Steering:rack And Pinion complaints account for 7% of all reports filed for the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier, with 31 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to steering:rack and pinion-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Air Bags:frontal Issues

Air Bags:frontal complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier, with 22 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to air bags:frontal-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline Issues

Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline complaints account for 4% of all reports filed for the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier, with 20 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

74
00
61
01
26
02
45
03
54
04
25
05
7
06
4
07
3
08
4
09
2
10
5
11
7
12
1
13
1
14
6
15
2
17
2
18
3
20
1
23

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier. Recent trend: decreasing.

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Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (11 recalls)

00V053000Mar 2000

FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH BI-FUEL COMPRESSED NATURAL GAS (CNG) VEHICLES. THE CNG FUEL LINE AND THE CNG HIGH PRESSURE REGULATOR COOLANT LINES CAN CONTACT OTHER FUEL (GASOLINE) AND BRAKE LINES ON THE VEHICLE. ABRASION FROM CONTACT CAN CAUSE A LEAK IN THE BRAKE PIPE, FUEL PIPE, OR BOTH.

02V286000Jan 2003

STEERING:RACK AND PINION

CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES AND MINI VANS HAVE LOWER PINION BEARINGS IN THE POWER RACK AND PINION ASSEMBLY IN WHICH THE RETAINER TABS WERE NOT CRIMPED PROPERLY. THESE AND SOME OTHER RETAINERS USED IN VEHICLES ASSEMBLED BETWEEN JANUARY 1, 1996 AND OCTOBER 31, 1997, COULD FAIL AND PERMIT THE BALL BEARINGS TO ESCAPE.

04V036000Mar 2004

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES. IF THE ENGINE FAILS TO START AND THE DRIVER HOLDS THE KEY IN THE "START" POSITION FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD, HIGH CURRENT FLOWS THROUGH THE IGNITION SWITCH, AND SOMETIMES PRODUCES ENOUGH HEAT TO MELT INTERNAL SWITCH PARTS.

06E026000Apr 2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN PRO-A MOTORS CORNER LAMPS, TURN SIGNALS, AND HEADLIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

06E049000Jul 2006

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

CERTAIN CK MOTORSPORTS COMBINATION HEADLIGHTS, CLEAR CORNER, BUMPER, AND SIDE MARKER LIGHTS SOLD AS REPLACEMENT LAMPS FOR USE ON THE PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. SOME COMBINATION LAMPS THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS FAIL TO CONFORM TO FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

+ 6 more recalls in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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The worst model year for the Chevrolet Cavalier is the 2005 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is accessories - interior.

1998 Chevrolet Cavalier vs. Class Average (Subcompact Cars)

This vehicle

473

Class avg

111

4.2x the class average — significantly more complaints than typical subcompact cars vehicles.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 473 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 11 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Chevrolet Cavalier Model Years

20052004200320022001200019991998199719961995199419931992199119901989198819871986198519841983198219811980
View all Chevrolet Cavalier years →

1998 Chevrolet Cavalier: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier?
The most commonly reported issue with the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier is related to the service brakes, hydraulic:antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, with 34 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier reliable?
The 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier has 473 complaints, 42 crash reports, and 11 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is 4.2x the class average — higher than typical for its segment.
How much does it cost to fix 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier have any recalls?
Yes, the 1998 Chevrolet Cavalier has 11 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Chevrolet Cavalier problems start?
Based on 104 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 82,000 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 60–90K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 473 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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