Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
DIGITAL INSTRUMENT PANEL
01/01/20111
 2004 chevrolet cavalier. consumer states temp gauge looses its bearings and ends up over in the speedometer area and speedometer will not go pass 11 mph *tgw
06/05/20081
 Speedometer stopped working. *tr
08/14/2008350001
 The gauges on my cavalier are all messed up. sometimes the only gage that works are my rpm gauges. all the other gauges: the gas gage, the thermometer gauges and the mph gage never work right. i can't tell how fast i am going, how much gas is in the car or if it's going to overheat on me or not. it will not reset. this has been going on for two years. *tr
01/01/201012000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet cavalier. she stated that the entire instrument panel would fail intermittently. the dealer was contacted and advised that the cluster, a fuse or the wiring could be faulty. the vehicle has not been taken into the dealer to be diagnosed. no repairs made to date. the failure mileage was 12,000 and the current mileage was 112,075.
01/04/201045294
 Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet cavalier. whenever the contact started her vehicle she noticed that the instrument panel displayed incorrect information. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealership and there were no prior warnings. the current and failure mileages were 45294.
01/08/2010500001
 The speedometer and tach quit working or are reading the wrong speeds on my 2004 chevrolet cavalier. i can be at a stop sign and the gage shows 40mph. i can be going down the interstate and it shows 30 mph. sometimes it doesn't work at all. i have been online & seen several forums with people with the same problem, and there is no apparent recall. *tr
11/27/2009725061
 The easiest way to put this is the 2004 chevy cavalier instrument panel is messed up, it first started approximately 3 months ago when my speedometer would read 40mph when i was idling, and now the needle is buried past 110mph even when im going 20mph. now the gas gauge has gotten messed up too its needle is buried blocking the temperature needle from advancing which would cause overheating and braking problems. i called a local dealership about this problem and the service manager said he knows it is a problem but then proceeded to tell me it would be $500.00 to repair it. honestly i am kind of scared to drive this car with my family in it due to chevy not wanting to replace this widely known problem, i greatly appreciate you taking your time for reading this. *tr
12/01/2009620001
 The instrument cluster is not giving the right speed you are going and the tach is not giving the rpms it stays on 0. speed needle goes all the way around as to as far it can go and it stays there for a few days. *tr
12/20/2009510001
 The speedometer on my 2004 chevrolet cavalier has failed at the 50,000 mile mark. there is no way for me to tell the accurate speed i am driving. *tr
05/14/2009490001
 2004 chevy cavalier all gauges on dash do not work. *tr
02/20/2008460001
 The dash board cluster in my 2004 chevy cavalier coupe has problems. the dials of my gauges are inaccurate. the engine heat gauge dial can cross over intermittently into my speedometer causing that to get stuck and not work. the heat gauge dial has also been pointed towards my steering wheel, pointing directly down. my rpm gauge rarely works correctly. i have taken it into a repair shop to be looked at and was told by the repairman that he had the same problem with the cluster on his cavalier. he knew what the problem was as i described it. he told me how to temporarily correct the problem. this is done by continually turning the key in the ignition slightly, until the dials return the normal position, i have to do this at least once a week. he quoted me a repair price of $500.00. i do not have enough money to fix this and believe it should be recalled. i have done some investigating of my own on-line and have found that many people have this problem. in the winter this problem is worse. help!!! *tr
06/21/200952000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet cavalier. the contact stated that the instrument cluster failed when she turned the vehicle on. occasionally the instrument cluster moved rapidly and registers 0. a local mechanic replaced the instrument panel; however, the failure recurred. the dealer stated that they could diagnose the for $125. the manufacturer advised the contact to have the dealer diagnose the failure at the owners expense. the failure mileage was 3,000 and the current mileage was 58,000.
05/14/200931000
 Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet cavalier. the contact stated that the instrument cluster was defective. the speedometer and fuel gauge failed to operate properly and displayed inaccurate readings. the vehicle was purchased with 30,000 miles. the current and failure mileages were 31,000.
01/01/2009420001
 Speedometer and other gauges going haywire. at times i have no idea what speed i am going. i can be stopped at a redlight and my speedometer reads 90mph. or i can be keeping with the flow of traffic on route 30 and it reads 20mph. *tr
10/01/2007601251
 The speedometer on my 2004 chevy cavalier stopped working correctly about a year and a half ago. it will stick at random places on the dial, even when not driving, will not register the correct speed, and sometimes roll all the way over, pointing at the odometer. the tachometer and coolant temp. gauge stick also when it gets cold outside. all of these problems seem to get better when the weather warms up, but are still present. i haven't had the money to get this fixed (estimated at 700 dollars) so therefore no repairs have been made. this is an obvious safety defect and a recall needs to be issued! i have read many more complaints from other cavalier owners about the same issues! *tr
07/01/2007400001
 At about 40k miles, the tachometer and speedometer started acting erratically. speedometer constantly at 60 even when at a stop. tach no longer works at all. will have to replace instrument cluster. estimate is about $450.00. *tr
12/10/2008300001
 My speedometer has stopped working. it has been repaired once and has started not functioning again. it occasionally works correctly, but mostly it goes up to a high reading and sticks there. *tr
11/19/2008990001
 The speedometer does not read accurately. sometimes it reads too fast and sometimes too slow. no accidents have occurred, but the potential is there. the problem is sporadic, happening over the course of a day, several days a week. i have not had it repaired. *tr
01/01/2006200001
 My speedometer on my 2004 chevy cavalier has stopped working i have noticed alot if 2000 models with this issue. *tr
11/07/2008534331
 My speedometer is malfunctioning. it is setting on 65 when stopped. then when driving it sets on 110+. then for no reason it starts working again. i took it in to a chevy dealership they said nothing was wrong, i am still under warranty. i only have one car, i have to drive to work. but this is scary and dangerous. not to mention i could get a ticket. *tr
08/01/2007320001
 Speedometer fluctuates. do not know my speed. tachometer fluctuates. cannot estimate speed. temperature gauge is acting up. do i have to worry about blowing my engine? numerous complaints on internet. this is a real problem, and should be recalled. pretty expensive repair for a cavalier owner. *tr
04/01/2008102/05/2008
 Odometer would not read correctly and would end up over 110mph and get stuck. eventually would make it to 0 and work for a couple days and the go back over 110mph. while it was over 110 if you started the car the fuel gauge would turn towards the temp gauge. took car to the dealer and had to replace the entire instrument cluster. cost about $400.00. *tr
04/05/200624000304/01/2004
 Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet cavalier. while driving 5 mph, the engine intermittently stalled. the failure occurred while making a turn in first gear. the rpm decreased to 400 rpm and there was a loss of power steering. when the vehicle stalled, the contact released his foot from the clutch and the motor increased the rpm's automatically. when the key was turned in the ignition, the vehicle failed to start intermittently until approximately ten attempts. while driving 55 mph, the speedometer displayed 30 mph. when the gas tank was full, the fuel gauge would display half a tank. the temperature gauge also malfunctioned. the vehicle would not overheat, but the gauge would read hot. the dealer was unable to diagnose or repair the failures. the failure mileage was 24,000 and current mileage was 37,500.
11/10/200777100106/12/2005
 On the date listed below, i noticed the speedometer on my 2004 chevrolet cavalier began to, well, stick. after a length of time it will not return to zero, and over time, will dip below 110 mph and stay there. i have been on numerous websites and have seen numerous complaints from owners of cavaliers and impalas, so this is not an uncommon problem. this is not safe for me as a driver, to not know how fast i am going, and could pose a danger for my passengers and others i drive near. average repair costs are $400, and a person driving a cavalier will typically not have that kind of money to spare. general motors needs to issue a recall. *tr
09/16/200754000108/20/2004
 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. *tr
12/06/200723990105/11/2004
 The speedometer is stuck on a 2004 chevrolet cavalier ls . *tr
01/06/200773000103/13/2005
 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. *tr
11/01/2007205/31/2004
 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. *kb 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. *jb
10/12/200755000104/10/2007
 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. *jb
04/10/20076105610004/01/2004
 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. *tr
10/04/20060105/26/2004
 Cluster in dash failed, no gauges work. *ak