Gauges Are Erratic

8.3

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
$500
Average Mileage:
58,950 miles
Total Complaints:
7 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (5 reports)
  2. replace instrument cluster (2 reports)
2005 Pontiac Sunfire accessories - interior problems

accessories - interior problem

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2005 Pontiac Sunfire Owner Comments

problem #7

May 212016

Sunfire

  • Automatic transmission
  • 40,389 miles

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

Temp gauge started to shoot up, then the other gauges started going up past their maximums. I will never buy another GM vehicle ever.

- Andy K., Edmonton, AB, Canada

problem #6

Jan 022013

Sunfire

  • Automatic transmission
  • 75,000 miles

First my temperature gauge started malfunctioning and casued me to think that my car was overheating while on a road trip. After the trip, the gauge ceased to function at all. Next my gas gauge failed completely and then the RPM gauge. The speedometer works about 40-50% of the time. This is an obvious defect in the Sunfire judging by the HUGE amount of complaints from owners. If GM does not decide to fix this at their own cost, perhaps a class action lawsuit should be filed against them.

- Stacy S., Albuquerque, NM, US

problem #5

May 142012

Sunfire

  • Automatic transmission
  • 43,000 miles

As others stated, the speedometer would stick. Right now my car is going 50 mph parked in the driveway. I can get the speedometer to reset (sometimes) by turning my car on and off repeatedly. Now my tachometer is stuck at 5500 rpm. It won't move. My temperature gauge is all over the place. Like many others, I gauge my speed by others on the road. $500 dollars to fix something that should never break, I find ridiculous. This can't be safe. I love my car. Other things breaking from regular wear and tear is understandable but the instrument panel on a car should NEVER fail!

- kittykittycat65, Mequon, WI, US

problem #4

Dec 032010

Sunfire 2.4L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 48,000 miles

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

I bought a 2005 Pontiac sunfire brand new in January of 2005 (only had 66 miles on it). This car has had problems ever since. Just recently my tachometer began to go crazy (at about 48,000 mi)...to the point where it spilled over into the speedometer region of my instrument panel. The dial was pushing down on the speed gauge, causing me to not be able to see how fast I wast driving. Huge safety issue! Called Pontiac and they told me to take it to a dealership and pay 79.95 for a diagnostic fee and then they would determine what action they would take from there.

Diagnosis: tach stepper motor is inop requires cluster replacement- price 495.75. After paying the fee and waiting over a week for a decision, Pontiac calles me to inform me that they would not pay for the part nor would they help me with the matter. DO NOT buy this car nor any vehicle from Pontiac as they will be of no service to you once problems do begin to occur.

- Amanda B., Toledo, OH, US

problem #3

Mar 022009

Sunfire 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 70,000 miles

I have had several problems with my Sunfire's gauges; first it was just the temperature gauge, then the tachometer, followed by the speedometer and finally the gas gauge. This has been a real pain!

- tjc1434, Greenville, SC, US

problem #2

Feb 012008

Sunfire V4

  • Manual transmission
  • 39,000 miles

I bought my Sunfire in April of 2005 brand new; it only had 33 miles on it at the time. The car's been great up until earlier this year, when my speedometer started malfunctioning. At first it was intermittent, then about August of this year it stopped working completely. (For those of you who may be curious, I've lately been driving by estimating my speed based on the tach and what gear I happen to be in.) Lately, my tach is beginning to act up as well. When I say "act up," I mean: not budging above zero at certain times; or staying well above the "3" mark no matter what gear I'm in and how fast I'm going. I notice that sometimes when I start my car in the morning, the tach needle will move up to a certain point and stay there the whole time I'm driving. This is the exact same thing that my speedometer did before it went bad.

When I called the service department, the mechanic told me that he'd seen this before in GMC truck gauges, but he's never heard of it in a Sunfire before. Anyone out there with any clue whatsoever as to what's going on with my car?

- cooleye, Littleton, CO, US

problem #1

Oct 252007

(reported on)

Sunfire

  • Automatic transmission
  • 97,000 miles

well it seems that my tachometer, temp and speed have went on the blink. I noticed it a few weeks back with just my speedometer. Then when I shut off the car, turned it back on it would sort of reset itself. As time went on it spread to the temp and today the tach.

- Jeff H., Lawton, OK, US

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