Recall Register

1988 Chevrolet Cavalier: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier. The newest campaign is 88V121000. NHTSA received the report on 25 Jul 1988. The NHTSA record gives the component Visibility / Windshield. NHTSA has 12 complaints on file for this model year. 6 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 88V121000, in the NHTSA record

Reinstall windshield assuring proper adhesion.
NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

2 campaigns, newest first. 14,873 units in total.

  1. 88V121000Received . 33 units.

    Visibility / Windshield

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    There may be poor bond adhesion between windshield glass and mounting.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    Windshield could separate during a 30 MPH frontal barriertest required by FMVSS 212. Such separation during an accident could result inan unbelted occupant being ejected and injuried.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Reinstall windshield assuring proper adhesion.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP..

  2. 88V095000Received . 14,840 units.

    Electrical System / Wiring / Rear Compartment/Trunk

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Rear lamp wiring harness may contain open or intermittent circuits affecting back up lamp or license plate lamp operation.
    Consequence, in the NHTSA record
    Lamps would flash or be inoperative; cars would notcomply with FMVSS 108.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Install new wiring harness.

    Report filed by GENERAL MOTORS CORP.. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

12 complaints, 14 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. This model year has fewer than 50 component mentions, so the table shows the number of mentions only.

1988 Chevrolet Cavalier: component mentions in complaints
ComponentMentions
Electrical System3
Exterior Lighting3
Steering2
Visibility2
Service Brakes, Hydraulic1
Seat Belts1
Suspension1
Wheels1
Complaints that report a crash
1
Complaints that report a fire
1
Injuries in the complaints
0
Deaths in the complaints
0
Date of the newest complaint
1 Nov 2005

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 1995, with 3 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier
NumberTypeSubjectComponentOpenedClosedCampaign
PE93090Preliminary evaluationENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRESEngine and Engine Cooling8 Oct 199328 Feb 1994
EA92024Engineering analysisSTICKING THROTTLEVehicle Speed Control / Linkages26 Jun 199231 Jan 1994
EA90041Engineering analysisBRAKE PERFORMANCEService Brakes, Hydraulic29 Aug 199030 Mar 1992
PE89035Preliminary evaluationSTOP LAMPSExterior Lighting19 Jan 198924 May 1989
EA89010Engineering analysisBRAKE INEFFECTIVENESSService Brakes, Hydraulic17 Jan 19898 May 1990
PE88085Preliminary evaluationPOOR BRAKINGService Brakes, Hydraulic27 Jul 198817 Jan 1989

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

  1. 19821
  2. 19835
  3. 19842
  4. 19852
  5. 19862
  6. 19872
  7. 19882
  8. 19891
  9. 19900
  10. 19912
  11. 19921
  12. 19931
  13. 19941
  14. 19954
  15. 19967
  16. 19977
  17. 19984
  18. 19992
  19. 20002
  20. 20011
  21. 20020
  22. 20031
  23. 20041
  24. 20050

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/chevrolet/cavalier/1988/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

Sources

Source
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence
US government work, public domain
Recall file through
30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
29 Mar 2018
First complaint in the file
1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier?
14,873 units in 2 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Chevrolet Cavalier have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 40 recall campaigns for the Chevrolet Cavalier, model years 1982 to 2005. 2 of them name the 1988 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier name most often?
Electrical System: 3 of 14 component mentions.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier open?
No. Each of the 6 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.