1996 Chevrolet Cavalier Seats Problems
- Complaints
- 12about this part
- Share
- 2%of 503 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 39,500miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 12 complaints about the seats of the 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier, 2% of the 503 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 39,500 miles. 5 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
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.
“The car is falling apart, interior is falling apart, example seat belts on the driver's side is not in tact, the passenger chair on the right side frame is broken, air conditioner has gone out and we needed to install a new airconditioner, the brakes have been replaced twice already, I guess every nine months the car needs a new brake change, the chrysler credit corp has never given us a receipt on how much more to pay and when we call them up, they would not tell us how much more to go for the payments, they also know that since we purchased this car from the very first day this vehicle has…”
NHTSA complaint #704232, filed 1999-03“Engine head gasket/struts/starter/transmission/ dome light/ paint/,muffler/seats and ABS brakes have all gone badly at least once, and some have been replaced twice and are bad again. Dealer was notified several times, but refused to check or replace. No longer doing business with them due to the service. I have been having to pay for all of the services.”
NHTSA complaint #718613, filed 2000-02“Failure of the driver's and passenger's side seats, the driver's and passenger's side seats did not lock, the consumer was involved in a rear end collision and the passenger's side seat moved forward. Also, clutch pedal clicks when depressed/front end misaligned, causing vehicle to pull to the left/dome light inoperative at times when opening left door.”
NHTSA complaint #801739, filed 1997-01“While driving 60 MPH the vehicle ran over a possum, lost control of vehicle, had a frontal impact on an embankment which caused the vehicle to rollover several times, in which both driver's and passenger's airbags did not deploy. Did not protect the occupant in this accident. Also the passenger's seat broke in half.”
NHTSA complaint #820320, filed 1998-01“Front seat seatback failed to properly lock into place. Dealership has refused to provide any assistance for failure of the seats to lock into place. Please provide any additional information/attachments.”
NHTSA complaint #890995, filed 2001-06Seats: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 6 | 2% |
| 2004 | 8 | 2% |
| 2003 | 1 | 0% |
| 2002 | 6 | 3% |
| 2001 | 1 | 0% |
| 2000 | 2 | 1% |
| 1998 | 9 | 3% |
| 1997 | 11 | 2% |
| 1996 | 12 | 2% |
| 1995 | 6 | 2% |
| 1994 | 11 | 5% |
| 1993 | 8 | 5% |
| 1992 | 12 | 9% |
| 1991 | 7 | 13% |
| 1990 | 1 | 2% |
| 1989 | 3 | 7% |
| 1987 | 2 | 8% |
| 1986 | 2 | 11% |
| 1984 | 1 | 13% |
Other parts of the 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier
117 complaintsElectrical system
100 complaintsAir bags
73 complaintsBrakes
60 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
54 complaintsSteering
49 complaintsOther or unknown
28 complaintsSuspension
27 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
27 complaintsSeat belts
21 complaintsEquipment
19 complaintsFuel system
18 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1996 Chevrolet Cavalier
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 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