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10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
65,950 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2005 Chevrolet Cavalier electrical problems

electrical problem

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2005 Chevrolet Cavalier Owner Comments (Page 4 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #81

Jun 022008

Cavalier 4-cyl

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The instrument gauges in our 05 Cavalier are not working properly. The speedometer will sometimes fall from the car speed of 65 down to 0 and swing back up to 65 again. The other instrument gauges have started doing the same. We have had many safety issues with the power windows from the first day we bought this car. The drivers side window has no power at all. There is a 5 inch gap at the top, and sometimes the window will fall down even further when driving on the highway. I have done research on the web and found that this is a very common problem with the 05 Chevy Cavaliers. I previously asked GM to help me fix this drivers side window hazard, but they wanted me to be the one to take action. Others that I have spoken with on the web have had the motors replaced by an authorized dealer at no cost. All of my web browsing & researching of this matter was consistent. The motors are defective. And the cost of the window motor plus labor was over $500 per window. That doesn't include fixing any electrical problems that may be wrong. I asked for our drivers side window to be repaired by Chevrolet so that we could drive in safety with no sudden distractions or hazards. Recently, the rear drivers side window has started moving up & down very slowly and we are afraid it is also going to need repair.

- Cumberland, NC, USA

problem #80

Sep 062011

Cavalier

  • 33,254 miles
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.

- Troy, IL, USA

problem #79

Aug 082011

Cavalier 4-cyl

  • 68,000 miles
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.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #78

Nov 012008

Cavalier

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

TL-the contact owns a 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier. The contact stated the vehicle speedometer failed causing the contact not to know the speed driven. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The manufacturer took report 71-982299746 but denied assistance with the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage 150,000.

- Lenoir , NC, USA

problem #77

Dec 102010

Cavalier

  • 88,000 miles
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.

- Bismarck, ND, USA

problem #76

Dec 072010

Cavalier

  • 50,000 miles
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.

- Enola, PA, USA

problem #75

Nov 012010

Cavalier 4-cyl

  • 120,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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!

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #74

Sep 182010

Cavalier 4-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
This is a problem I inherited from the previous owner. I bought the car with approximately 50000 miles on it. The fuel gauge is never accurate. Most of the time it reads past full and into the adjacent temperature gauge. Twice I have been forced to walk to a gas station because I ran out of gas when I didn't know I was low. This is a major safety issue because I could be hit by a car walking along a highway trying to get gas. I'm also concerned that the faulty gauge will interfere with my temperature gauge causing my car to overheat without me knowing.

- Cornelius, NC, USA

problem #73

Jun 162011

Cavalier

  • 55,000 miles
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.

- Cornelius, NC, USA

problem #72

May 022011

Cavalier

  • miles
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?

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #71

Feb 122011

Cavalier 4-cyl

  • 45,500 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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,

- Washington, PA, USA

problem #70

Nov 302009

Cavalier

  • miles
My 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier has been failing on me since I bought it in 2005. First the gas gauge stopped working. I learned to live with that using the trip odometer. Next, in the middle of a cross-country drive, my speedometer stopped working! it would do so occasionally, but now it never works at all, and the other gauges have now quit as well. I have run out of gas in the middle of a snow storm, and this incident blocked traffic and risked my life from being hit by another car or freezing to death. I've gotten countless tickets because of these defects. This is a common problem among 2005 Cavaliers, very common, and I am appalled that GM has not issued a recall. I've had the gauges replaced but before long the problem starts all over again. It has cost me hundreds, and I'm sure it's just a matter of time before I or someone else with this problem end up injured from being out of fuel, speed, etc. The gauges in my car now do not work at all, I have to rely on a gps for speed and just fill up my car every other day to ensure I don't run out of gas again. I have seen hundreds of stories just like mine with the very same vehicle. Something must be done!

- Rochester, NY, USA

problem #69

Mar 012011

Cavalier

  • 71,000 miles
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.

- Topeka, KS, USA

problem #68

Feb 082011

Cavalier

  • 104,000 miles
Speedometer quit working.

- Moody, MO, USA

problem #67

Feb 082010

Cavalier 4-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
2005 Chevy Cavalier, gauges started going haywire around 50K miles. Temp gauge soared and I thought the car was overheating. We were out of town and in heavy traffic, but had to immediately pull over and stop the car "to let it cool off." My son was violently ill at the time and we had gone to pick him up on his job because he could not drive home and we needed to get him to a doctor asap. What a nightmare! we considered getting a rental and calling a tow truck to tow the Cavalier home, but when we could find no signs of overheating, we proceeded with caution. This continued to occur over and over again. Then several months later, the gas gauge stopped working properly. Seems the needles have a mind of their own. There are multitudes of online compaints about this defect. I wish everyone had filed a formal complaint. But since it is a safety issue, a recall should be issued by Chevrolet. The dealership says the only fix is to replace the parts (which only they can do) at a cost to the consumer of $500.

- Hattiesburg, MS, USA

problem #66

Oct 012010

Cavalier

  • 95,000 miles
Speedometer inop.

- Mishawaka, IN, USA

problem #65

Jan 202011

Cavalier

  • 99,450 miles
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.

- Orient, OH, USA

problem #64

Aug 142010

Cavalier

  • 50,000 miles
I own a 2005 Chevy Cavalier I am the first owner. The car had 50,000 miles on it when all the gauges on the dash board stopped working. The problem started with the gas gauge then finally all gauges stopped working.

- Chapel Hill, NC, USA

problem #63

Oct 102010

Cavalier 4-cyl

  • 18,234 miles
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.

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #62

Dec 192010

Cavalier 4-cyl

  • 80,000 miles
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.

- Clarksville, TN, USA

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