1988 Chevrolet Cavalier Electrical system Problems
- Complaints
- 3about this part
- Share
- 25%of 12 total for the year
- Median mileage
- —not reported
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the electrical system of the 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier, 25% of the 12 complaints for this model year. 1 a fire, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Purchased a 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier from e[ilotos auto sales 2230 frankfort ave. Phila. Pa. The car was sold without the dealer informing the buyer of the defects. There were many....two main crunchers were the brakes and huddled systems. The emission stickers were due. The dealer said, he would put stickers on after the sale, which when the time arrived for the transaction,he said, we could but they're hot. Now we arer having a difficult time finding a garage to put stickers on it because of the mechanical defects.”
NHTSA complaint #10064146, filed 2004-03“The elctronic instrument panel goes out while driving. Consumer states the cluster goes out while driving consumer has to pukk over to wait for the cluster to come back on, consumer has contacted dealership and they refuse to fix problem, consumer states he has anothr vehicle that has this same problem and the cluster has been fixed once already on that vehicle.”
NHTSA complaint #987087, filed 1996-07Related recalls
- 88V095000Jun 14, 1988Rear lamp wiring harness may contain open or intermittent circuits affecting back up lamp or license plate lamp operation.Covers: Chevrolet Cavalier 1988, Pontiac Sunbird 1988
Electrical system: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 211 | 74% |
| 2004 | 185 | 56% |
| 2003 | 106 | 16% |
| 2002 | 35 | 18% |
| 2001 | 56 | 23% |
| 2000 | 69 | 22% |
| 1999 | 47 | 20% |
| 1998 | 66 | 19% |
| 1997 | 107 | 20% |
| 1996 | 100 | 20% |
| 1995 | 59 | 22% |
| 1994 | 23 | 11% |
| 1993 | 26 | 18% |
| 1992 | 21 | 16% |
| 1991 | 17 | 31% |
| 1990 | 20 | 36% |
| 1989 | 6 | 14% |
| 1988 | 3 | 25% |
| 1986 | 5 | 28% |
Other parts of the 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier
2 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
2 complaintsBrakes
1 complaintsExterior lighting
1 complaintsSeat belts
1 complaintsSuspension
1 complaintsWheels
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1988 Chevrolet Cavalier
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology