Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 610 | 10/01/2004 | 10015768 | Engine idle flare when the clutch is depressed. also low speed engine decel stall when coming to a stop. gm tech link. *tt | 08/11/2005 | |
| 050601002 | 01/01/2005 | 10013471 | Engine failure due to water ingestion hydro lock. *eh | 04/19/2005 | |
| 030601018 | 07/01/2004 | 10012103 | New cylinder bore liner replacement procedure. this service bulletin replaces 030601018a. *eh | 02/11/2005 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||||
| 071003 | 07/10/2003 | 10003815 | This vme message is a water pump replacement due to a known cam driveline. some customers may question about whine noise coming from the front engine area. *tt | 11/03/2003 | |
| 071503 | 07/15/2003 | 10003789 | Coolant lose, evidence fluid on the garage floor, etc., or coolant warning light coming on. *tt | 10/31/2003 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| PIP-4495C | 03/01/2011 | 10038510 | Ready | 06/16/2011 | |
| PIP-4495C | 03/01/2011 | 10038510 | Gm: there may be noise coming from the cylinder head, because of low oil pressure which is caused by debris. *rm | 06/16/2011 | |
| 3859 | 3859A | 10020923 | Low oil pressure - inspect oil filter for damage. *kb updated 10/18/07. *nj | 01/30/2007 | |
| 1749019 | 10019208 | Information on transferring original fuel rail to goodwrench engine. *ak | 02/17/2006 | ||
| 050604026 | 05/01/2005 | 050604026A | 10017407 | Vehicle hesitates, no start, lack of power, low fuel pressure. *tt | 11/07/2005 |
| 3433 | 3433D | 10017032 | Service engine soon (ses) light and severe engine misfire on cylinders 1 and 4 or cylinders 2 and 3. *tt updated 08-15-07. *kb | 10/20/2005 | |
| 05202004 | 05/20/2004 | 10013273 | Intermittent idle concerns. *tt | 04/13/2005 | |
| 030601022 | 01/01/2004 | 030601022A | 10011117 | Guidelines for cylinder bore liner/piston sleeve replacement on the l4 ecotec engine. *tt | 01/03/2005 |
| 040604063 | 09/01/2004 | 10011046 | Engine idle flair when clutch depressed or decel stall. *tt | 12/27/2004 | |
| 3148 | 01/01/2004 | 10010274 | Excessive oil consumption on the 2.2l l61 ecotec engine. *tt | 11/09/2004 | |
| 3014 | 01/01/2004 | 10008776 | Stall, hesitation, stumble with no diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs). *tt | 08/23/2004 | |
| 01353 | 01/01/2004 | 01353A | 10007937 | Engine misfire due to injector fretting corrosion. *tt | 07/16/2004 |
| 01525 | 01/01/2004 | 01525A | 10005461 | Engine stall hesitation stumble with no diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs). *tt | 02/27/2004 |
| 030604055 | 10/01/2003 | 10004317 | Service engine soon/check engine light illuminated, misfire or roughness, diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0300 set. *tt | 12/02/2003 | |
| 01315 | 11/17/2003 | 10004095 | Engine misfire possible diagnostic trouble codes (dtcs) p0300 - p0304. *tt | 11/18/2003 | |
| 030604030 | 03/01/2007 | 030604030C | 10002166 | Multiple driveability symptoms of long or hard starts, chuggle, rough idle and light or intermittent misfire due to clogged fuel injectors. *tt | 08/14/2003 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||||
| 3009 | 01/01/2004 | 3009A | 10008778 | Excessive oil consumption and/or black/blue smoke from the exhaust. *tt | 08/23/2004 |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 12/01/2011 | 92400 | ||
| After consulting licensed mechanics, and one such nationally certified airplane-engine tech-mechanic, being ranked in the top three (3) of the nation's aviation mechanics industry from 1981-1983 period (and still has qualifications authority), [and before making a fool of myself], the consensus/verdict [by these professionals] was agreed that it borders on criminality (and i quote), that automakers are using plastic coverings and seals, as the engine's oil filter housing caps. known (industry-wide) to exert pressures in 'pounds per-square-inch' ( lbs/psi) and extreme temperatures that these plastic materials--such as the oil filter-housing caps, cannot withstand. they also strip. it was explained to me by the certified airplane mechanic that, to understand the effects of pressurization theory behind that technology, and the knowledge that fifty-50 to sixty-60 pounds (lbs/psi) of pressure per-square-inch is being given to the plastic caps from the engine's internal combustion will cause any plastic cap, housed under such pressures to fail. he said he was surprised it did not cause engine failure two(2) years after being newly purchased. he said the science that industry insiders do not want us to know is that the proper semi-precious metals, as aluminum, copper and the like are perfect conductors of electricity and heat, allowing the metal to expand/contract according to temperatures and/or torque pressurization of the 50-60 lbs/psi being release to housing. even tampered steel would work as it would conform. but plastic once overheated will remain in warped state causing oil leakage in that area. this depressurization of engine physics and chemistry, a couple-to-few years later results in engine's crank case housing depressurizing to the point of cracking after pistons themselves giveway rendering engine being irrepairable. my car should have flipped @ 70mph. | |||
| 08/01/2005 | 8000 | ||
| Car will accelerate on it's own usually occurs while slowing down or while making a turn pressing the brake hard slows the car but it continues to apply power what stops the engine from continuing to accelerate is to push the clutch in, at the moment the engine will accelerate to 6500 rpm then return to normal like it is completing some cycle. it is very dangerous in the winter. we have expected a recall but nothing. i can guarantee a lawsuit if my wife and kids are injured. this is a true case of sudden acceleration that the feds can investigate | |||
| 12/26/2010 | 110000 | ||
| When driving my car at times, it will excellerate on it's own, causing it to run rpms into the red, need to shut car off so it does not excell on it's own. this has only happend a few times.. very dangerous, the 1st time was in dec, 2010 in an ice storm, so i thought it was just a fluck and it was frozen now it is in the 80s and it did it yesterday sept 6th 2011 what is causing this??? is it a defect??? anyone else have this??? | |||
| 05/10/2010 | 74000 | ||
| My 2004 chevy cavalier has suffered a number of defects since its purchase. while they did not result in any collisions or injuries, they easily could have. at 10,211 miles (8/31/2004) the water pump failed; luckily, this was covered under warranty, and the pump, along with several seals and gaskets were replaced. at 29,522 miles (5/23/2005), white smoke began billowing out of the exhaust. multi chevrolet in union, nj discovered that a cylinder head was defective, the head gaskets were cracked, and the timing chain needed to be replaced. these repairs were again covered by the warranty at 48,241 miles (6/9/2006), the instrument cluster and a suspension beam failed. luckily, we had purchased an extended warranty, and the repairs were again covered. finally, at 74,000 miles (5/10/10), the vehicle suffered catastrophic engine failure. luckily, my son stephen was driving on a local road, and was able to pull over safely. after having the vehicle towed, marc burton, service manager of bill defouw chevrolet in lafayette, indiana, informed us that every lifter was broken and every valve was bent, and the pistons were irreparably damaged as well. because the vehicle is outside of warranty, gm has refused to replace the engine, and we cannot afford to do so out of pocket. we are reporting this in case other buyers of this model/year or later have experienced issues, and are currently driving unsafe vehicles. | |||
| 10/26/2005 | 30300 | 1 | 08/10/2004 |
| Dt: while driving the contact's vehicle was involved in an accident due to a possible medical condition. the vehicle caught on fire immediately upon impact. the vehicle was deemed a total loss from the insurance company. a representative from the manufacturer inspected the vehicle and was unable to determine the cause of the fire due to the extensive damage. the solid fuel lines were intact as well as the gasoline tank. *ak updated 02/26/06. *jb | |||
| 07/19/2004 | 9700 | 2 | |
| While driving vehicle stalled. dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem. *ak | |||
| 01/30/2004 | 100 | 1 | 01/29/2004 |
| With less than 100 miles on the car it began to rev up on its own. it has been to the dealer on 9 different occasions. they even installed an on board computer and were able to see the problem that occurs. the mechanic says he believes it is a glitch in the computer and is unable to fix it. it has now begun to accelerate on its own while driving, and the only thing you can do is push in the clutch and hope the engine blows up. this is now a real safety issue. gm refuses to do anything to correct this problem. we filed a lemon law case with them and they said they are unable to do anything. *jb | |||
| 12/10/2003 | 100 | 8 | 12/05/2003 |
| A strong fuel odor entered the inside of the vehicle when the vents were used. this odor caused nausea and headaches to any one riding in the vehicle. at any temperature, the vehicle took a very long time to crank up. also, while driving at 50 mph, the vehicle suddenly decelerated and bogged down. the vehicle would eventually pick up speed and act as if nothing ever happened. these problems occurred eight times. *ak there was rattle in the drivers side door panel due to the regulator, there was also an intermittent noise on the passenger side rear, the vehicle would not start due to the power train control module, the engine was hard to start at times and was unable to be duplicated, the engine would lose power, the driver door made a rubbing noise, the floor area was buckling, and the a/c displayed a burning smell. *sc *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 01/01/2011 | 60000 | ||
| My wife's 2004 chevy cavalier has a wrong speedometer indication. it says the car is going 60 mph while not being moved at all. when the car reaches high speeds at the freeway it says the car is going at 120 mph and hits the top of the gauge. the oil temperature indication also shows 190 degrees with engine not running, and with engine running it goes to red band indication. | |||
| 12/10/2009 | 51000 | 1 | |
| Idle miss while auto is in gear (automatic). initial occurrence 15000-20000 miles. started when at a stop light you could feel the miss it was every 30-45 seconds. no check engine light associated with problem. has gotten worse, still no check engine light. now it stalls and you can watch the tachometer drop 25-50 rpm. took it to the dealership under extended warranty @ 512010 miles. dealership said it was #2 cylinder misfire. changed ignition module & coil pack. i picked it up and drive it 1.5 miles and it was the same. took it back and they swapped injectors with another cylinder and spark plugs, changed fuel filter. picked it up again. same problem. dealership said they cannot fix it until there is a check engine light, even though problem could be duplicated every time car was taken back to the dealership. i had the service writer and the actual mechanic in the car with me each time and they agreed there was a problem. as of this date 1-18-10 problem still exists. *tr | |||
| 09/15/2006 | 30000 | 1 | |
| The car has a major wiring or electrical problem, but its not detected by mechanics. i have a temp gauge that is all over the place, sometimes it even touches the far bottom right side of the control panel. the speedometer is no longer working, driving or parked i am going -3 miles an hour. the rpms work when they feel like it which is rarely. the only gauge working is the gas. in addition to this, the car cuts off while driving. all of this has been for the last year and a half and continues to date. i have been in mid-left turn on major intersections of los angeles and it just died. i commute on the 110 fwy and it has just died, always while i am accelerating never parked. then in a few seconds you crank the key and your off and running again. it is so scary because it is so unpredictable. i have received speeding tickets not knowing my speed and mechanic cant find the problem. what do i do??? *tr | |||
| 04/05/2006 | 24000 | 3 | 04/01/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet cavalier. while driving 5 mph, the engine intermittently stalled. the failure occurred while making a turn in first gear. the rpm decreased to 400 rpm and there was a loss of power steering. when the vehicle stalled, the contact released his foot from the clutch and the motor increased the rpm's automatically. when the key was turned in the ignition, the vehicle failed to start intermittently until approximately ten attempts. while driving 55 mph, the speedometer displayed 30 mph. when the gas tank was full, the fuel gauge would display half a tank. the temperature gauge also malfunctioned. the vehicle would not overheat, but the gauge would read hot. the dealer was unable to diagnose or repair the failures. the failure mileage was 24,000 and current mileage was 37,500. | |||
| 11/01/2007 | 2 | 05/31/2004 | |
| 2004 chevy cavalier with safety issues dealing with the engine. customer states that there are some safety issues with their vehicle but the dealer needs a light to be on to find out. dealer said it was the injectors and it was not the injectors. *kb the consumer stated when she traveled on trips over 100 miles long, the trac off light illuminated., followed by the rpms going up, followed by the check engine light illuminating. the vehicle also burned a lot of oil, but only when the lights illuminated. *jb | |||
| 06/11/2006 | 80 | ||
| While driving my car, the engine would completely shut off. at first it would happen when i was at a complete stop. however it began to happen while the car was in movement. i tried to crank the car to take it to the shop and it wouldn't crank at all. the problem couldn't be identified on a diagnostic test and it wasn't the spark plugs. i was told to replace the computer to see if that was the problem. the auto shop was not even sure that it was the problem. this computer cost $650 not including labor. now my engine light continually flashes and the car jerks. however when i take it to the auto shop they say that i have gotten bad gas. they can't find another problem. i've changed where i get my gas and it still happens daily. out of 3 hours of driving it may run normally about 1- 1.5 hour. *nm | |||
| 12/20/2004 | 12000 | 2 | |
| While driving 65 mph the engine stalled without warning. the driver was able to pull off the road and waited a while then started the vehicle again. the cause had not been determined. please provide additional information. *jb | |||