2.6

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
57,516 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #9

Aug 012008

Cavalier

  • 63,000 miles
I purchased a new 2005 Chevy Cavalier, and around 60,000 miles I started having problems with the speedometer sticking going down the highway, I would look down and speedometer is reading over 110 mph, when I turned the car off the speedometer would read 70 mph, this happened every once in a while. This is dangerous as you never know what your actual speed is. It would go back to zero after a few days. After dealing with this for a few months, I noticed the other day that my fuel gauge is doing the same thing, when the fuel needle went clear to the right of full, it had my temp gauge needle hung up. Knowing that none of my gauges now appear to be working correctly I took it to our local dealership yesterday to be put on the computer to see what the problem was(told to do so by GM, to see if there was anything they could do to help with the repair cost). They told me that it was the programming in the dash cluster had been knocked out of whack, and that they had reprogrammed the dash cluster and everything was fine, said a high voltage surge had caused the disruption. I drove the car out of town today and when I parked the car in the driveway my speedometer is reading 70mph and my fuel gauge is stuck at 3/4 of a tank. Cost me $113 for nothing yesterday. It is a wonder that no one has been in a wreck or injured from having to pull to the side of a highway because they ran out of fuel or realized something is wrong with their gauges. General Motors has known about this issue for along time and refuses to do a recall on these bad cluster panels. I am being told to replace the cluster panel will cost me at least $550. I will call GM tomorrow and tell them reprogramming did not fix the problem, but they already know this, because the representative from GM called today to see what the problem was and my husband told him, he said that reprogramming doesn't fix the cluster problem. GM needs to fix this problem, it is defective parts.

- Topeka, KS, USA

problem #8

Jan 122009

Cavalier

  • miles
Instrument cluster failure. Initially the temperature gauge only failed, now the fuel gauge has failed also, the only gauges remaining functional are the speedometer and tachometer. Local dealer says instrument failure is common problem. 2005 Chevy Cavalier.

- Ashland City, TN, USA

problem #7

Oct 272008

Cavalier

  • 59,800 miles
After only approximately 60,000 miles, the speedometer on my 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier is not reading correctly. Sometimes is sticks on any given speed, while other times it will just read about 10 miles an hour faster or slower than I am actually going. I researched the issue online and found that this is a very very common problem with Cavalier owners. While the problem has not been the cause of an accident for me, it certainly has the potential to cause accidents for other owners of this vehicle. To view other complaints of the same issue for the Chevrolet Cavalier please visit the following link. www.carcomplaints.com/Chevrolet/Cavalier/2005/electrical/speedometer_is_not_accurate.shtml fortunately for me, my instrument panel will be covered under my extended warranty at a cost of only $100 to me. Others will be charged up to about $300 to correct the problem...or they will continue to drive their vehicles with a broken speedometer. Thank you for taking the time to look into this issue.

- Norma, NJ, USA

problem #6

Oct 212008

Cavalier

  • 26,000 miles
The speedometer has gone haywire. It gets stuck at the far right end showing over 110 mph when I'm driving only 20 mph. When completely stopped, it will show 60 to 70 mph as the speed. Once in a great while, it will work for a few minutes or so. I do not know how fast I am actually going and this is a very real safety hazard. I've been told I might have to replace my dash and this could be very costly- I have only 26,000 miles on my 2005 Cavalier, have owned for less than 4 years, and have 2 years yet to pay on my loan.

- Oregon, OH, USA

problem #5

Aug 252008

Cavalier

  • 105,000 miles
Malfunctioning speedometer!!!! I have a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier purchased brand new from GM. The spedometer is often putting out faulty readings and sometimes getting stuck where it will not read at all. Several people are out there with malfunctioning spedometers put out by GM between 05 and 07 and GM will not do anything about it.

- Lexington, OH, USA

problem #4

Jul 202008

Cavalier

  • 53,752 miles
I own a 2005 Chevy Cavalier, it has approximately 53,752 miles and the speedometer quit working. It is stuck on 80 mph and when I drive it goes up to 110 mph. This is very dangerous because I don't know exactly how fast I am driving. This should be recalled because I have done a bit of research and have found there are many people experiencing this same problem. If there wasn't something wrong with the way the car is made then why would just about everyone have the same problem at approximately the same mileage on this make and model of car.

- Greensboro, NC, USA

problem #3

Apr 082007

Cavalier

  • miles
My gauges on my 2005 Cavalier don't work at all and want to see if be fixed for free.

- Winder, GA, USA

problem #2

Jun 042008

Cavalier 4-cyl

  • 52,384 miles
2005 Cavalier speedometer started displaying incorrect speed and will not reset to 0. this is a dangerous problem which requires immediate attention. Research on the internet reveals this to be a common problem and should be recalled by the manufacturer (there is even an online petition for recall).

- Ocala, FL, USA

problem #1

May 102007

Cavalier 4-cyl

  • Manual transmission
  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier. The speedometer became erratic and then failed. The contact was informed that the failure and repair were her responsibility. She paid $346 for the repair. The current mileage was 67,900 and failure mileage was 60,000. Updated 01/17/08 updated 01/17/08

- Cleveland, OH, USA