2005 Chevrolet Cavalier

IN DEC 2008, TEMPERATURE GAUGE STARTING READING HOT BUT READ NORMAL A FEW DAYS LATER. IT BECAME ERRATIC FOR ABOUT A WEEK THEN STARTED POINTING TO THE RIGHT OF HOT AND KEPT MOVING FURTHER CLOCKWISE UNTIL IT WAS IN THE 6 O'CLOCK POSITION AND STAYED THAT WAY FOR A COUPLE MONTHS. NOW (MAR 2009) IT IS IN THE 4 O'CLOCK POSITION AND PREVENTS THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE FROM MOVING PAST IT. WITHIN A FEW MOMENTS DRIVING, THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE THEN DROPS BACK TO 0 UNTIL THE CAR SLOWS BELOW THE SPEED WHERE THE TEMPERATURE NEEDLE STOPPED IT. UPON RE-ACCELERATING THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE ATTEMPTS TO OPERATE SOMEWHAT NORMALLY UNTIL IT IS STOPPED AGAIN BY THE TEMPERATURE NEEDLE. THEN IT DROPS BACK TO 0 AFTER A FEW MOMENTS. MANY OTHER PEOPLE SAY THEY EVENTUALLY EXPERIENCE FAILURE OF ALL GAUGES IN THE CLUSTER. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED BECAUSE A DRIVER LOSES CONTROL AFTER LOSS OF POWER DUE TO A CONDITION THAT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF THE GAUGES WORKED PROPERLY (OUT OF GAS, EXCESSIVE TEMPERATURE ETC.) EVERYONE IS ENCOURAGED TO SUBMIT THEIR OWN COMPLAINT AT HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/IVOQ/ AND SIGN UP WITH MYCARSTATS.COM TO TRACK THIS ISSUE. *TR

I PURCHASED A NEW 2005 CHEVY CAVALIER, AND AROUND 60,000 MILES I STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE SPEEDOMETER STICKING GOING DOWN THE HIGHWAY, I WOULD LOOK DOWN AND SPEEDOMETER IS READING OVER 110 MPH, WHEN I TURNED THE CAR OFF THE SPEEDOMETER WOULD READ 70 MPH, THIS HAPPENED EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE. THIS IS DANGEROUS AS YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT YOUR ACTUAL SPEED IS. IT WOULD GO BACK TO ZERO AFTER A FEW DAYS. AFTER DEALING WITH THIS FOR A FEW MONTHS, I NOTICED THE OTHER DAY THAT MY FUEL GAUGE IS DOING THE SAME THING, WHEN THE FUEL NEEDLE WENT CLEAR TO THE RIGHT OF FULL, IT HAD MY TEMP GAUGE NEEDLE HUNG UP. KNOWING THAT NONE OF MY GAUGES NOW APPEAR TO BE WORKING CORRECTLY I TOOK IT TO OUR LOCAL DEALERSHIP YESTERDAY TO BE PUT ON THE COMPUTER TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS(TOLD TO DO SO BY GM, TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THEY COULD DO TO HELP WITH THE REPAIR COST). THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE PROGRAMMING IN THE DASH CLUSTER HAD BEEN KNOCKED OUT OF WHACK, AND THAT THEY HAD REPROGRAMMED THE DASH CLUSTER AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE, SAID A HIGH VOLTAGE SURGE HAD CAUSED THE DISRUPTION. I DROVE THE CAR OUT OF TOWN TODAY AND WHEN I PARKED THE CAR IN THE DRIVEWAY MY SPEEDOMETER IS READING 70MPH AND MY FUEL GAUGE IS STUCK AT 3/4 OF A TANK. COST ME $113 FOR NOTHING YESTERDAY. IT IS A WONDER THAT NO ONE HAS BEEN IN A WRECK OR INJURED FROM HAVING TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF A HIGHWAY BECAUSE THEY RAN OUT OF FUEL OR REALIZED SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THEIR GAUGES. GENERAL MOTORS HAS KNOWN ABOUT THIS ISSUE FOR ALONG TIME AND REFUSES TO DO A RECALL ON THESE BAD CLUSTER PANELS. I AM BEING TOLD TO REPLACE THE CLUSTER PANEL WILL COST ME AT LEAST $550. I WILL CALL GM TOMORROW AND TELL THEM REPROGRAMMING DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, BUT THEY ALREADY KNOW THIS, BECAUSE THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM GM CALLED TODAY TO SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS AND MY HUSBAND TOLD HIM, HE SAID THAT REPROGRAMMING DOESN'T FIX THE CLUSTER PROBLEM. GM NEEDS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM, IT IS DEFECTIVE PARTS. *TR

HAVE 2005 CAVALIER WITH 59,000. STARTED HAVING PROBLEMS WITH SPEEDOMETER AT ABOUT 51,000 MILES. SPEEDOMETER WOULD COME TO REST ANYWHERE FROM 30 TO 110 WHEN CARE IS NOT MOVING. THEN IT WOULD SHOW 80 OR SO MPH WHEN I WAS ONLY GOING AROUND 20 TO 25. IT IS NOW STOPPED AT PEGGED ALL THE WAY OVER . THEN THE TACK STARTED ACTING UP, IT WOULD MOVE ALL OVER THE GAUGE. IT TOO IS NOW HOLDING AT 1000 RPM EVEN WHEN I AM GOING AROUND 70 MPH. NOW THE FUEL GAUGE IS ALL OVER THE PLACE TOO. ALL THIS WITHIN ABOUT 10,000 MILES. WHAT NEXT, IS THE TEMP GAUGE GOING TO GO HAY WIRE?????? I HAVE TALKED WITH REPAIR SHOP AND THEY HAVE TOLD ME THAT CHEVROLET HAS BEEN HAVING THIS PROBLEM WITH THEIR GAUGES FOR AROUND THREE YEARS , SINCE 2002 MODEL. IF THIS IS SUCH A WIDE SPREAD PROBLEM, WHY HASN'T CHEVROLET DONE A RECALL ON THE REPLACE OF THE GAUGE CLUSTER. OR ARE THEY ONLY LOOKING TO MAKE A PROFIT FROM THE INNOCENT CUSTOMERS WHO HAVE THE MISFORTUNE TO HAVE BOUGHT A CAVALIER. THE CHEVY DEALER TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE REPLACE QUITE A FEW OF THESE PROBLEMS. THIS REPAIR IS NOT CHEAP, DEALERSHIP WANTED AROUND $600 DOLLARS TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I TRIED PUTTING OF THE REPAIR SINCE I COULD ALMOST JUDGE HOW FAST I WAS GOING. THAT WAS TILL I GOT A TICKET. NOW THAT THE GAS GAUGE IS GOING HAY WIRE, LOOKS LIKE I WILL HAVE TO FORK OUT THE MONEY TO FIX THIS PROBLEM BEFORE I RUN OUT OF GAS SOME WHERE ON THE HIGHWAY, OR MY WIFE RUNS OUT OF GAS IN SOME BAD NEIGHBOR. SURE DON'T WANT ANY PROBLEMS LIKE THAT. WHY DOESN'T CHEVY DO A RECALL SINCE THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AND HAVE KNOW ABOUT IT FOR A LONG LONG TIME. CHEVROLET IS STARTING TO LEAVE A BAD TASTE IN MY MOUTH. I AM A SIXTY ONE YEAR OLD MALE AND HAVE ALWAYS DROVE A CHEVY. BUT MAYBE, JUST MAYBE I MIGHT HAVE TO CHANGE MY WAY OF THINKING ABOUT THE CHEVY BUILD TUFF.??????? GET CHEVROLET OFF THEIR REARS AND LETS FIX THIS PROBLEM AND MAKE YOUR CUSTOMERS HAPPY. *TR

HAVING SEVERAL PROBLEMS WITH CLUSTER. FIRST HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE. SOMETIMES WOULD NOT BUDGE FROM COLD EVEN AFTER DRIVING 30 MILES. THEN SPEEDOMETER COMPLETELY MESSED UP. SOMETIMES IT WOULD WORK, BUT USUALLY IT WOULD SHOW THAT I WAS DRIVING 110 MPH. FINALLY I JUST REPLACED THE ENTIRE CLUSTER BOARD. WORKED PROPERLY FOR ONE DAY, BUT BROKE AGAIN NEXT DAY. AT LEAST THE TEMPERATURE IS ACCURATE. BUT I HAVE TO DEPEND ON MY GPS DAILY TO KNOW HOW FAST I'M DRIVING. OCCASIONALLY IT WORKS PROPERLY, BUT ONLY FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. AND HERE RECENTLY MY ODOMETER IS GOING CRAZY. ACTUAL MILEAGE IS ACCURATE, BUT TRIP MILEAGE CONTINUALLY RESETS ITSELF AND OFTEN APPEARS ON ITS OWN, WITHOUT ME PUSHING THE BUTTON. SOMETIMES FLASHES ON AND OFF FOR NO REASON, EVEN AFTER CAR HAS BEEN TURNED OFF. *TR

AFTER ONLY APPROXIMATELY 60,000 MILES, THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER IS NOT READING CORRECTLY. SOMETIMES IS STICKS ON ANY GIVEN SPEED, WHILE OTHER TIMES IT WILL JUST READ ABOUT 10 MILES AN HOUR FASTER OR SLOWER THAN I AM ACTUALLY GOING. I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THIS IS A VERY VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH CAVALIER OWNERS. WHILE THE PROBLEM HAS NOT BEEN THE CAUSE OF AN ACCIDENT FOR ME, IT CERTAINLY HAS THE POTENTIAL TO CAUSE ACCIDENTS FOR OTHER OWNERS OF THIS VEHICLE. TO VIEW OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME ISSUE FOR THE CHEVROLET CAVALIER PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING LINK. HTTP://WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM/CHEVROLET/CAVALIER/2005/ELECTRICAL/SPEEDOMETER_IS_NOT_ACCURATE.SHTML FORTUNATELY FOR ME, MY INSTRUMENT PANEL WILL BE COVERED UNDER MY EXTENDED WARRANTY AT A COST OF ONLY $100 TO ME. OTHERS WILL BE CHARGED UP TO ABOUT $300 TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM...OR THEY WILL CONTINUE TO DRIVE THEIR VEHICLES WITH A BROKEN SPEEDOMETER. THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE TIME TO LOOK INTO THIS ISSUE. *TR

SPEEDOMETER IS NO LONGER WORKING CORRECTLY, IT NOW COMES TO REST ANYWHERE FROM 30-60 WHEN CAR IS NOT MOVING, IT DOES INCREASE AS SPEED INCREASES BUT DOES NOT DECREASE AT THE SAME RATE, CAUSING THE SPEEDOMETER TO REGISTER ABOVE THE LIMIT OF THE DIAL. HORN DOES NOT WORK VIA THE STEERING WHEEL, THE HORN DOES SOUND WITH LOCKING AND PANIC BUTTONS. DEALER INFORMED ME THAT THIS IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND THAT THERE ARE NO RECALLS FOR SPEEDOMETER, AND THAT THE COST WOULD BE $650 HE WAS ABLE TO TELL ME THIS WITHOUT LOOKING UP ANY INFORMATION, SOUNDS TO ME LIKE THEY HAVE REPLACED QUITE A FEW INSTRUMENT PANELS RECENTLY. *TR

THE SPEEDOMETER HAS GONE HAYWIRE. IT GETS STUCK AT THE FAR RIGHT END SHOWING OVER 110 MPH WHEN I'M DRIVING ONLY 20 MPH. WHEN COMPLETELY STOPPED, IT WILL SHOW 60 TO 70 MPH AS THE SPEED. ONCE IN A GREAT WHILE, IT WILL WORK FOR A FEW MINUTES OR SO. I DO NOT KNOW HOW FAST I AM ACTUALLY GOING AND THIS IS A VERY REAL SAFETY HAZARD. I'VE BEEN TOLD I MIGHT HAVE TO REPLACE MY DASH AND THIS COULD BE VERY COSTLY- I HAVE ONLY 26,000 MILES ON MY 2005 CAVALIER, HAVE OWNED FOR LESS THAN 4 YEARS, AND HAVE 2 YEARS YET TO PAY ON MY LOAN. *TR