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.
Around October of 2009, the temperature gauge in my 2005 Chevy Cavalier started acting funny. My car was not overheating I had it checked. Over the course of the next couple of months the gauge needle started going all the way to the right into the speedometer thus effecting the speedometer's accuracy in telling me how fast I am going. The needle now rests below the 0 mph mark on the speedometer. At the time I did not have the funds to get it fixed. Now just yesterday August 1, 2010 the gas gauge started acting funny, which I started noticing about a month ago. Now the needle is resting in the temp gauge area so I have no idea how much gas I have. To me all these sound like safety issues to me.. not knowing how hot your car is running! not knowing how fast you are going! and not knowing how much gas you have. I did some research and turns out I am not the first Chevrolet Cavalier consumer with this problem. Their have been recalls for Tahoe, Silverado, ect but not for Cavalier which has the same thing happening that these vehicles have had. I am taking it tomorrow to have the whole instrument panel cluster replaced at the GM dealership and it will cost me $500 approximately. This is unacceptable for something that is clearly not my fault if multiple vehicles are having the same problem. And what happens if the same thing happens again because Chevrolet puts faulty equipment in their vehicles and doesn't take responsibility for it and tries to call it normal wear and tear?? I will have to pay 500 again to have it repaired again. I want to know what kind of wear and tear causes this problem to occur.
2005 Chevy Cavalier 2.2L, 33K miles, shortly after purchasing my car the speedometer stopped working. My mechanic told me the gauge cluster was faulty after replacing the speed sensor. I of course called the dealer and they forwarded me to Chevy customer support. I told them about the problem and they denied any help with the issue and told me to take it to a shop. I was not pleased with this but I came to accept it and scheduled time and tried to set aside around 400$ for the repair. Before I could get paid and take my car into the shop I exited an off ramp or exit ramp that was 30mph limit. I had been following a car to work so I'm not speeding hoping that they are not, and I began to slow down for the turn and began to exit but at this point I really didn't know how fast I was going but I thought I had slowed to what I thought was 30mph but I ended up taking the turn too fast and slammed into and up over a curve and into a wall which deployed the air bags and shattered the windows out on my passenger side. I unfortunately got cut up pretty bad by the glass on the left side of my face leaving me scarred. I feel lucky to be alive. I have read online about the speedometer problem and I've read over 100 out of the 1000S of complaints/reports of people loosing the speedometer shortly after purchasing their 2005 Chevy Cavalier and many of them report feeling scared or uneasy about driving their cars and I don't blame them. I feel the car is dangerous with out a speedometer or any vehicle for that matter and I feel truly sorry for people who simply can't afford the 400$ - 600$ repair to fix this and are forced to drive with the fear and anxiety of not knowing how fast they are going. I could have died and believe people probably have died as a result of this but I doubt there have been any investigations regarding the functionality of the speedometer or gauge cluster before the wrecks. Please help.
The speedometer quits working. As im sitting still its saying 85 mph as im driving says 110mph. Then it will start working again and the next time I drive it stops again and says a high speed as im sitting still and a very high speed when im driving!
I have a 2005 Chevy Cavalier that has never been modified in any way and about a year and a half ago, I noticed that the instrument panel was acting faulty. It would act up sometimes and when the engine was turned off, the gauges would stay stuck and when you restart the engine, they would rotate even more further pass their normal idled position. It just got worst and worst. Now it's not even working. I can't really tell when I am low on gas until my gas checklight comes on nor can I tell how fast I am driving. That's my worst concern. My temp gauge sometimes works and sometimes not. Speedometer and RPM don't work at all. This is faulty and think that Chevy should either have it recalled or replace for free. It was bought in having faith in reliability that the car and parts would last a little longer than 4 years, especially interior parts/instruments.
Power window failure, windows stuck, replaced window motor 2 times, failure again, unable to open or close windows, gas gauge and speedometer not working.
- Berkeley, CA, USA
Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...
1. the speedometer on my 2005 Chevy Cavalier ls does not work. Started in February when needle stuck at 10mph when stopped... it was an extremely cold day, which led me to believe it was weather related, but not the case. 2.speedometer has gotten worse; sometimes doesn't budge at all and sometimes reads way too high. It is quite unpredictable, and occurs every time I drive. I do not feel safe, and would like to replace asap, but as a single mom it is not easy to come up with the amount of $$ needed. 3. I've researched problem and see that several other Chevy owners have had problems with the speedometer; seems a recall should be in order.
2005 Chevy Cavalier. About a year ago my temperature gauge started malfunctioning. The indicator needle would go off it's gauge and interfere with the speedometer needle. I took it in and had the temp sensor replaced and it seem ed to fix it till a week later the same thing happened. My mechanic thought it might be a faulty sensor so he replaced that. Same thing happened.. I was then told that the instrument cluster would have to be replaced for about $500-$700. I've done research on this problem and it seems to be a wide spread problem with this vehicle. Now the speedometer is malfunctioning. It was indicating 110 mph while I was doing about 45mph. Other times it has read 45 when I was doing about 60 mph. ( I timed myself by mile markers...1 mile in 1 minute = 60 mph. Not only has this raised my chance of speeding tickets but I feel it is a real safety issue. People will be going much faster than their speedometer indicates. GM has recalled truck models with the same problem but not the Cavalier. My guess is that GM does not make that model anymore but they still make the trucks. I am very uncomfortable driving this car now and to get it fixed would be a gamble in itself. They would probably put the same poorly designed and manufactured panel back in. This is just not right. I would appreciate some feedback on this matter. My vehicle is not safe to drive due to poor GM quality. Please help. Thank you.
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier. While the contact was driving approximately 40 mph, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. The contact also noticed that the windshield wipers suddenly stopped working intermittently. The vehicle had not been inspected when the complaint was filed. The current and failure mileages were approximately 82,000.
I have had my 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier 3 years and the speedometer stopped working a year ago. Just yesterday my dashboard lights came on, the tachometer stopped working and I couldn't tell how much gas was in my tank. I thought my airbags were going to deploy for no reason as the light on my dash was lit. I am very concerned about driving this vehicle. Please!!! this is a safety issue!!!
My daughter owns a 2005 Chevy Cavalier and about 2 years ago the temperature gauge stopped working on it it just stays in one place and then about 3 or 4 months ago the speedometer started acting up and now it just does not work at all and now just recently the tachometer just stopped working now how is someone suppose to drive their vehicle safely with all these problems with their car acting like this!
The vehicles gauges are not working properly and the vehicle is not safe to drive. The temperature gauge goes past hot, even though the car is not driving hot, and goes into the speedometer. When this happens, the need from the temperature gauge stops the speedometer needle from moving past the 15 mph location. This is very dangerous because you are driving faster then 15 mph, but only showing 15 mph. The RPM gauge also does not work properly. There are many complaints on this web site about the same problem with the gauges, and the vehicle should be recalled and GM should fix the problem.
The speedometer in my 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier started to stick in random positions. The tachometer had demonstrated similar behavior for several months prior to the speedometer failure. The gas gage also demonstrated unusual behavior prior to the speedometer failure.
One day the temperature gauge started reading high. Took it in for a test and the mechanic the car was not overheating. Must be the gauge. When we went to pick it up the speedometer wasn't working properly. This morning taking it to the shop to be repaired the fuel gauge stopped working.
I own a 2005 Chevy Cavalier with a faulty cluster that controls instrument panel. I now can smell what seems to be electrical burning. Many other owners have this problem also. GM needs to do a recall on this problem. My gas & temp gauages never work & speedometer is only working part time. I bought this car brand new in 2004 & within 3 months the motor had to be replaced due to factory defect. 6 months later, the clutch. This vehicle has major problems! I was completely surprised to find that there are many others with the exact same problem with their gauage & it is my understanding costs between 600 to 800 dollars to fix! my car only has 46,000 miles on it. Yes, it is a headache to deal with trying to keep up with your gas mileage but now I fear that something is always burning in my car! GM, as I understand, fixed a similar problem with some pick up trucks but won't touch the Cavalier. This needs to be addressed! I am afraid to drive my car for fear it could burst into flames!! I implore you to please make GM accountable for their products. This is obviously a common problem that is truly a factory defect on their part. Consumers should not have to pay for their mistakes!!
Rear directional turn signals have stopped operating ( left rear signal lamp) front left signal lamp operates at a rapid rate, left rear signal lamp will not flash, but both rear lamp bulbs are illuminated.
2005 Chevy Cavalier, re: Erratic speedometer. Local dealer healey Chevy says throw away entire cluster, cost of part @ $300 local vinjo oil change express says, test sensors by tranny for @ 1 hour and change individual ones, as needed. 180 degrees apart !! makes sense since gauges are getting false pulse. Speedo does stick too, otherwise rest of cluster functions, odometer and all other gauges(they can't spell at Chevy) ok.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Mobile, AL, USA