I have a 2002 chevy cavalier and the trac off light keeps coming on and i dont know what this means. The other day it came on while i was driving and when the transmission would automatically shift gears while i was taking off from a stoplight it gerked hard%21%21 Can anyone tell me whats goin on and what i should do or could do to find the problem%3F%3F

Asked by bah1967 Nov 24, 2012 at 10:21 AM about the 2002 Chevrolet Cavalier

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

1 Answer

69,085

My fiance's did the exact same thing and it turned out to be the throttle position sensor. The trans was shifting at a very high rpm even while taking off slowly. By far the hardest shifts I have ever felt on a stock trans. I was like it had a shifter kit in it. She also dropped from 24 mpg to about 16-18. Is your check engine light on also? It doesn't necessarily have to be hers only came on occasionally. The older vehicles had governors and kick down cables and vacuum shifter controls. The new cars rely on the TPS for shift times. Take it to a parts store and see if they can get a code

3 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    John Saffrahn
    Reputation
    4,830
  • #2
    dandyoun
    Reputation
    1,990
  • #3
    mbar1
    Reputation
    1,670
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Chevrolet Camaro
19 Great Deals out of 470 listings starting at $11,999
Used Chevrolet S-10
2 listings
Used Chevrolet Malibu
53 Great Deals out of 1,057 listings starting at $2,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.