If you own a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier 2.2 Liter with a manual transmission, there is a known design flaw in the hydraulic clutch line that General Motors refuses to issue a recall on, evidently content with the fact that this problem occurs when the car is often out of warranty and results in added business for GM Service departments and the sale of replacement parts to temporarily fix the problem. When my Son’s car was repaired the first time, it was covered by an extended warranty offered by the dealership that sold the car. Their “fix”, which replaced the transmission, was not the real issue that caused his car to quit working properly.

This is an issue that has been acknowledged by GM dealerships, but because GM refuses to issue a recall, the public is being forced to pay for a problem that is a design flaw and not caused by normal wear and tear. These are comments from individuals that have experienced these predictable issues, and in spite of constant problems that arise from GM’s known design flaw, the public is still being forced to pay for an issue that was preventable – but because of the cost associated with a major recall, GM still refuses to correct an issue that any responsible automobile manufacturer would have addressed as soon as they recognized it was caused by failure of their initial design of the hydraulic clutch system:

Cavalier 2.2L

• Manual transmission
• 52,817 miles

The peddle stuck to the floor when the clutch line failed. The peddle could be returned to the up position with careful use of my toes and it gave one more shift before it was done. Luckily I can drive a manual transmission without using the clutch and it happened on a quiet highway not too far from a GM dealer.

The clutch line failed because it was routed in such a manner that it chafed on another fixture under the hood. The GM dealer acknowledged (1) that this problem was known to them, and (2) that the part could not help but fail due to the way GM engineers had routed the line. The had been neither service bulletin nor recall issued by GM on this matter.

GM tacitly acknowledged the problem by having redesigned a previous clutch linkage system and putting an anti-chafe sleeve over the hydraulic hose in the new design. The anti-chafe sleeve seems to be intended to delay line failure, at least until the car is off warranty — it failed in both aims. The car was covered by extended GM warranty which, like other cases in which something has gone wrong with the vehicle, did not pay for it to be fixed.

When the new line was installed on my vehicle the mechanic added additional chafe protection and told me “It is going to happen again. This will delay it a little more.” The clutch system needed careful and extensive bleeding after reassembly as the master cylinder had sucked air inside of itself when the failure occurred.

My solution to the problem is simple and I have informed the dealer of it. If GM wants the $313 dollars they can have it, I just won’t buy another GM vehicle — ever. The Cavalier was #14 in a long line. I await the dealer’s reply.

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Cavalier

• Manual transmission
• 29,204 miles

Like the rest of you, the clutch on my 2005 Cavalier got stuck this past Saturday while driving up a hill. I’m super annoyed to login here to find that this is a recurring problem with the 2005 Cavalier and that GM has done nothing to recall this dangerous defect!

My warranty is expired, but I hardly drive the car – there’s only 47,000 kms on it! I called GM head office, the said to tow it to the dealership I bought it from and if the problem was diagnosed as a defect, they’d reimburse me. I did as they asked and towed the car, and now the serviceman is asking me to sign for a MINIMUM $100 diagnosis charge that would not be reimbursed if the problem is a defect. The head office did not inform me of this charge and what they definitely don’t need any money to determine what the problem is – they can login to this site to find out!

Looks like I’m stuck paying the charge plus the towing fee – I’ll update when I find out whether they determine it’s a defect or not. Either way, I’m outraged that we’re bailing out a company that can’t produce or back-up decent vehicles! I’m never buying GM again!

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Cavalier

• Manual transmission
• 43,000 miles

I see other complaints that are exactly the same as mine and wonder why there has not been a recall. If I had been in traffic, which i was 5 minutes before the clutch failed there could have been a serious accident. The clutch pedal stuck in the down position. the cable line snapped due to it being next to a piece of metal. No need to go into detail because it appears this is a well known problem. I have an extended warranty that of course does not cover this. It is going to cost me $326 to be repaired. I am going to call GM and I’m sure they are going to say it is not a defect…..but when there are numerous complaints about the same thing it makes you wonder. If they do not take care of this I will never do business with them. In today’s economy you wonder why these sort of things happen…you think they would want the business.

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Cavalier LS 2.2L

• Manual transmission
• 60,000 miles

clutch pedal failed to return Dealer charged to diagnose $75 (I took your posting on clutch line failure to dealer ) got an estimate $1000 for all new clutch assembly they claimed was required. NOT A WARRANTY SITUATION!!!! Took to local mechanic after reading your postings about failed line and was fixed for $375 Reported to national highway safety council and have not had a reply Still have line that was replaced. 10,000 miles later original clutch assembly still working fine. I now check line monthly for wear, Agree with other posts CHEVROLET GM should have recall before serious event. I would have paid dealer $1100 for clutch and still the problem would not have been fixed. Not a happy camper

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Cavalier gold 2.2L

• Manual transmission
• miles

i was left sitting with car that wouldn’t move,,happened in seconds.. i think Chevy needs to do a recall.. the line was cut by a sharp piece of metal that laids right on the line.. i could have been killed if this happened in high speed traffic instead of in a parking lot..the clutch pedal went to the floor and stayed there..no warning..no warning lights,,just dead,,i love my car and almost have it paid for,, thinking of using Pa’s lemon law if Chevy won’t fix this,, its a manufacture fault and i,ve seem more on here that happened the same way…of course my warrant is over,,, but i think Chevy should correct this before someone gets killed,, so Chevy stand up and be accountable,,

chevy did fix clutch line after i proved it was factory defect,,but really had to fight with them.. the mechanic that fixed mine rerouted entire line so it won’t happen again,,, keep fighting them,,

NOTE: This information is available on carcomplaints.com, an excellent site to visit if you’re currently having difficulties with your automobile. Rather than taking the word of dealerships that often overcharge for minimal repairs, this site will often answer questions that are often not public knowledge, and the time you spend on research may save you hundreds if not thousands of dollars in unnecessary repair bills. LINK

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This is another company that was bailed-out with taxpayer money, and even though this issue could result in causing an accident, serious injury or death, General Motors still refuses to issue a recall that would address and fix this issue. We spoke with several GM dealerships, and even though this is a known design flaw, they still insist on charging a fee to diagnose the problem, and even if it is the same problem as described above – the dealership(s) state that since GM has not issued a recall on the problem, it is our responsibility to pay for the repair.

Furthermore, almost all of the GM dealerships we communicated with gave verbal estimates that were in excess of $900.00 – yet local mechanics, where the car is now being repaired, have estimated the cost of the repair at less than half of that of GM dealerships. It would seem that our local GM dealers are profiting off of GM’s refusal to publicly address this problem and even though the actual “fix” for the problem is minimal, like the comments above indicate, they insist that in order to effectuate a proper repair – the entire clutch assembly should be replaced.

It is beginning to appear that no matter where the American consumer turns, Corporate America is gouging its customers to make up for an economy that has not fully recovered. It’s especially disconcerting to realize that when our corporations fail to make what they believe are “acceptable profit margins,” instead of responding with better products and service which lead to higher profit margins and customer satisfaction, their first response if to figure out how to gouge their existing customer base under any pretext they can to maximize profits while further adding to the economic hardships we now face which is becoming the new American way of life.

In the case of the above model of the Chevy Cavalier, we believe that consumers should avoid purchasing this model which is readily available on used car lots throughout America. The great deal that you receive on the purchase price is apt to be negated by repair bills that are guaranteed to occur, and until GM issues a recall on this issue, the 2005 Chevy Cavalier is likely one of the worst used cars that is currently on the market.

William Cormier