Selling a junk Chevrolet Cavalier
Any Cavalier sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Chevrolet Cavalier
NHTSA has 5,415 owner complaints on file for the Chevrolet Cavalier, model years 1995 to 2005, the 86th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are electrical system (1,110, 20%), engine and cooling (636, 12%), fuel system (529, 10%). 462 complaints involved a crash, 114 a fire, and 10 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 63,000 miles. The 2003 model year has the most complaints (867). Data as of 2026-10-12.
When the top complaint is electrical system, the question for a seller is whether a buyer will resell the car, pull the parts or scrap it. Read our guide to selling a car that doesn't run: it explains which offers assume the part works and how to describe the car so the price holds at pickup.
Chevrolet Cavalier by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 392 | Engine and cooling | 42 | 12 | 9 | 83,750 |
| 1996 | 748 | Engine and cooling | 73 | 10 | 13 | 69,995 |
| 1997 | 751 | Engine and cooling | 86 | 33 | 13 | 87,469 |
| 1998 | 473 | Electrical system | 42 | 11 | 11 | 82,525 |
| 1999 | 337 | Brakes | 37 | 5 | 8 | 63,500 |
| 2000 | 447 | Electrical system | 28 | 13 | 7 | 57,000 |
| 2001 | 356 | Electrical system | 37 | 11 | 6 | 52,500 |
| 2002 | 254 | Electrical system | 35 | 5 | 5 | 54,016 |
| 2003 | 867 | Fuel system | 53 | 7 | 2 | 62,005 |
| 2004 | 428 | Electrical system | 21 | 7 | 2 | 54,000 |
| 2005 | 362 | Electrical system | 8 | 0 | 1 | 67,000 |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Chevrolet Cavalier recalls
NHTSA lists 27 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for lights (10), steering (2), electrical system (2). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 1995 model year, lights (campaign 09E025000, May 2009): DOPE, INC. IS RECALLING 42,540 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMEN…
- 1995 model year, lights (campaign 09E012000, Apr 2009): SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMEN…
- 1995 model year, steering (campaign 08E063000, Oct 2008): DORMAN PRODUCTS IS RECALLING 3,900 INTERMEDIATE STEERING SHAFTS DORMAN PART NOS. 425-151, 425-152, AND 425-153, (SOLD UNDER DORMAN'S "OE SOLUTIONS" BRAND NAME), BALKAMP #'S 7-3057, 7-3058, 7-3059 (SOLD UNDER THE "NAPA" B…
- 2000 model year, lights (campaign 08E050000, Aug 2008): K2 MOTOR IS RECALLING 1,921 AFTERMARKET HEADLAMPS OF VARIOUS MODELS SOLD FOR USE ON THE ABOVE LISTED VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS ARE MISSING THE AMBER SIDE REFLEX REFLECTOR WHICH FAILS TO CONFORM WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF F…
- 1998 model year, other (campaign 07E021000, Mar 2007): CERTAIN DELPHI FUEL PRESSURE REGULATORS, P/NOS. FP10020-11B1, FP10026-11B1, AND FP10027-11B1, SOLD AFTER JANUARY 9, 2007, AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES LISTED ABOVE. THE UNIVERSAL PRESSURE REGUL…
What a Chevrolet Cavalier is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Cavalier on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car that doesn't run 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
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Questions people ask
- What is a junk Chevrolet Cavalier worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Cavalier gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Chevrolet Cavalier that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Chevrolet Cavalier?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Chevrolet Cavalier numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.