Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| DIGITAL INSTRUMENT PANEL | |||
| 05/17/2010 | 77000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet monte carlo. while driving at 65 mph, the contact noticed that the speedometer suddenly fell to 0 mph and other components on the instrument panel did not function correctly. the vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who replaced the instrument panel. the failure mileage was approximately 77,000. the current mileage was approximately 111,000. | |||
| 04/30/2010 | 1 | 10/08/2004 | |
| 2004 chevrolet monte carlo. consumer states electronic instrument cluster failure. *tgw the consumer stated after only 43,000, the speedometer began performing sporadically. he had no way of knowing how fast he was actually driving. *jb | |||
| 05/31/2007 | 36500 | 1 | |
| Dangerous gm speedometer defect the electronic speedometer on 2004 chevrolet monte carlo periodically begins to display incorrect information. this can be either reflecting a lower than actual speed or a higher than actual speed. this results in either driving at an unsafe speed for the road and/or conditions or the presenting an obstacle to other drivers by maintainga lower speed than the general traffic. although this has not resulted in an accident on our vehicle, i have noted many other owners identifying this issue on various chat rooms and customer forums on the internet. from what i have seen on the internet this issue is not limited to the 2004 chevy monte carlo, other makes of gm vehicles (cars and trucks) manufactured before and after this year have shown the same defect we have contacted the gm dealer and were told they are not responsible for correcting this problem and we would have to pay to replace the entire dashboard to correct the issue. we purchased this vehicle new and the problem surfaced shortly after reaching 36000 miles (warranty period). given the recent publicity regarding toyota's problems i think it would be well served to identify and correct this issue before it becomes as serious. this error occurs almost daily without warning. while you are driving the speedometer appears to work normally and at some point it will stop working, the only way to detect is to accelerate sharply or apply the brakes sharply while noting if the speedometer reflects the change in speed. this approach may work well for an experienced driver but a very young driver or an elderly driver may note realize the speedometer is not accurate and result in a accident. *tr | |||
| 10/15/2007 | 70000 | 1 | |
| Instrument cluster stopped working on my 2004 chevrolet monte carlo ss. temp gauge and speedometer have both stopped working. speedometer says i'm doing 110 mph all the time, even with car shut off. my friend had the same thing happen to her 2005 monte carlo and had it replaced under warranty. my car started as soon as the warranty ended. i have heard several complaints from other 2004 and 2005 monte carlo owners for the same exact problem. i did contact chevrolet about my issue. they said i will have to pay close to $1000 to have the cluster replaced, which i can't afford as i am a single mother just barely getting by. they also said that they will not recall a vehicle unless they have a bunch of complaints from the same area. i think this should be a safety recall beings it is a major safety issue due to not knowing how fast i am going or if my car is ready to overheat. *tr | |||
| 11/04/2009 | 26038 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet monte carlo ss. the contact stated that the instrument panel clusters have failed. none of the gauges on the instrument panel are moving normally. the speed odometer remained at 20 mph regardless of the speed that the contact is driving. the contact has not taken the vehicle to the dealer or contacted the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 26,038. | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 43000 | 1 | |
| Erratic speedometer operation which will indicate speeds of over 140mph at times,even when stopped,or lower mph than is actually being traveled. *tr | |||
| 11/01/2009 | 45000 | 1 | |
| Speedometer failure on 2004 chevrolet monte carlo: failure started with speedometer reading anywhere from 10-15mph low, causing excessive speed while driving. failure progressed to either reading zero mph or a consistent 20mph during all speeds of driving. failure occurred on vehicle with approximately 45,000 miles on the vehicle. *tr | |||
| 03/15/2008 | 85000 | 1 | |
| For several months now my gauges my 2004 chevrolet monte carlo have not worked..it started off with the speedometer not working all the time.. now it doesn't work at all. the rpms gauge doesn't work either. tonight my gas gauge stopped working. i have discovered now that alot of people with this vehicle has the same problem. its will cost me several hundred dollars to have this fixed. if so many people have had this problem a recall or something should be issued.. *tr | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 47000 | 1 | |
| Speedometer stopped working properly, leaving me unable to determine the correct speed. i almost ran into the back of another car going slower because i was unaware of the problem until then. it sometimes now don't work at all. *tr | |||
| 10/18/2009 | 61000 | 1 | |
| This just started right out of the blue. my speedometer works very erratically. sometimes it reads 30mph when im doing 70mph and sometimes it says 30mph when im not even moving. it can also be any combination of any speed. it just does whatever. sometimes it works fine. usually when it starts to go bad it eventually will just drop to below 0mph and stay there. now the tachometer is doing the same thing. both occur totally at random. this could easily lead me to have an accident if i don't know how fast im going. nothing has been done to fix it because i really don't think i could afford to get it fixed and i know nothing about automobile electronics either. the car is a 2004 chevy monte carlo ss with 61,000 miles. *tr | |||
| 10/01/2009 | 64776 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet monte carlo. the contact stated that the instrument clusters on his vehicle failed without warning. all of the gauge needles on the instrument panel were pointed downward and inoperable. while driving, the contact was unsure of his speed including how fast or slow he was driving. the manufacturer advised him to have an authorized dealer diagnose the failure. the manufacturer also mailed the contact a letter informing him that the warranty is not valid for the repair and that there are no related recalls. the contact is responsible for paying $450 to have the vehicle repaired. the contact filed claim# 71-762-310145 with the manufacturer. the failure mileage was 64,776. | |||
| 05/14/2008 | 30000 | 1 | |
| The speedometer on my 2005 monte carlo fluctuates and will stick at past 140 mph when i am driving along at posted speeds. also, my gas gauge will surpass the full mark when i know i have less than full. *tr | |||
| 09/20/2009 | 39205 | 1 | |
| Bad stepper motors in my tachometer, voltmeter and now my engine temperature meter have died or are faulty, producing erroneous readings. the failures seem to be randomly occurring as the motors slowly die out, giving false readings in each gauge until they are permanently stuck in a position. this has occurred to each meter over the last several months, with meters giving incorrect values, sometimes resetting and functioning properly once the engine is turned off and back on, but then becoming incorrect once again. consequences of this could lead to further damage to the car in case an actual problem occurs in areas of the car where monitoring the situation would eb critical, such as in my case when my engine coolant was running very low but i could not tell due to the gauge being broken. serious damage to my car and potentially myself could have occurred. the only available option is to purchase a new dash cluster for several hundred dollars, while the problematic motors cost $5 each to replace but altering the dash is not legal. *tr | |||
| 01/09/2008 | 45000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet monte carlo. the contact noticed that none of the instrument panel gauges were working properly. in addition, the speedometer did not display the correct speed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and they stated that the entire instrument panel needed to be replaced. the current mileage was 76,000 and failure mileage was 45,000. | |||
| 04/15/2009 | 67000 | 1 | |
| The inst.panel cluster has stopped working in my 2004 monte carlo,,,hard to drive without a speedometer! *tr | |||
| 10/17/2008 | 60000 | 1 | 04/24/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet monte carlo. while driving approximately 80 mph on normal road conditions, the instrument panel cluster failed without warning. however, the temperature gauge displayed accurate readings. the vehicle has not been repaired. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 60,000 and current mileage was 75,000. updated 3/27/09 *cn updated 03/31/09.*jb | |||
| 02/02/2009 | 112103 | 1 | |
| Instrument cluster/ speedometer malfunction, erratically reads vehicle speed or not at all. all else works well. love my monte but it is annoying to say the least to be as o.c.d about my car as i am and to have this major part of communication between car and driver go bad chevy admits to having an issue with this item, but will do nothing about, unless i fork over $ 600.00 for parts and repair. chevy.... god don't like ugly!*tr | |||
| 01/15/2009 | 72000 | 1 | |
| Instrument cluster failure. *tr | |||
| 01/06/2009 | 72000 | 1 | |
| Speedometer stopped working while driving down the road. *tr | |||
| 12/28/2008 | 36600 | 1 | |
| Approximately one year ago, i started noticing that my tachometer on my 2004 monte carlo ss was not functioning properly all the time. it is an intermittent problem, and i have since learned to live with it. well now the speedometer started yesterday with a very similar problem. it will only register the highest speed i get to...and stay in that position until the car is almost at a dead stop. if you reduce your speed, you can not tell how fast you are going. i have done a lot of research on line regarding this, and it is apparent that chevy and gm trucks from 03- and 04 are covered by a safety recall for this identical problem. i contacted the local dealership and they stated it was not a known issue with the monte carlos...however internet search can produce cars of all types in that date range that all have had the same failure. this is a 2004 monte carlo ss that just has 36600 miles. and the problem has been apparent since last summer (just a month after it went out of the date warranty)... *tr | |||
| 12/08/2007 | 56000 | 1 | |
| I purchase a 2004 monte carlo ls in oct. of 2007. the instrument cluster worked ok until 3 months after i had the car. now the tach is never where its supposed to be. sometimes it will jump past the red zone on its own. i have some other friends that have a 2004 impala that is showing the same issues, with the tach and speedometer. this seems like a major safety issue and needs to be addressed. i have read many forums online describing this same issue. *tr | |||
| 04/03/2008 | 50000 | 1 | |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet monte carlo. while driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, the speedometer displayed inaccurate readings. there were no warning indicators illuminated on the instrument panel. the vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and they stated that the failure was related to the instrument panel cluster. the vehicle was repaired. the contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. the vin was unknown. the failure mileage was 50,000 and current mileage was 60,000. updated 12/15/08. *lj updated 12/15/08. *jb | |||
| 10/01/2007 | 50000 | 1 | |
| Instrument panel malfunctions. tach, gas gauge, and speedometer. only work intermittently. sometimes i look at speedometer and it says 70 mph when i am doing 25 mph and sometimes it says 25mph when i am doing 70 mph. started at about 50k miles. chevy did recall on trucks of this year for the same issue but did not include monte carlo's. replacement cost can run anywhere from 600 to 2000 dollars. money i do not have at present. filing complaint to add to other complaints. if enough complain then maybe chevy will do something.. one of those things you expect never to go wrong......... *tr | |||
| 10/05/2002 | 17000 | 1 | |
| Speedometer stopped working vechical only had 19,000miles. *tr | |||
| 10/01/2007 | 55000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2004 monte carlo ss, at about 55,000 miles the speedometer starting acting unreliable. sometimes i registers 30 mph when i am at 70, other times it will stick at 71 mph when i am at zero. it occurs randomly with different behaviors, is unreliable. i called the local gm dealer and they mention it is a problem with the instrument cluster. this is a safety issue and other gm vehicles i am told had recalls for this same issue. not being able to reliably know the speed in all situations is a risk to the operators. *tr | |||
| 05/15/2008 | 28800 | 1 | |
| 2004 chevrolet monte carlo - (approximately 28,000 miles) unable to determine actual speed when driving car: speedometer hangs (does not return to zero) when stopped. subsequent driving continues to increase speed reading. eventually speedometer stays stuck at 140 mph. chevrolet says there is no recall or warranty for this failure. cost to repair $500 to $800. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2008 | 50000 | 1 | 11/01/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet monte carlo. while driving at any speed, all of the instrument panel indicators fail. there were no warnings prior to the intermittent failures. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the current mileage was 53,392 and failure mileage was 50,000. updated 07/08/08. *bf updated *jb | |||
| 11/28/2006 | 45000 | 1 | 06/29/2006 |
| Display panel aka control center failure. inoperative speedometer and tachometer. occasionally errant fuel gauge. *tr | |||
| 11/26/2007 | 75000 | 150 | 11/15/2003 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet monte carlo. while driving at any speed, the speedometer dial would remain at 0 mph. when the vehicle is turned off and restarted, the speedometer dial would move 5 mph each additional time. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. the current mileage was 108,000 and failure mileage was 75,000. | |||
| 04/14/2008 | 26500 | 15 | 02/14/2008 |
| Have had the car since feb-14-08. repeatedly the message center battery light comes on, for ten minutes or longer. then all the gauges in cluster drop as if car is off including cruise control, seat belt light and chime. having traveled from ny to ga i was concerned i'd be stranded. contacted onstar diagnostics en route and was told they didn't detect a problem. 29,000 miles on it, believe factory warranty is still active and will take it in asap. *tr | |||
| 03/03/2008 | 36000 | 1 | 03/12/2007 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet monte carlo. the contact stated that all the gauges on the instrumental panel displayed inaccurate readings. he is unable to determine how fast he is driving. the vehicle has not been taken to the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 36,000. | |||
| 12/23/2007 | 66540 | 25 | 03/31/2004 |
| My gas gauge stopped working first, still not working. now my speedometer only works sometimes not real sure if its correct when it does work i received a speeding ticket when i did not realize i was speeding. *tr | |||
| 10/15/2007 | 76000 | 1 | 07/12/2004 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet monte carlo. the speedometer never displays the correct speed. the vehicle has not been taken to a dealer for inspection. the current mileage was 83,000 and failure mileage was 76,000. updated 04/16/08 *tr | |||
| 03/11/2008 | 43330 | 1 | 01/17/2005 |
| 2004 chevrolet monte carlo ls, 43330 miles, complete failure of speedometer and tachometer in the automobile's dashboard instrument cluster. *tr | |||
| 03/02/2008 | 2610 | 1 | 02/27/2008 |
| I started my car and realized the fuel gauge was buried all to the right. then when driving the car my speedometer was giving false readings. when i'm stopped it displays 50 mpg. now all the gauges are either erratic or not working at all. *tr | |||
| 01/04/2008 | 36000 | 3 | 06/11/2004 |
| I have a 2004 monte carlo ss that i bought brand new in 2004. i have about 38,000 miles on it and my volt gauge, gas gauge and my speedometer are not working properly, speedometer shows wrong speed and sometimes doesn't work at all. gas and volt gauges are pointing straight down all the time. this problem started around january. i searched around on the internet and found out that i could leave a complaint here with your agency. *tr | |||
| 01/01/2007 | 20000 | 100 | 08/01/2006 |
| My speedometer and gas gage on my 2004 chevrolet monte carlo are erratic in their readings. sometimes it will read 100mph while i am not moving, and sometimes it will read 0mph when i am going at least 65mph. i have not had any consequences (speeding tickets or accidents)due to this failure, but it is inconvenient and surely will cause problems in the future. *tr | |||
| 02/01/2008 | 60800 | 50 | 02/20/2005 |
| No recent work leading up to the problem has been done to the vehicle. the vehicles speedometer reads erratic speeds while driving. sometimes it will stop while braking and pick up again immediately upon acceleration. thus showing a higher speed than actual. most of the time it will stop while accelerating and either stay immobile or will pick up eventually showing a lower than actual speed indication. i have read about this same complaint on multiple forums, on a variety of gm vehicles. nothing has been done to correct this issue. *tr | |||
| 08/06/2007 | 88000 | 1 | 02/28/2004 |
| Speedometer in 2004 monte carlo began behaving erratically about 10k miles ago. now it has affected the other gauges. the speedometer reads anywhere from 60 to 120 at a standstill. rpm gauge is maxed. this seems to be a common problem with gm ic's and i am wondering why there is no recall notice. at this time i can not afford to have it fixed or be without it for 3 days. *tr | |||
| 01/07/2007 | 53000 | 2 | 08/09/2004 |
| My speedometer is erratic. it will show incorrect speeds. i have had this replaced once by the dealer while the car was under warranty but it is no longer covered. i have read on the internet that this is a common problem with chevrolet products. i believe someone should force chevrolet to recall these cars since the instruments in the clusters cannot be depended on to be accurate. *tr | |||
| 11/22/2006 | 30000 | 1 | 10/23/2006 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2004 chevrolet monte carlo. when the vehicle is traveling one speed, the speedometer displays another speed. the failure occurred on several occasions. the vehicle has not yet been taken to a dealer. the current mileage was 67,937 and failure mileage was 30,000. updated 04/16/08. *lj | |||
| 02/12/2008 | 2 | ||
| Hi there, i bought a 2004 chevy monte carlo from carmax in october 2007. all was functioning fine until i noticed about a week ago, february 7, 2008, that the rpm was registering as very high on the tachometer, almost into the red area, around 5500 and higher. panicking, i took it to a meineke car repair place, where they told me nothing was wrong with the car engine etc., and that it was the gauge itself that was messed up. they suggested i check recalls. i found no recalls on tachometers for 2004 chevy monte carlos. i thought i'd wait and check around for prices, but this morning, february 12, 2008, on my way in to work, my speedometer started showing 30mph, when i knew i was going at least 70mph. i've checked for recalls on speedometers, and i see none. the tachometer was bad enough, but i cannot drive properly without a functioning speedometer, and from checking online, it looks like other monte carlo drivers are having the same problem. i love my car, but this is a problem. please recall the affected part (instrument panel/cluster). thank you, eulena jonsson *tr | |||
| 11/15/2007 | 38000 | 9999 | 08/06/2004 |
| Instrument cluster. more specifically the odometer and temp gauge just get stuck and go all over the place while driving. the odometer will read 50 mph when going much faster ad the more you slow down the lower it reads finally when you stop the needle reads well below 0 then when you start moving again you can be at 40-45 mph and it reads 10mph or less. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2007 | 45000 | 25 | 02/01/2006 |
| Faulty speedometer. does not read accurate speed the majority of the time. not sure if odometer is affected also, but i do know that there is a present problem gm has admitted to which affects their trucks and suvs in the same year. special policy for replacement/repair is being offered to owners of those vehicles. *tr | |||
| 09/07/2007 | 58000 | 10 | |
| Speedometer failure; driving down road, speedometer went to zero. driving freeway, speedometer suddenly went backwards past zero. driving down road, speedometer went from 35 to 60 to 120. each time would not work again until car sat parked and restarted. even in park with car off at times speedometer was still reading either zero or 120. took to dealer, had to pull out dash and send it out for repair overnight, fixed for $438.88. (car has 60,000 miles). *tr | |||
| 11/19/2007 | 21000 | 1 | 02/07/2004 |
| My speedometer is erratic. at times it reads 140 mph at a complete stop or 80 mph when i think i'm doing 30 mph. there is no way to tell how fast i'm actually going. *tr | |||
| 01/25/2007 | 49700 | 20 | 10/31/2003 |
| My speedometer began to act erratically last winter, just after my warranty expired. i didn't realize it until i was pulled over for going 20 miles over the limit, with my cruise control on. i didn't receive a ticket, but was late for an important appointment. when i called my chevy dealer, they claimed they had never heard of this and would have to replace the entire panel. this occurs more in very cold or rainy conditions. i have not had it corrected yet. | |||
| 10/07/2007 | 56000 | 20 | 07/20/2004 |
| Speedometer needle is not showing correct speed. it will show 10 mph when vehicle is maintaining identical speed of other vehicles on a freeway . it will show 120 mph when vehicle is stopped. the needle will point directly downward at any given time. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2007 | 34900 | 70 | 10/19/2005 |
| Speedometer fails to register the correct miles per hour and doesn't even work most of the time. i have had it checked at a certified garage. *tr | |||
| 05/26/2007 | 43000 | 8 | 08/28/2005 |
| The 2004 monte carlo speedometer erratic, indicating going 30-12 mph, even though i stopped/ or drove at or near the speed limit on interstate 55 mph and it read 45 mph. i could drive 30 mph, and it read 110 mph. dealer wanted $500.00 to fix. i hope gm recall soon. i heard that gm trucks and suv had this problem. *ak | |||
| 09/20/2006 | 1 | 10/10/2004 | |
| I have a 2004 chevy monte carlo. the speedometer went out last fall. not completely right away, just off by 8-15 miles per hour. i was stopped by a police officer who said that i was speeding. i had the cruise set for 57 miles per hour. he said that i was going 73 miles per hour. no way! since the beginning of december it completely quit. i have had the speed sensor replaced, that lasted all of three hours. is there anything that i can do? this is not a cheap fix. *jb | |||