Problems with 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

As many of other have already reported. out of no where, my instrument cluster started going hay-wire. all the needles read inaccurate information by shaking, bouncing or saying in king 110 mph in park. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cavalier. the contact stated that the fuel gauge was providing incorrect fuel level readings and caused the temperature gauge to malfunction. the failure recurred intermittently. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer and was not repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the approximate failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 65,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cavalier. the contact stated that while driving 70 mph, the speedometer failed and would only provide a reading of zero. in addition, the temperature gauge increased abnormally. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic and a diagnostic was performed, which located the failure at the instrument cluster. the instrument cluster was replaced. the vehicle was repaired. the manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. the failure mileage was 67,710 and the approximate current mileage was 73,000. ...updated 04/25/13 *bf *bf *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cavalier. the contact stated the speedometer and tachometer failed. the contact stated he does not know how fast he was driving when the failure occurred. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing nor was the manufacturer notified. the failure mileage was 33,254.

On the 26th of august my 17 year daughter was returning home from school when the speedometer quit working. i have to replace the cluster panel and have found out that this is a very common defect with my 2005 cavalier. i feel a recall needs to be made on this and those who have repaired this issue should be reimbursed their money and time for non-use of their vehicles. this is a very serious issue that could cause an accident, even deaths. *tr

I have two problems that may be safety related. one more so than the other. the instruments, none of them work, but most important is the speedometer. it started hanging up, then finally hung all the way at 120 mph. i have to use a gps to make sure of my speed. gm is replacing other vehicles clusters for the same issue, but i have an idea they're skipping the cavalier for the other reason of my complaint. the dashboard is literally falling apart. i don't know when it may try to fall on my lap, its cracked up so bad and rattles terribly. it seems like it could bust all to pieces in a collision. i can't even touch the cluster bezel without it cracking. it scares me. could you at least investigate this and let me know what you find? thank you! *tr

In aug of last year while driving approx 45 mph, the rpm gauge began jumping up into the red. it took about two weeks worth of driving for it to fail completely. since the car is an automatic, failure of the rpm gauge was not serious concern. in mid january of this year, i noticed the gas gauge would only show 3/4 a tank after a complete, topped off fill up. then the temp gauge showed the vehicle was beginning to run hot (195 deg). the garage replaced the thermostat ($230). after a couple of days, the temp started running hot again. i took it back for service. then they replaced the thermostat sensor ($170) hours after picking the vehicle up the temperature gauge shot well into the red. i then took the vehicle to another service station. who informed me that the temp is actually fine, but the abs sensors needed replaced ($285)(with no warning light indication from the panel). i have also been informed that the whole instrument panel is bad and needs replaced of which i can not afford to do. the vehicle has now failed state inspection due to the faulty instrument panel. the chevrolet dealer service dept, claims that the panel failing, is very common, and gm refuses to do anything about it. *js

While on congested expressway, passing vehicular traffic began with sounding horns, hand signs of displeasure and rage. at this time an observation of speedometer had a reading of 55 mph, the posted speed limit. upon exiting expressway and stopping another observation of speedometer revealed vehicle was still moving at 55 mph. during this time a motorist had followed from expressway, approached and offered to violently place my cranium into my anus thereby improving my driving skills. after fleeing this hazardous situation a closer inspection of speedometer informed me of a unpredictable, erratic readings which bordered on not working to showing 100 mph when not in motion. this has clearly caused a life threatening situation on the public way which maybe rectified by a recall notice from gm on this vehicle (instrument cluster) part which is faulty. an investigation of reported complaints, revealed an overwhelming problem with this vehicle part, calling for immediate government oversight and action. *tr

My gauges in my car are messing up. the fuel gauge is below the e and runs into the temp gauge. the speedometer reads i am going 110 when i am not the odometer reads error. all my emergency lights are lighting up. this is happening to alot of people who own these year of cavaliers. chevy needs to own up and issue a recall because this is unsafe not knowing what speed i am going and if i have enough gas to get to where i am going. i am a chevy fan and this is upsetting that all these people are having these issues and they are not doing recalls. *tr

Temperature gauge stopped working, reads sometimes, and sometimes does not. replaced sensor and had no effect on gauge function. fuel gauge is intermittent after the temperature gauge stopped functioning as well. door on heating underneath the dash clacks constantly unless you set the heat in recirculation mode. needles of the two gauges hit each other as they wander aimlessly through their orbits. horn stopped working at 98000 miles. this vehicle is plagued by bad wiring and parts. however, it is a fine running vehicle and should ast another 100000 miles if you're willing to drive it without gauges, horn and only run through the heat and ac in recirculation mode. chevrolet knows this has happened constantly with these vehicles and should recall and correct them. if i can't trust the original gauge cluster, how can i trust a new set if i take the vehicle to the dealer for repair and pay an exorbitant price to have them replaced and repaired? i would expect this from a chrysler product but never a chevrolet!!! *js

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cavalier. the contact was driving 50 mph when the speedometer failed to provide accurate readings and the vehicle experienced abnormally high engine rpms. the contact also stated that the temperature gauge failed to provide accurate temperature readings, displaying that the vehicle was overheating when it was not. the vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was advised that the temperature gauge would possibly need to be replaced. the manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 126,000 and the current mileage was 130,000. updated 01/10/12*lj

The speedometer began to intermittently provide erratic indication of speed. the symptoms eventually got worse to the point that the speedometer doesn't indicate properly at all. the problem occurred at the same time the engine temperature gauge wouldn't work properly. reviewed various websites and found that this is a well know defect for chevrolet instrument panels. the speedometer will read low causing a safety hazard when the driver tried to maintain speed. *tr

This vehicle has lost the speedometer sveral times over the last 20,000 miles and now it has quit completely, i went to an on line forum and they say this has been happening a lot with no recall from general motors. usually before it would bounce up to 35 or 40 and then start working again, but it is dead now. no movement at all. *tt

The gauges have stopped working the, fuel gauge, the speedometer,the temp gauges all stop working. i have a 2005 chevy cavalier. *tr

The speedometer on my 2005 chevrolet cavalier does not work. while driving slowly through my apartment complex, i noticed that the speedometer read 60 mph which is impossible. at a complete stop the gauge read 10 mph. the amount it's incorrect varies every time i drive. i'm worried that i'll get a speeding ticket or get into an accident because i have no idea how fast i'm driving. *tr

A few years ago the speedometer stopped working randomly, but would start working again. this past summer my rpm gauge started saying my engine was rotating at 7000 rpm when the car was off. the rpm gauge has not worked since and the speedometer picks and chooses when it wants to work. those are 2 very important pieces of equipment in a car. when i talked to chevy about it in 2008 (i think), they stated that there were no recalls on the part and that no one else had filed any complaints about the same issues. they said it would cost up to a few thousand dollars to fix due to having to take the dash apart to replace the gauge cluster (which is $800 on its own). i have been watching forums etc since then and they are full of the exact same complaints and still chevy is not doing anything about it. *tr

The odometer and speedometer don't reset when deceleration occurs. has been going occurring on and off for the past few months with only the odometer. today was the first incident when the speedometer malfunctioned. i was able to reset the meters by turning the ignition key on and off several times. after doing research, i have discovered that this seems to be a common problem with the 2005 chevy cavaliers. *tr

Chevrolet has used this instrument cluster on a variety of models and it goes bad in just about every case. it needs a recall to fix all models affected. chevrolet knows about the problem but will not voluntarily fix it. there are companys that make their living repairing this instrument cluster from chevrolet. *tr

I have a 2005 cavalier which i purchased with 17,000 miles on it. i am currently at 28,500 approximately. my car is currently experiencing problems with the temperature gauge, gas gauge and check engine light. it also appears to be accelerating on it's own. i have checked several websites and find that this problem seems to in addition to the other issues, i am experiencing problems with my horn (i am not familiar with the relationship they components of a car have with each other). my understanding is that chevy did a recall do to defects with steering problems in the 2005 cavaliers. could the problems that i and other are experiencing be a part of that recall, since it is all apart of the dashboard be common for the year, make and model of my car?

Speedometer stopped working. *tr

I have a 2005 chevy cavalier about a month ago my gauges wont work. the speed and coolant temp. gauge are not accurate at all, the speed gauge either starts at 70 and goes beyond the 120mph mark or just stays on zero which i have no idea what speed im going. i heard people got the gauges replaced but still having problems with it. i would like to know if there is a recall on cluster gauges. once again my speedometer and coolant temperature gauge don't work. thank you *tr

I have a 2005 chevrolet cavalier. for the past few weeks the speedometer has been not working correctly. it will get stuck at 20 mph or it will just sputter up and so i am now constantly having to guess what speed i am going. i have read many forums of people with a 2005 cavalier having the same problem. if this is happening on a lot of cars, it should not be the responsibility of the owner to fix it. this is very much a safety hazard and should not be happening to so many people, it obviously means it is a faulty part. please consider looking into this problem since many people are having the same issue that i am. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cavalier. the contact was driving approximately 30 mph when the vehicle speedometer and tachometer failed. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnosis of the failure. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 71,000 and the current mileage was 71,050.

2005 cavalier, approx 45,500 miles, cluster panel on dash went haywire. cannot tell if you need gas or what your rpms are in general you cannot trust your panel.then check engine light comes on. don't know if that is a separate issue. dealer says there are numerous complaints but we must pay for our own repairs, *tr

Speedometer quit working. *tr

Just purchased 2005 chevrolet cavalier....2 weeks as an owner...i have pictures of my car parked and the speedometer is reading 40-60mph..how is that possible? general motors should offer to fix this problem or give every owner of this type of vehicle a better car..i have no inclination as to how fast i am going on the expressway period..i feel that i am doing 55 but the speedometer is at 100 or better..this is ridiculous...i'm extremely upset because i am paying a note on this vehicle and am at risk, unwillingly and unpredictably for a ticket and accident because i have unsettling comfort driving due to an unreadable speedometer...someone has to make general motors do something about this..oh my goodness...i am a single mother of special needs kids who has to get around and this is an issue that i did not foresee when i put down for this car!! *tr

My speedometer and temp guage are spun all the way around showing that my car is always going 150 mph and its running at 500 degrees. *tr

2005 chevy cavalier speedometer stopped working. on-line research from owners of this car shows that repair of the speedometer is not possible and the part alone is averaging $300. again complaints are on the fact that the speedometer is not repairable. *tr

I drive a 2005 chevy cavalier and all gauges have stopped working completely. it first started with the rpm's gauge about 10 months ago, then the speedometer about 6 months ago, now with the gas gauge just a few days ago. i can not longer tell how fast i am going, nor how much gas is actually in my tank. i propose a recall as i have seen many complaints of the same issues. i like to buy american and i feel if american auto makers want to keep their customers they need to step up the quality of products and service! *tr

I have a 2005 cavalier with a faulty gauge instrument panel (cluster), faulty speedo and temp gauge. i hear this is a very common problem with gm clusters. where is the recall??its only 5 yrs old. the speedo needle goes all the way past the #s and rests at my mileage #s. my temp gauge goes past all the #s. *tr

I have a 2005 , cavalier and i have the same complaint as every one else my gauges are going hay wire.1st started at 62,000 miles the rpm started messing up 2nd the speed gauge was next acting as if it didn't wont to move. 3rd now at 89,000 miles the temp gauge is saying its hot when its not look under hood i see no heat coming from engine,check the coolant not steam .i am pissed and tired of this car.all three gauges that i mention are taking turns going up and down. from the start when i brought this car it had electrical problems when i brought this car it had 8 miles and mine you this is my 2nd chevrolet cavalier of the last model and it had electrical problems. so gm swallow ur pride and fix these cars i don't have 500~800 to fix some thing that should be recalled on your behalf. this is an issue. *tr

There needs to be a recall for the chevy cavalier 2005 vehicles for speedometer defect. it no longer works in my vehicle and i have read a lot of complaints about this. *tr

Speedometer, and fuel gauge stopped working. i was told the entire instrument cluster needs to be replaced. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 chevrolet cavalier. the contact stated that the fuel gauge did not provide accurate readings. the contact also stated that the speedometer would get stuck on various speeds and display inaccurate readings as well. the speedometer would get stuck displaying a speed of 20 mph, 60 mph, 80 mph and 110 mph. in addition, the fuel gauge failure would occur during cold weather and display readings of empty when fuel was present in the fuel tank. the vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 58,000.

I drive a 2005 chevy cavalier and recently the speedometer and fuel gauge have stopped working. the speedometer continued to climb while i was driving on the highway this weekend, passed 110 mph and ended up pointing straight down. today when i got in my car to go to work, not only was the speedometer broken, but the fuel gauge was pointing about 40 degrees passed the full mark. this is an extremely unsafe condition. i don't have the $500+ to spend to fix this, but cannot imagine driving without knowing my speed or whether i'm about to run out of gas. i've done some research on this, and it appears that many other cavalier owners have experienced this same exact problem. *tr

Last night i was driving home in the dark and the speedometer was not correctly working. (this has happened many times since i bought the car several months ago) the speedometer will work sometimes, then will read erratic, fluctuates from 10 mph to 120 mph whether the car is parked or driving. this has been happening a lot over the past few months. i just bought the car a few months ago. the dealership recommends a new gauge cluster @ $500+. this is a common problem with the 2005 chevy cavalier and other year models as well. i got on the internet and saw many entries about the same problem, same brand, same model. gm should recall this and fix it. i and others are forced to drive in an unsafe condition. i am retired and cannot afford the part nor afford to trade the car in. please help me and others who have no place to turn, thanks. *tr

I have a safety issue with my 2005 chevrolet cavalier. my speedometer quit working and i cannot tell how fast i'm going. i was in another state when i encountered this problem and had to rely on a gps to monitor speed while driving on the interstate. i have read many on-line complaints from other owner and gm, for some unknown reasons, haven't issued a recall to fix the instrument cluster problem. i have also read that the cost to fix this problem is $800 or more. i find this unacceptable for an american car company to charge for this repair. this is a serious manufacture safety issue and should be fixed free of charge. my car has only 55,000 miles on it and it's not safe to drive. *tr

While driving home one evening in approximately 30 degree weather my 2005 chevrolet cavalier temp gauge began to soar far past the 260 degree mark on the dial and came to rest pointing at the 15 mph mark on the speedometer. this prohibited the speedometer from coming to rest at 0 when the car was not moving. this is causing me to have to use my gps to accurately determine the rate of speed i am traveling at. i have pulled overmany times to check whether or not my car is truly overheating and at no time has it been the case. *tr

My cavalier has over 97,000 miles on it. last winter the speedometer started sticking at 0 randomly. during the warmer months, it seemed to work fine. now that it is cold that speedometer is sticking again and doing it more often than last winter. i was sitting still at a traffic light the other day and it jumped to 110 mph and stayed there. i had no idea how fast i was going and what if something had happened. i can not afford the $300 to $800 that i have been told it would take to fix this. also, i highly suspect that this might be connected, the car would refuse to start last winter also. all of the lights would come on along with the heater and fan. the starter wouldn't even act like it was trying... no clicking or any other noises typically associated with that. please investigate these problems and issue a recall. i really like chevrolet but, these problems are scary. *tr

I have a 2005 chevy cavalier that i have been having trouble with the temperature gauge reading hot when the motor is not. i've been told that the instrument panel most likely needs replaced and it's very expensive. the car has only 75,000 miles. i have been reading a lot of complaints about the panels going out of this model. not being able to know whether the car is performing properly could pose a safety hazard driving. if the temperature gauge is reading incorrectly, i have no way of knowing whether to turn the car off or keep driving it. *tr

Problem with cluster panel. can't tell how fast i am going, what the temperature of the engine is, how much gas i have. nothing works! i have had to live with this problem for months and am tired of it. i can't afford to get a new cluster, this is a problem it seems with a lot of 2005 cavaliers and something needs to be done! *tr

2005 chevrolet cavalier speedometer is sticking, does not read proper, at a complete stop the speedometer reads 35 miles per hour, and will not read correct speed on the highway. the car only has 30,000 miles on it. *tr

The speedometer in the 2003-2005 chevrolet cavalier is likely defective among many cars. recently, when my speedometer in my 2005 chevrolet cavalier stopped working at 93000 miles, it prompted me to do a search on google to see if anyone else had a similar problem. i bought the car with 72000 miles on it out of warranty and i soon realized (maybe in 2000-3000 miles) that the speedometer was around 5mph fast. i was able to test this using speed check signs posted by police and by using my gps unit. at the moment, my particular speedometer works when the weather is warm (not too cold, not too hot), but many other's don't work at all, or this happened before theirs stopped working completely. it appears that many others with many different years of the car have experienced the same problem. (by many others, i found at least 30-40 complaints among the years the cavalier new style of cavalier has been built (2002-2005) the average cost to fix this problem is $800, according to http://carcomplaints.com, which is more than 20% of the assessed value of my car. as i am sure you are aware, the speedometer is an integral part of a car's suite of safety features. not only does it contribute to the safety of the drive and his or her passengers, it also contributes to the safety of the highway system as a whole. please consider investigating this issue as many others have experienced it. *tr

The instrument panel gauges started going out of whack. the temperature gauge needle moved all the way over to the right interfering with the speedometer needle, so that the speed does not show correctly. at first the needle went back down, but kept getting worse as time went on. the problem began about 2 weeks ago. yesterday, i had a diagnostic test run on it and the mechanics told me the whole instrument cluster panel needed to be replaced and would cost over $500, an amount i do not have at this time. *tr

I have a 2005 chevy cavalier with 66k miles on it. the speedometer, fuel gauge, temp gauge will at times have a mind of their own. i know i'm not really going 30 mph when stopped at a light. and how can everyone be passing me on the freeway when i'm doing 110? *tr

I have a 2005 chevy cavalier ls the instrument cluster has gone wacky all the gauges are to the right and you cannot tell what speed you are going, how much gas you have, what the temp is. only have 19,000 miles on the thing and the list of complaints i see regarding this problem , i think gm should issue a recall. *ln

Temperature gauge stopped working and is stuck over 260 degrees, initially moved back but now remains totally turned to the right. speedometer also stopped working, would turn on ignition and the speedometer would read 30 mph in idle and i would begin driving. to calculate speed i would have to take the speedometer speed-30mph and it would equal the actual speed. then stopped at a red light, speedometer only decreased to 50 mph, by the time i reached home the speedometer read 95 mph in idle. additionally cd player also stopped working. it occurs all the time and the consequences are not knowing true temperature or speed of the vehicle posing a danger to all on the road and myself vehicle not yet repaired. *tr

The speedometer on my 2005 chevy cavalier stopped working. the mileage is just over 125,000 miles. the speedometer would indicate a speed of 25 mph when i was stopped. on the interstate it would show i was over 110 mph when i was with the flow of traffic. it finally went so high off the scale that it stayed stuck. i took the car to a goodyear service center and they charged me $220 to "fix" the problem. the speedometer was reading 5 miles per hour when i parked the car in my driveway after driving 3 miles home from the repair shop. it will be next week before i can get back to the shop and try to get some of my money refunded. now i have to find a reputable repair shop that can actually handle the job and replace the defective parts in the instrument panel cluster. *tr

The speedometer in my 2005 chevy cavalier has stopped working. it won't register the correct speed at all, at any speed. *tr

Speedometer inop.