7.5
pretty badTypical Repair Cost:
$540.00
Average Mileage:
55,846 miles
Total Complaints:
22 complaints
Most common solutions:
- perfect solution to me would be a recall (12 reports)
- not sure (8 reports)
- please call chevy at 1-800-630-2438 and turn a complaint in (1 reports)
- replace entire gauge cluster (1 reports)
accessories - interior problem
Helpful Websites About 2004 Chevrolet Cavalier gauges gone haywire
2006Aug 01
Cavalier LS 2.4L
- Automatic transmission
- 28,000 miles
why my next car will not be a GM....the fuel and temp gauge quit working.
2009Jun 15
Cavalier 2.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 100,000 miles
My gas gauge hasn't worked properly for a year. Now the temperature gauge in my car is going crazy. The dial started going past the normal mark. But it did not overheat and there was no steam coming from the engine. I took it to the shop ready to have the radiator replaced. I was lucky I had an honest mechanic. He told me he pressure tested it and drove it but could not find any leaks. He also said, "I don't see any reason for me to take your money today. Keep an eye on it for a couple of weeks, if theres any more problems bring it back."
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2008Apr 01
Cavalier 2.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 65,000 miles
I have more than one problem but it started with the gas gauge. One day I filled up my tank and I noticed that the indicator pointer went way past the full mark. It interfered with the temperature gauge working properly. Very infrequently it would seem to work correctly at all. I know about how many miles I can go on a tank of gas, so every time I fill up I set the trip mileage dial back to zero. That lets me know when I need to put in gas. I've read a lot of complaints about the gauges on this model. Chevy needs to do a recall. I want to buy American, but I may re-think that on my next vehicle.
2007Jan 01
Cavalier 2.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 60,000 miles
My wife reported this issue to me after she had been driving the car for a while with no speedometer. The Odometer seems to work just fine. I took the entire dash apart in about 15 minutes and pulled the original cluster. As it turns out it is connected to vehicle by a single wiring harness and functions only as a readout device. If you go to a dealer the service department will tell you they have to replace it because of the odometer. The truth is that the repair it is no different than changing a broken radio. The vehicle mileage is stored in the cars computer and reported through the gauge cluster. You could plug 50 different gauge clusters in and the mileage would read exactly the same, the only difference between them would be whether or not the needles actually work. GM needs to recall these gauge clusters or make them more available. It is illegal to drive without a speedometer, there are ways to work around the fuel gauge. Let's face it these cars aren't Cadillac but you would expect something as basic as the speedometer to work properly. My suggestion is to find one on ebay or at a junk yard and replace it yourself, it is really not that difficult it is like changing a light bulb.
1920Jan 01
Cavalier
- Automatic transmission
- 40,000 miles
PLEASE!!!!! Call Chevy and turn in a complaint. They told me they would investigate. They issued a recall on Silverado, Escalade and other suv & trucks. CALL 1-800-630-2438
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Feb 01
Cavalier ES 2.2L
- Manual transmission
- 50,000 miles
I have already posted a problem with my speedometer going out. Seriously, Chevy needs to work on their gauges..all of them..hasn't this always been a problem with Chevy vehicles?
2008Mar 26
Cavalier 2.2L
- Manual transmission
- 30,000 miles
First it was just my fuel level indicator then my rpm gauge went south and finally my speedometer.... this is just ridiculous. i took it in to a chevy dealer and they said it would cost 480 to change the whole cluster?? i only have 36k miles on it after 5 years of owning the car! this should have been caught a long time ago..
2008Oct 14
Cavalier 2.8L V6
- Automatic transmission
- 52,000 miles
Speedometer on my 2004 cavalier is busted, i find it is a common occurrence because of the process by which there made: cold welded. the gas gague on my 99 is also busted.
this is extremely inconvenient and horrendously expensive to repair. DO A RECALL!!!!!
2007Aug 24
Cavalier
- Automatic transmission
- 53,000 miles
I've own Cavalier's before but this time the car is junk. The instrument cluster has decided like all the other complaints to stop working. Some days it kinda of works and some days it doesn't. Sounds to me like this should be a recall. Since the operator/owner could not possibly of done any damage to the stupid thing. I just left the mechanic and he too was puzzled by the whole thing. I know it will cost a leg and arm to get fixed. Not to mention all the other things I've already replaced on this low mileage car. Maybe if Chevy would put some money into quality equipment instead of CEO's salaries, they would sell more cars.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Jan 25
Cavalier
- Manual transmission
- 50,000 miles
I think its crazy the only way I know that I'm low on gas is that the speedometer reads 100 mph,then my tact starts goofing up...I don't even know if my car is running hot cause that has stopped working all together now....I think there should be a recall on this instrument cluster it is going to cost me dearly to replace this....
2008Dec 01
Cavalier 2.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 119,000 miles
Speedometer has intermittently not worked for a while, sometimes shows correct speed, sometimes less than real speed, sometimes doesn't show speed at all. Now the problem is with temperature gage. With cooler weather this fall, gage started showing fluctuating temp. Got worried and decided to replace thermostat. Bought thermostat but couldn't find it on the car. Found out that it was on ths back side of engine and that exhaust manifold had to be removed to replace thermostat- Yuck. Anyway, I did that and still have gage reading all over the place. Finally, it pegged all the way over to where pointer almost interferes with speedo. Have read many other complaints, but I don't feel good without a good indication of engine temp, since I know that the 2.2s also have an issue with overheat. Guess I have to fix, but am not happy.
2006Oct 07
Cavalier LS 2.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 31,408 miles
I have had a problem with the fuel gauge since I have owned my 2004 Chevy Cavalier and nobody has been able to fix it. Now my speedometer doe snot work either. So I can't tell how much gas I have, or how fast I am going. I have been told that it is the instrument cluster and there has been a recall on the GM truck for the same thing, but not the Cavalier.
2008Nov 21
Cavalier
- Automatic transmission
- 70,000 miles
Rpm and Speedometer gauge went all the way around, what could that be and is it danger driving it like that
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2007Feb 02
Cavalier 1.8L
- Automatic transmission
- 45,000 miles
I had the same problem. Still do. My speedometer cranks way up...the fuel guage does the same thing. As far as I can tell this problem is related to heat--either running the heater or really hot days. My guess is that something cracked or melted behind the gauges and now the heat pours through and messes things up. If you have this problem you might notice a similar pattern.
SEMI-SOLUTION: I bought a little doohickey called a Scangauge II. It plugs right into the OBDII port under the steering wheel. With a strip of Velcro it can sit right on top of the steering column. It gives me all sorts of info including my speed, my water temperature, my battery power and more. It gets its info straight from the computer. It also scans the computer and will store problem "check engine" diagnostic codes. It's a great little device and a good way to get around the mysterious gauges problem that we all have.
http://www.scangauge.com/
2008Jan 01
Cavalier LS Sport 2.2L
- Manual transmission
- 56,806 miles
My temperature gauge overextended clockwise past the maximum temp thresh hold until the needle was pointing directly right (toward psgr).
The tip of the needle, being stuck in that position, physically blocked the speedometer needle from going any higher than 10 mph. Eventually the speedometer just failed, the temperature gauge still continued to not work, and approximately 1 month after that the gas gauge failed as well (that needle is all over the place). The only gauge in the cluster that is working is the tachometer.
I am forced to estimate my speed by tachometer, which is not only inaccurate and dangerous, but is only mildly effective in 5th gear assuming you have another vehicle to pace your speed at certain RPMs. Fortunately I am extremely adept at visually pacing speed.
In addition, I am forced to judge my fuel level by using the trip meter. If I do not reset the trip on a full tank, I am unable to judge the level of fuel in the vehicle. Fortunately, the "check gauges" light still comes on when I am very low on fuel.
As a police officer, I can definitely say that this issue falls under the statute criteria in my state of operating an unsafe vehicle. Would I cite it? I'm not a hypocrite.
Up until a few months ago I was very eager to get rid of this car. However, with the gas prices at $4.00+ a gallon, I decided it would be worth hanging on to. Mechanically speaking, the vehicle has been doing well. Electrically, I have a few other complaints.
2008Jun 16
Cavalier
- Automatic transmission
- 117,000 miles
The RPM went haywire about 3 weeks ago. Was showing RPM's at 5000 when I was sitting at a stop. So we knew from this website what was coming. It slowly corrected itself.
My speedometer has now started registering about 20 MPH over what I was really doing.
I sent an email to the Recall Website. This is not only dangerous, but apparently more common than even this website is showing.
2006Nov 15
Cavalier 2.0L
- Automatic transmission
- 30,000 miles
I cant express how relieved I was to see that I wasnt having this problem alone. I also had a mechanic look at it and he couldn't find a problem. It started with the speedometer, I was going 110 miles an hour and holding up traffic. Then came the temp gauge, I found myself pulling over to let it cool off cause it was in the red. After twice stopping to let it cool at 45 mins a pop, I discovered that it wasn't gonna change. Silly me to expect it to work. Now I have no way of knowing how fast I am going or if my engine might blow in traffic cause I ignore the gauges. Only thing I got going for me is my gas gauge....like with the gas prices these days I really need to know how fast its guzzling it...lol Well hopefully somebody from Chevy is smart enough to read the complaints and make an attempt to correct it. This is my first car and will be my last Chevy.
2007Aug 01
Cavalier L4 2.2L
- CVT transmission
- 32,900 miles
This is ridiculous.... There should be a recall. It is really upsetting when you are driving the interstates doing "185" and every one is passing you in a 65 mph zone!!! I even caught myself pegged on winding back country roads. The Dukes of Hazard guys would be proud of me!!! Imagine telling the cops that you were only doing 35 when you were really doing 50? You never know what the speed is because the tach doesn't always work either. I am pretty sure the gas gauge and temp guages are still o.k. Who the heck knows?????
2008Mar 01
Cavalier 2.2L
- Automatic transmission
- 60,000 miles
Started with the tach going out, then all the gages started going crazy! I have found that if you start the car then turn if off quickly a few times the gages will start going back to normal. The instrument panel should not go out on a 3 year old car! I will never buy another GM vehicle!!
2008Feb 18
Cavalier
- Automatic transmission
- 45,000 miles
no gauges have worked in vehicle for about a month (temperature, gas, speedometer, etc). 3 different mechanics cannot find a thing wrong with vehicle)
2007Jan 17
Cavalier 2.2L Ecotech
- Automatic transmission
- 43,496 miles
Ok first to let you know how much I hate this car (And it is important to mention this is not only my first GM vehicle but the first vehicle I ever owned and although I like the looks of the GM vehicles I will never buy another one) 6 months ago my car would stall for no reason while I was stopped at a stop sign or set of lights.They said it was an electrical problem and changed some wires.
My fuel gauge failed to return empty when the engine was turned off then when it was restarted the needle moved another 90 degrees so that it was pointing to the temperature gauge. Then my temperature gauge was getting affected and soon the temperature gauge was affecting my speedometer and then my tachometer was acting up registering 5000 RPM. Its one thing after another. The dealership took the needles and put them back to their initial position (Where they're suppose to be when you turn off your car) and said they were working fine. It wasn't! Not even a week after they started acting up again but I was in the middle of exams and not only could I not afford to hand over another $500 but I lived 45mins away from my school and needed my car!
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A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
2009Nov 15
Cavalier
Adding another complaint about the 2004 Cavalier. I've had the car for approximately a year and a half, and about 2 months ago the speedometer began to stick. First the math was easy to do, but now it usually lies at 6 PM and stays there for the most part. Every once in a while it will begin to work backwards back to 0 MPH, but it very rarely gets back there, and if it does -- it will just stick again the next time the car is driven. Please, Chevy, do something about this!
Anthony B.
Garfield, NJ, USA
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