I have a 2003 chevy cavalier and the instrument panel has stopped working. I purchased the car in 2005 and in about 2006 it started acting up. At first the gauges would flicker in and out one at a time sometimes reading incorrect speeds or fuel level and sometime not working at all. They would sometimes seem to be affected by the temperature and other times not. I took it in and the mechanic fidgeted with the fuses and it started working again and he said that was the problem. So each time they acted up I would adjust the fuses & they would start working again until even that didn't work. So I went to buy new fuses and the employee at the part store checked my fuses and said they were working fine. I haven't been able to afford to have it fixed. In about 2008 or 2009 I had some other work done on the car and the mechanic said that he had actually seen other cavaliers with the same problem and that the panel needed replaced. My dad wants to fix my car but we are waiting to afford it and not sure if that will fix the problem. I have looked online and seen many other complaints about the same problem and I am wondering why there isn't a safety recall to fix the problem that is obviously characteristically a problem with the chevy cavalier in more than one year. I don't believe that this is something that the consumer should have to worry about and pay for when it is obviously a manufacture default. It is not only monetarily inconvenient but it is a safety problem. You are unable to know how fast you are actually going, or how much fuel you actually have. There is a reason we have those gauges and it isn't simply to look pretty. I would appreciate if someone would take the time to look into this and realize that this is a serious issue for a lot of people. Thank you.
2003 Chevrolet Cavalier electrical complaints
Page 3 of 5: complaints 41 to 70 of 106, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While driving on the highway, I looked at my speedometer and it was not moving above 35 miles per hour. I pulled over and saw that the speedometer did not go to zero; it stayed at 35 miles per hour. I turned my car off and on, and the speedometer decreased to 30 miles per hour. After turning my car off and on six to seven more times, the speedometer finally went back to zero. After that, I began driving again. The speedometer worked fine. The next day, the speedometer got stuck at 50 miles per hour. Without pulling over and turning the car off, the speedometer began working again, however, it showed I was driving at 100 miles per hour, when I was driving with highway traffic at about 50-55 miles per hour. This happens just about every day during the summer months. When it is cold, this tends to happen less frequently, maybe once a month. The car has been taken to two or three mechanics and each time I am told that there are no problems. The computer says there are no problems with the car. This problem, when first noticed, could have created a serious hazard if the speedometer was stuck at 55 miles per hour, and the driver exited to a city road at 30 miles per hour. The driver would hit their brakes, thinking they were driving fast, possibly causing a collision. When the speedometer is not working there is no real way to tell the exact speed that you are driving. General motors was called the day of the problem and a report regarding the problem was created.
I bought my 2003 cavalier brand new. While it was still under warranty I took the car in because it was malfunctioning. The situation was I was driving on the highway and went to shift gears and when I held the clutch in the RPM's dropped all the way to 0 and the car stalled. When I took the car in I was told they could not duplicate the issue, so there was no problem. Since than this has only gotten worse. While driving it stalls on average of 5 times a week which is not safe especially on the free way. Also to add to everyone else's complaint my fuel pump went bad as well and had to have it replaced.
I own a 2003 chevrolet cavalier ls and on dec. 25 when I turned on the rear defrost button smoke started to come out from inside the steering wheel column. I could not get the rear defrost to turn off so I had to turn off the car and remove the fuse to it. Shortly after this incident the power windows have stopped working and the fuse to them is still good, I replaced it just in case but the windows still do not work. The odometer has also stopped working so I have had to guess my speed. I feel that this is a huge safety concern since the rear defrost does not work I cannot see out the rear window on cold days, I also cannot tell how fast I am driving which can cause an accident, and the power windows have stopped working. The car is due for inspection next month and I cannot afford to fix these problems, this is my only vehicle and rely on it to get to and from work everyday. I have also placed a complaint with general motors concerning this issue as I feel that the problems that have occurred are a result of poor or hurried workmanship in that area of the vehicle's manufacture.
2003 chevy cavalier speedometer failed at 49,240 miles. Resulting in potentially unsafe driving speed in otherwise perfect driving conditions.
Speedometer in my 2003 chevy cavalier jumps and doesn't display the correct speed.
The fuel gauge began to malfunction about a year ago. Assuming it was just the float, I decided I would ignore it and use the trip odometer to determine how much gas I had left. Unfortunately, because the gas gauge went well past full, into the realm of what would be considered two tanks of full, the temperature gauge needle could not move. Eventually, the gas gauge needle went past the temperature gauge (now at what would be considered two and a half tanks) which freed the temperature needle to actually register. Now, the temperature gauge is malfunctioning, resting at the half way point even after the car sat all night in our recent frigid temperatures. It now runs in the red even though there is nothing wrong with the engine. Now, the speedometer is showing signs of malfunctioning, as it reads 5 MPH though I am at a complete stop. Research on various internet message boards suggest this is a very common problem in not only 2003 chevrolet cavaliers, but other years and models of chevy vehicles. When I complained to gm that a malfunctioning speedometer was a safety issue, I was greeted with "there's no recall, it's no longer under warranty, can't help, your problem, deal with it." following this logic, what's stopping gm from creating more defective vehicles, if the problem happens after the warranty expires? They've adopted the attitude it's "not their problem." at what point is a defective speedometer not a safety problem worthy of a recall?
Problem is with instrument cluster. First tach starting failing now and then. Now engine temp gauge is doing same thing. Sometimes tach works sometimes it doesn't. Temp gauge sometimes works, sometimes shows engine hot, sometimes cold when engine is at operating temp. Problem started while car was being driven. So far, nothing has been done to fix problem, mechanic says cost to fix is $375.00.
I own a 2003 chevy cavalier and the temperature gauge does not work and now the RPM gauge isn't working. I have about 45,000 miles on it and the dealership says I need to replace the cluster. After doing a lot of research on the internet about the repair, I have discovered that this is a common problem among all cavaliers; the cluster needs to be repaired. I will have my car repaired this week and will need to spend $500 to repair it. I have even called gmc's customer service to see if their is a warranty on the part or a recall. Why are car owners spending $500 plus to fix this problem when it is a known problem?
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. The contact stated that within a few minutes after parking her vehicle, it caught fire. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact stated that the electrical system caused the fire. Prior to the failure, she noticed that the windows opened after the vehicle was turned off. When she turned the air conditioner off green smoke emitted into the vehicle and the fire started immediately after the green smoke was present. The dealer and manufacturer have not been notified. The vehicle identification number is unavailable. The current and failure mileages were approximately 75,000. Updated 10/21/09 *bf the consumer stated when she turned the AC switch to off, smoke began to emit from the vehicle. The consumer stated even though the car was off, the AC was still on. Updated 10/20/09
I have replaced fuel pump 3 times. Cluster panel works occasionally.
The instrument cluster on my 2003 chevy cavalier went crazy just before 40, 000 miles. Sometimes it works, sometimes the gauges take turns working or not working, sometimes nothing works. Some days I don't know how fast I'm going, how hot my car's running, or how much gas I have....not to mention rpms. This is very unsafe, and at 40k, I feel it's a bit premature.
January 14,2009 my car almost caught on fire due to acid from my battery liking into the battery pan. I had to unhook the battery and take it out of the car. My step son was driving by my house when my cars lights were on andthe car had been sitting for about 3 hours. I went outside and the lights were very dim. I tried to start it up and the car started smoking and I immediately turned the car off. There were sparks so I had to put out the small flame and remove the battery. I had the car towed to parker pontiac buick gmc that same day. The small fire burned through my windshield washer fluid line the cost to me for repair of the small fire was about 487.00.
The cluster board has gone out. It does not light up, the speedometer, the fuel gage and RPM gage all does not work. Chevy has already recalled trucks for this problem but I have a cavalier and on ebay you can buy a fixed cluster board and send back your old one and get 100.00 back so it must be a big problem not just my car.
My speedometer is going crazy and is at the 6 o'clock position. Next the temperature gauge went all the up and both of these stayed after turning off the car. The car is also make a strange noise.
My speedometer was acting up for a year. While I was driving it would stop. When I would come to a complete stop it was stuck on 65mph. Made driving hazardous not knowing exactly how fast I was driving.if I let it sit for awhile and cool of I would start it back up and the speedometer meter would go down about 10 MPH so I would beat 55mph instead of 65mph. Everytime I would start the car it would go down further. Then it would work properly for a few months w/o acting up and then start all over again. This went on for about a year. When I finally had it replaced it completely stopped working the needle registered 110 MPH and was not coming back down. I had to wait 2 weeks before the dealership was able to replace the instrument panel b/c the had to order the part they were completely out of stock. They told me they've had to replace the ip in alot of vehicles lately.
Purchased a 2003 chevy cavalier in sept. 2008 for my daughter to go to college. Had a carfax report done and found nothing, clean report. 2 days after purchase, inst. Cluster went bad, not working at all. Dec. 08 the fuel pump went bad. After researching the internet, I have found thousands of the same complaints as mine. I have even found websites advertising to rebuild the cluster as so many are defective. Now if this isn't enough to see the major problem, I don't know what is. I feel that enough information is out on the internet to warrant a recall on both issues before the public has to spend all their money to fix gm's faulty parts that break down so quickly. Just these 2 repairs cost $500.00 each.
Speedometer fails to read correct speed. Has not read correct speed since car reached 55,000 miles on odometer. Occasionally speedometer will reset itself, but after 10-15 minutes driving, will climb on its own and stick above 110 MPH. Dealer states is gm manufacture issue, but will not recall / repair.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. The contact stated that the speedometer displays 60 MPH when he is traveling at much lower speeds. The speedometer also becomes stuck at a lower speed when he is driving at a much faster rate. The RPM's in the vehicle will either not move at all or go up as far as possible while driving in first gear only. The RPM's will then become stuck and not move back down. The vehicle has not been inspected by the dealer. He must restart the vehicle in order for the speedometer dial to return to its regular position. The dial does not move at all in cold weather conditions. The contact has gotten pulled over while driving 20 MPH (85 MPH) over the speed limit when he thought he was traveling 65 MPH. He believes that the failure could have been a manufacturer defect. The failure mileage was 50,000 and current mileage was 86,000. Updated 03-06-09 *bf the speedometer would stick at 50 MPH. The consumer stated when he increased or decreased his speed the speedometer would still register at 50 MPH. Updated 03/11/09.
The gauges in these cars go crazy I didn't spend money to fix it instead I went online and found a ton f people this happened to the gauge cluster in the cars go haywire and you can not tell. Some go in the speedometer mine went in the temp gauge and the fuel gauge now people have been to mechanics and they can not find what is wrong with them mine first went about 4 months ago and the only way for me to reset my gauges is to pull the fuse out and reset it otherwise it will not reset back to e or 0 and the thermo gauge has gone into my speedo needle so then I can not tell how fast I am going at first I thought it was just me and no big deal but then I went online and found so many people wit this problem why should we have to fix something that gm obviously didn't get right I don't think its right at all especially because its with alot of people now the gauges go crazy all the time not just when it rains or its cold but constantly I am pulling the fuses out.
I was checking to see if there was a recall on a 2003 chevy cavalier fuel pump because I was traveling on the highway and the fuel pump went out costing me almost $800. Also the motor for two of my power windows have went out.
My speedometer stopped working properly. The needle does not return to zero at stop or when the car is turned off. It registers in excess of 110 MPH when the car is in motion. This seems to be a very common problem with all gm cars and trucks made between 2002 and 2005. Gm offers free repair for trucks and SUV's, but not all dealerships know of the directive since it has not been publicized. All car buyers must pay for the fix - which exceeds $500 - because gm won't acknowledge the problem exists in the cars.
Fuel pump failure; car just died on the turnpike; had to be towed to mechanic. Car was under warranty; speedometer doesn't work; its moves all around and is not accurate; still not fixed never happens when the mechanic has it; car has trouble starting; have to crank it 2-5 times to turn on. Still not working mechanic cant find anything wrong with it.
Cluster stops working. Read about this on several forums. Should be repaired by dealer for free if this is an ongoing complaint!
This does not involve a crash related complaint, it may be considered a minor defect related issue. I am a repair facility, we have a transmission removed from a 2003 chevy cavalier for repair, the warranty company that I am working with needed to verify miles, so we hooked up the battery with the transmission out of the car, the odometer moved forward 17 miles. Every time I hook up the battery and disconnect it, the odometer moves forward 17 miles. I thought maybe it was an isolated issue to this car, so I disconnected the transmission wiring harness to a 2005 chevy cavalier, then connected and reconnected the battery, it also rolled the odometer forward with each connection at a rate of 8 miles. No one at gm has ever heard of this, I will continue to test other products to see what happens.
Speedometer sticks, will not return to zero. As you increase speed it goes up from there, after a while it reads over 100 MPH even if you are sitting at a stop sign. It is very intermittent. If you turn the ignition on and off a few times it may reset. Then it will be ok for a few days then do it again.
I have a 2003 chevrolet cavalier 4 dr. Sedan with 28, 550 miles. Today when I went out the speedometer was on 35 mp and didn't go down. As the day wore on it went up to 90. This is a safety issue and chevrolet should have to have a recall to fix this.
My 2003 chevrolet cavalier ls has a malfunctioning speedometer, gas gauge, and sometimes temperature gauge and tachometer. The vehicle had not sustained any damage that could have possibly caused the malfunction; this problem is solely the result of poor manufacturing. After searching online and calling chevy I confirmed that the problem is with the gauge cluster, an electronic component behind the dash. This cluster costs $500 to replace, presumably with one that works properly, a concept which is hard to imagine with the chevy cavalier. Somewhere in the manufacturing process general motors must have decided to cut a few dollars and get some cheap parts, because the malfunction is widespread and consistent in all the reports I've read. This issue absolutely needs to become a recall so that chevy is forced to pay the $500 replacement fee; and monetary justice aside, malfunctioning gauges could create potentially life-threatening dangers. It is not a recall yet, but is absolutely needs to become one.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. While driving 30 MPH, the vehicle shut off in the middle of the road without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and they stated that the fuel pump failed and made the replacement. A few days after the repair, the headlights stopped working and the electrical system was rewired. Recently, the engine failed and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. The contact does not yet know the cause of the failure and the vehicle is still at the dealer for repair. The failure mileage was 73,000. Updated 06/16/08
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 chevrolet cavalier. She stated that when the driver depressed the horn it was inoperable. The mechanic was unable to diagnose the failure; however, he felt that the relay could have caused the failure. As of march 26, 2008, the mechanic had not repaired the vehicle. The failure mileage wa 9,000 and current mileage was 11,000. Updated 04/29/08
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