What are the common problems with the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier?
Owners of the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier have filed 18 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine cooling (6) and the electrical system (5). In NHTSA's complaints file of November 11, 2026, 1 of its 18 complaints lists a mileage (189,654 miles), too few to say when problems were reported; a complaint is an owner's report, not a proven defect.
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See what the paid report includes →NHTSA's file holds 18 owner complaints on the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier. Owners named engine cooling most often: 6 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 18 complaints, 2 report a crash, 6 report a fire and 2 report an injury (4 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
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Common problems with the 1986 Cavalier
NHTSA's file holds 18 owner complaints on the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier. Owners named engine cooling most often: 6 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component.
| Component (NHTSA category) | Complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine And Engine Cooling | 6 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Electrical System | 5 | 1 | Under 5 mileages |
| Steering | 3 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Seats | 2 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
| Seat Belts | 1 | 0 | Under 5 mileages |
Of the 18 complaints, 2 report a crash, 6 report a fire and 2 report an injury (4 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
Mileage when owners reported a problem with the 1986 Cavalier
Too few complaints on the 1986 Cavalier list a mileage to say when owners reported problems: 1 of its 18 complaints lists a mileage (189,654 miles), and a median is given here only with 10 or more.
These mileages say when owners reported a problem, not when a 1986 Cavalier wears out. NHTSA's file holds only vehicles whose owners complained; one that ran without a problem never appears in it, so it gives no lifespan and no cutoff, and how a vehicle was maintained matters more than any one odometer reading.
Every model year together: Half of the 1,713 NHTSA owner complaints on the Chevrolet Cavalier that list mileage came after 63,000 miles (NHTSA complaints file of November 11, 2026). How many miles will a Chevrolet Cavalier last? →
Is the 1986 Cavalier a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1986 is a good or a bad Cavalier: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1986 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file.
With 18 complaints, the 1986 ranks 19th of the 20 Chevrolet Cavalier model years from 1986 to 2005 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2003 (678). The fewest: the 1988 (12).
Recent model years have had less time to collect complaints, so their counts are still growing. No year is ranked by mileage here, because a year's median mileage mostly follows its age.
| Model year | Owner complaints | Listing mileage | Median mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 (this page) | 18 | 1 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1987 Cavalier | 24 | 2 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1988 Cavalier | 12 | 2 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1989 Cavalier | 43 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1990 Cavalier | 55 | 2 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1991 Cavalier | 55 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1992 Cavalier | 134 | 5 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1993 Cavalier | 146 | 3 | Under 10 mileages |
| 1994 Cavalier | 212 | 13 | 95,000 |
| 1995 Cavalier | 270 | 21 | 82,500 |
| 1996 Cavalier | 503 | 56 | 86,000 |
| 1997 Cavalier | 540 | 88 | 84,005 |
| 1998 Cavalier | 345 | 83 | 82,525 |
| 1999 Cavalier | 240 | 63 | 64,000 |
| 2000 Cavalier | 315 | 120 | 58,000 |
| 2001 Cavalier | 243 | 103 | 48,120 |
| 2002 Cavalier | 196 | 102 | 53,100 |
| 2003 Cavalier | 678 | 550 | 62,200 |
| 2004 Cavalier | 330 | 263 | 52,000 |
| 2005 Cavalier | 287 | 230 | 66,261 |
1986 Chevrolet Cavalier recalls
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 3 recall campaigns that name the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier (2 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
What these figures can and cannot tell you
- Complaints are owners’ reports to NHTSA. NHTSA publishes them without verifying them: a complaint is an allegation, not a defect finding.
- The mileage is what the owner wrote on the complaint; NHTSA does not check it against the odometer.
- The make, model and model year are the ones on the complaint. NHTSA records them as filed, so a few complaints sit under a model year the name was not sold in.
- They are not a lifespan study. The file holds only vehicles whose owners reported a problem, so these figures do not say how long a typical 1986 Cavalier lasts.
- A complaint count rises with how many vehicles were sold and how long they have been on the road, so it is not a rating of the 1986 Cavalier.
- Nothing here describes one vehicle: its title brands, odometer readings, accidents and open recalls are in the records for its own VIN.
- 17 of the 18 complaints on the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier give no usable mileage (blank, zero, a filler such as 999999, or over 500,000) and are left out of every mileage figure.
- NHTSA name counted: CAVALIER. NHTSA files some vehicles under several names (a series name and a trim name, for example); this page counts only this one.
- Recall-file name matched: CAVALIER.
Primary sources behind this page
Open the underlying public source and verify that its scope matches the question you are asking.
- NHTSA complaints flat file (FLAT_CMPL.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Complaints file field layout (CMPL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recalls flat file (FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.zip), downloaded November 11, 2026National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls file field layout (RCL.txt)National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- NHTSA recall and complaint datasets: scope and documentationNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- Recalls Lookup by VINNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration
NHTSA’s complaints file was downloaded on November 11, 2026 (FLAT_CMPL.txt, dated 2026-11-11 10:15, 2,265,416 rows), with its recall files (FLAT_RCL_PRE_2010.txt and FLAT_RCL_POST_2010.txt, dated 2026-11-11 08:02). Each complaint is counted once, by its NHTSA number, with the model year and mileage of its first row; a model year has a page only with 10 or more complaints. The collection script and its rules are in scripts/collect-nhtsa-model-year-longtail.mjs.
1986 Chevrolet Cavalier questions
What are the most common 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier problems?
NHTSA's file holds 18 owner complaints on the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier. Owners named engine cooling most often: 6 complaints. A complaint can name more than one component. Of the 18 complaints, 2 report a crash, 6 report a fire and 2 report an injury (4 people reported injured). These are owners' reports to NHTSA, not findings.
At what mileage do owners report problems with the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier?
NHTSA's file gives no mileage figure for the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier: 1 of its 18 complaints lists a mileage (189,654 miles), and this page gives a median only with 10 or more. These are mileages at a reported problem; they do not say how many miles a 1986 Cavalier can cover.
Is the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier a good year?
Complaint counts cannot say whether the 1986 is a good or a bad Cavalier: they rise with how many were sold and how long they have been on the road. They show how the 1986 compares with the other model years in NHTSA's file. With 18 complaints, the 1986 ranks 19th of the 20 Chevrolet Cavalier model years from 1986 to 2005 with 10 or more complaints, counting from the most. The most: the 2003 (678). The fewest: the 1988 (12).
How many recalls does the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier have?
NHTSA's recall files of November 11, 2026 list 3 recall campaigns that name the 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier (2 vehicle campaigns and 1 equipment or tire campaign that names this model year, often for aftermarket parts). A campaign covers a production range, not every vehicle of the model year: check the VIN with NHTSA's free recall lookup.
How do I check a used 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier before buying?
Take the 17-character VIN from the vehicle and compare the odometer with the readings on file for it: title transfers, inspections and auction sales record the mileage on the day. VIN Lookup (free-vin-lookup.com) sells the original ClearVIN PDF for $14.99 (3 reports for $29.99, 5 for $44.99): odometer readings, title brands and auction records on file for the VIN. Check the VIN before buying a used 1986 Chevrolet Cavalier.