Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||||
| 08089-B | 11/01/2008 | 08089-C | 10027804 | General motors corp: special coverage adjustment; analog onstar deactivation. *pe updated 2/17/09. *pe | 02/09/2009 |
| 08202004 | 08/20/2004 | 10013058 | Sir light on, diagnostic trouble code b0036. *tt | 04/06/2005 | |
| 3056 | 01/01/2004 | 10009602 | Sir light on and a diagnostic trouble code b0036. *tt | 10/08/2004 | |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - SOFTWARE | |||||
| 08089-B | 11/01/2008 | 08089-C | 10027804 | General motors corp: special coverage adjustment; analog onstar deactivation. *pe updated 2/17/09. *pe | 02/09/2009 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - WIRING - FRONT UNDERHOOD | |||||
| 3648 | 10018915 | Hesitation on acceleration after internal engine repairs - check injector harness orientation. *tt | 01/24/2006 | ||
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 08/18/2012 | 80000 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. while parked, the contact noticed that the fuel gauge would not display a reading. a few weeks later the temperature gauge and the speedometer also failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the instrument panel would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000. | |||
| 08/18/2012 | 80000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. while parked, the contact noticed that the fuel gauge would not display a reading. a few weeks later the temperature gauge and the speedometer also failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated that the instrument panel would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000. kmj | |||
| 08/18/2012 | 80000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. while parked the contact noticed the fuel gauge would not display a reading. a few weeks later the temperature gauge and speedometer also failed. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. the technician stated the instrument panel would have to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 80,000. da | |||
| 02/13/2012 | 64000 | ||
| Speedometer is stuck at 85-90 mph. | |||
| 10/03/2011 | 90000 | ||
| The fuel gauge show differant amount of fuel in it, iratic shows full then half then you out of gas. right electric windaow goes down but only goes up an inch at a time, and it takes along time | |||
| 10/04/2010 | 61000 | ||
| At first the speedometer would freeze and not work. sometimes it would; however, i did not know if it was accurate. then the fuel gauge and other gauges would randomly go on and off. this car was intended for my 16 year old daughter, but i cannot let her drive it due to safety issues. i have read all the complaints on this car and mine is just like theirs. when is gm going to do something about this? | |||
| 03/01/2011 | 70000 | ||
| In looking up what the problem with my car i have found that several other cars seem be having the same problems. the instrument panel cluster works when it feels like it. most days the only instrument that is working is the speedometer. generally i use a garmin to make sure that i am at the correct speed. the temperature gauge and the tacometer is no longer working. recently i have notice that the lights in the radio are not all lighting up. seems that this should be a recall issue that the dealer should be handling for the amount of complaints i am finding on this vehicle. this problem seems to be a common problem with the 2005 pontiac sunfire. | |||
| 08/10/2011 | 50000 | ||
| We have a 2005 pontiac sunfire with 50000 miles on it. the other day the speedometer started fluctuating erratically. it is now stuck on 50mph. after reading several forums on the internet, it is very apparent that this is a common problem with the sunfire and cavalier vehicles. the instrument panel cluster is defective on these vehicles and it also affects the other gauges. gm has not issued a recall despite the numerous complaints and it is a 500 to 800 dollar repair bill to replace the instrument cluster. to me this is a serious safety issue. not knowing the correct speed of the vehicle at any given time is an issue. there are several instances on car complaints.com where people have been driving causing panic when their speedometer starts jumping around. to me the car manufacturers are depending on unreliable electronics to do vital tasks that used to be done by more reliable and safer mechanical means. example being the toyota throttle problem. it is my hope that if enough complaints are filed, a forced gm recall could be obtained. we are already paying for gm's mistakes through the government bailout. it's time they paid for theirs. | |||
| 06/07/2011 | 93000 | ||
| The intrument panel, driving along and alll of a sudden all guages are lost including speedometer. this happens intermittantly, with no ryhme or reason then comes back on own and goes out again. includes all guages on instrument panel. stays out for up to half hour or more. | |||
| 12/10/2010 | 121509 | ||
| I have a 2005 pontiac sunfire 4 door, vin 3g2jb52fx5s172697. i have been generally happy with the car. starting in early december of 2010, my entire intrument panel cluster stopped working. it started with the fuel gauge showing out of the range of the gauge and then the temperature gauge started malfunctioning and reading artificially high. i brought it to scherer chevrolet, buick, gmc in kitchener, ontario, canada where i work. i asked if there were any hidden or secret warranties on this as i didn't feel this was something that should go on a car. they said there wasn't. they did extend me a goodwill discount but even with that it cost me $635.55 parts and labour to replace the instrument cluster. i intend to write ot gm canada and include copies of these other reports and try and negotiate a refund as i think this repair should be covered. | |||
| 10/09/2010 | 60000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. while driving approximately 35-65 mph, the contact noticed the entire instrument panel failed to function including the speed odometer and fuel gauge. the failure occurred during extremely hot or cold weather temperatures. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated the failure was related to a faulty instrument cluster. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000. rvk | |||
| 10/09/2010 | 60000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. while driving approximately between 35-65 mph, the contact noticed the entire instrument panel failed to operate including the speed odometer and fuel gauge. the failure occurred during extremely hot or cold weather temperatures. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who stated the failure was related to a faulty instrument cluster. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the defect. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000. js | |||
| 10/15/2010 | 65000 | ||
| Own a 2005 sunfire and the instrument cluster is malfucntioning. the gas gauge has stopped working altogether and the temp and rpm gauge work erraticly. this is definitely a recall issue and has nothing to do with the maintenance of the vehicle. gm wants me to have a dealer check the vehicle when they are well aware of this issue as there are multiple posting from owners of this issue online. | |||
| 01/20/2011 | |||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. while driving approximately 35 mph she noticed that the instrument cluster was not working properly. she stated the rpms and the speedometer gauges were touch each other preventing them from movement. the contact stated because of the failure she was unable to determine the speed she was driving. the failure had been ongoing for three to four weeks. the vehicle was taken to several local mechanics and she was advised that the instrument cluster was defective. the vehicle had not been repaired. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 48,909. vwb | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 100000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. while driving at an unknown speed the contact noticed that the instrument cluster was no longer working. the contact stated the speedometer, tachometer, fuel gauge etc were no longer registering. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or a mechanic for the failure. the failure has been ongoing for the last three months. the approximate failure mileage was 100,000 and the current mileage was unknown. vwb | |||
| 12/07/2010 | 35000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. the contact stated that the all the gauges on the instumental have failed and are misreading. for example the gas gauge, speedometer, odometer, etc. the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer, but she did contact them and they informed her that there will be a charge. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 35,000. the vin was unavailable. tb | |||
| 11/05/2010 | 135000 | ||
| Odometer and speedodometer malfunction and failure pontiac sunfire 2005 | |||
| 12/07/2010 | 35000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. the contact stated that the all the gauges on the instumental have failed and are misreading. for example the gas gauge, speedometer, odometer, etc. the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer, but she did contact them and they informed her that there will be a charge. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 35,000. the vin was unavailable. tb | |||
| 11/05/2010 | 135000 | ||
| Odometer and speedodometer malfunction and failure pontiac sunfire 2005 | |||
| 12/07/2010 | 35000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. the contact stated that the all the gauges on the instumental have failed and are misreading. for example the gas gauge, speedometer, odometer, etc. the vehicle has not been inspected by a dealer, but she did contact them and they informed her that there will be a charge. the vehicle has not been repaired. the failure mileage was approximately 35,000. the vin was unavailable. tb | |||
| 11/05/2010 | 135000 | ||
| Odometer and speedodometer malfunction and failure pontiac sunfire 2005 | |||
| 11/26/2010 | 68000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire coupe. the instrumental panel fails and all the gauges stop working. while driving 55 mph the temperature gauge spiked into the red zone. she pulled off the road turn the vehicle off and then on and then all the gauges stop working. the vehicle was driven home with the instrument panel not working. the dealer was called who stated they can replace the instrument panel but it would cost her $500 for the repairs but there is no guarantee it would last. the manufacturer was called stating the dealer can replace the instrument panel but there is no guarantee it would stay working. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 68,000....mw | |||
| 11/27/2010 | 103000 | ||
| Purchase a 2005 pontiac sunfire in 2006. vehicle was purchased as a program car. the speedometer started malfunctioning during the winter times when it was cold outside. after the car had warmed up the speedometer would ,again, function as intended. this month, november 2010, the vehicle's fuel gauge, speedometer, and tachometer have all malfunctioned and are not correcting after the vehicle warms. the failures have not corrected and are still malfunctioning today, november 27,2010. gmc has class action settlement qualifies certain owners for a special coverage adjustment (special policy adjustment 07187a) to their standard warranty for allegedly defective speedometers. the common cause for all these issues is a faulty stepper motor (xc5.168). the motor was used throughout general motor | |||
| 03/18/2010 | 67800 | ||
| My husband and i purchased a 2005 pontiac sunfire in 2006. it had 13,000 miles at that time and had been a really reliable car. my husband has changed the oil and filter on a regular schedule as well as the air filter. it still gets 33 mpg on the freeway and the mileage was about 68,000 when the instrument cluster started to go bad. if the gauges hadn't started to malfunction about 6-8 months ago i would have no complaints. the vehicle's temperature gauge started climbing off the charts one day when we were about forty miles from home. we we driving 65 mph. on the freeway when it started. we pulled off as soon as we could to check the motor and found that it was not overheated at all and we had no leaks in sight. i feel very blesses that no one was injured. with in a month the gauge eventually spun all the way around and started effecting the tachometer. now the speedometer is not working properly because of the tachometer. if the cluster had been designed with a bumper pin to stop the gauges from making a complete 360 rotation, it might have not burned out so soon. our temperature gauge has made about 3 or 4 revolutions so far making the other gauges even more inaccurate. the tachometer is on it's second trip around the gauge so we know the speedometer is not far behind. we are very disappointed with our choice at this time and are considering a different manufacture for our next vehicle. my father was a diesel mechanic for fifty years and he always instilled on me to buy american when it came to my cars. i always have and don't plan to change that but, i will do more research next time. this problem was posted on every web sight i found and has been happening for years. it's time to be more cautious. | |||
| 05/09/2010 | 50000 | ||
| 2005 pontiac sunfire 2 door coupe; serious electrical failure...all dash components do not work and shops that we take car to try to fix problems with speedomoter, tach, and temp gauges...not fixed; then ac goes off and on sometimes works/sometimes does not. have spent over 2k in repairs, still not fixed and now the trunk latch has malfunctioned and has to be replaced. car dies in extreme heat. shops say electrical system malfunctions a lot on this model. | |||
| 06/01/2010 | 78000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. while driving 35-40 mph she heard a noise in the dashboard. she stated that the speedometer, temperature, gas gauge all stopped working properly. she stated the entire instrument cluster was malfunctioning. the failure has been on going for two months. the vehicle has not been taken to the dealer for the failure. the vehicle was purchase used in 2009. the failure mileage was 78,000 and the current mileage was 82,334. vwb | |||
| 01/10/2009 | 27600 | ||
| 2005 pontiac sunfire..instrument gages eractic....temp gage pegs all the way to rpm gage and sometimes rpm gage does not work | |||
| 09/20/2008 | 40000 | ||
| The gas gauge is having major problems especially when it is really hot or cold outside. the gas gauge will go the opposite direction into the speedometer. now it is stuck on the dash and will not move. i also had problems with the speedometer getting stuck. it was telling me i was doing 100mph while i was stopped. this is extremely frustrating because i am not able to tell how much gas i have in my tank and how fast i am going. this item really needs to be recalled. | |||
| 12/20/2009 | 65000 | 1 | |
| 2005 pontiac sunfire gas gauge & speedometer has finally stopped working, after many sporadic failures. can't tell how fast car is going - can't judge when car may run out of gas. driving in inclement weather makes this all the more dangerous. had this happen on the 2003 model and had to replace full component. this is obviously a dangerous and ongoing defect in sunfires and pontiac needs to recall & correct. to continue to have this problem in models shows a total lack of safety concern on the auto makers part. please investigate. *tr | |||
| 07/25/2009 | 33250 | 1 | |
| Speedometer stops working during driving. *tr | |||
| 05/01/2009 | 77240 | 1 | |
| The speedometer and tachometer failed on my 2005 pontiac sunfire while driving down i-4 in florida. this causes a serve safety hazard not knowing how fast you are gong. from research done on the internet, this is an all to common problem with this vehicle. it seems to occur just after the vehicle comes out of warranty. *tr | |||
| 01/02/2009 | 59650 | 1 | |
| All dash gauges have ultimately failed. first, speedometer was erratic. then tachometer failed. now all dash gauges are inoperative. requires full replacement of gauge module. *tr | |||
| 03/02/2009 | 70000 | 1 | |
| All gauges on the dash have failed: temp, tach, speedometer and fuel. *tr | |||
| 07/01/2007 | 37000 | 1 | |
| The gas gauge and the tachometer on my car both are not working properly. when i fill up the car, the gas gauge doesn't reset and often falls over into the speedometer. the tack hasn't worked in over a year. warranty expired on the car. mechanics said i'd have to replace the entire panel, giving my car an incorrect read on the mileage. *tr | |||
| 07/22/2008 | 40026 | 1 | 04/01/2005 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 2005 pontiac sunfire. while driving 35 mph, the vehicle suddenly began to decelerate and the air conditioner began blowing warm air followed by a burning smell. prior to the failure, whenever the contact would drive the vehicle with the air conditioner activated at any speed, she could hear a rattling sound coming from the air conditioner unit. the vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. updated 09/17/08. *lj the consumer was told if she turned the vehicle off, it would not start again. updated 09/24/08. b*jb | |||
| 12/03/2007 | 37000 | 3 | 12/29/2005 |
| I have 2005 sunfire and about 37,000 miles the speedometer doesn't work right the fuel gage stopped working if your stopped after after driving for a while speedometer say your doing 110mph and it stay there? *tr | |||
| 12/27/2006 | 24147 | 10 | 09/16/2005 |
| Date: 5/2/07 sunfire 2005 was purchased brand new in 9/05 investment purpose in a new car for safety, reliability, gas mileage, non-repair and price of vehicle. at 26,000 miles, $900 of repairs were placed on the car in upgrades to keep the vehicle running, to-date, counting 10 failures, first date of failure requiring car repair 12/27/06. (not including vehicle maintenance) repairs demand at a minimum 3hrs of time at each repair visit. repairs on vehicle demand just a few more hundred dollars in cash payments and cost of a car rental while vehicle is down. incidences of failure on vehicle remain unresolved due to pontiac's denial and refusal to fix the vehicle. supportive documents will show price gouging, harassment and a defective vehicle. the following failures have occurred on the gmc/pontiac sunfire 05 vehicle: trunk latch failure, no crank - battery failure, all four tires failed warped, cracked, frayed apart, brake pad failure. following are failures occurring on the vehicle left unresolved: brakes squeak, maneuvering in turning vehicle makes noise, vehicle bounces/rocks forward when parking and stopping, vehicle bounces/rocks backward at stop. these failures are just a few and counting. *tr | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||
| 09/10/2004 | 1 | ||
| Fatal flaw. the vehicle i am speaking of is a pontiac sunfire possibly 2005 model year. i had rented it from a rental company and used it for about a month. during the use there were a couple of incidents where i would remove the key from the ignition thinking the car was off but come back an hour later to find out that the engine was still running. i didn't really care about this but i was watching on news and found out that an entire family of 6 had died because of carbon monoxide poisoning. so this simple possible defect of the pontiac could be fatal. i don't know if it is a defect for all pontiac sunfires but it should be checked out because of the possibility of death. *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - INSTRUMENT PANEL | |||
| 12/01/2008 | 39000 | 1 | |
| I bought this car in 2007 with 27,000 miles. a little over a year later, the gauges started quitting one by one. it's been almost three years since any of my gauges worked in any capacity. after reading so many complaints about this, i really feel its a defect that needs to be taken care of by the manufacturer. mine quit before i hit 50,000 miles! *tr | |||