CarComplaints.com Notes: Widespread instrument panel failure is a common and frustrating reality for many 2004-2005 Chevy Cavalier owners. They're often left in the dark when it comes to knowing how fast they're going, what their engine temperature is, or even how much fuel they have left in the tank.
The likely culprit is a series of bad "stepper motors" which control the gauges and are no longer covered under warranty. Think not being able to see your speed is a safety issue and should be recalled for all owners? We'd agree. Trouble is, apparently the NHTSA does not.
3.1
definitely annoying
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
44,193 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Fuel gauge inoperative, points to the temp gauge. Speedometer sometimes works. When it's not, it's either pointing to below zero or up at 90 mph. Must rely on odometer(still works) to gauge fuel use. Must drive slower than traffic to insure I'm not speeding. Repair is very expensive. Have not been able to afford yet. Problem started around 54,000 miles.
Speedometer started running backwards and now will stick at different speeds regardless of actual speed. I have to estimate actual speed according to RPM's. consequences is getting pulled over for speeding because I can not tell how fast nor slow I am going.
2004 Chevy Cavalier with safety issues dealing with the engine. Customer states that there are some safety issues with their vehicle but the dealer needs a light to be on to find out. Dealer said it was the injectors and it was not the injectors. The consumer stated when she traveled on trips over 100 miles long, the trac off light illuminated., followed by the rpms going up, followed by the check engine light illuminating. The vehicle also burned a lot of oil, but only when the lights illuminated.
The instrument panel sometimes works and sometimes doesn't...my gas gauge never works properly...this began to happen after I reached 55,000 miles on my car.
- Las Vegas, NV, USA
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At a round 61000 km's (approx Mar 2007)the speedometer and tachometer started giving incorrect readings, either at the same time or on their own. They will pretty pretty much spin around at different points. Then some times they will work fine. This is an ongoing problem. Today (Sept 2007), the fuel gauge has now started doing the same, it went off scale and now is colliding with the temperature gauge. This poses a serious problem for me now, up til now I was putting up with it as it can only be fixed by the dealer at a high cost (over 500 cdn). Having an incorrect fuel reading causes obvious problems of getting stranded, and the temp gauge of engine damage.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- New Hartford, CT, USA