NHTSA Complaint #10264748 — 2005 PONTIAC SUNFIRE

ONLY ROUTINE DRIVING PRECEDED THIS INCIDENT. THE TACHOMETER AND SPEEDOMETER ON MY 2005 PONTIAC SUNFIRE BEGAN TO ACT ERRATIC PRIOR TO 33,000 MILES. AT ~34,500 MILES THE TACHOMETER COMPLETELY FAILED IN A POSITION WHICH PREVENTED THE SPEEDOMETER FROM FUNCTIONING (THE SPEEDOMETER NEEDLE WAS HELD DOWN BY THE TACHOMETER NEEDLE). THIS WAS A TREMENDOUS SAFETY CONCERN ESPECIALLY SINCE MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THIS APPEARS TO BE AN ALL TOO COMMON PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL LATE MODEL GM VEHICLES AND SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY CONCERN SINCE IT PREVENTS THE PROPER OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE AND CAN DISTRACT THE DRIVER. I CAN'T IMAGINE THAT A SPEEDOMETER FAILURE WOULD NOT REPRESENT A SAFETY DEFECT AND WARRANT ACTION. I HAVE HAD THE INSTRUMENT PANEL REPLACED AT THE DEALER. I CONTACTED PONTIAC CUSTOMER SERVICE AND THEY APPEAR TO ONLY LOG COMPLAINTS. I WAS INFORMED THAT RECALLS OF THIS NATURE WERE BASED ON CONSUMER COMPLAINTS REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY OF THE SPECIFIC PART THEY KNOW THEY HAVE REPLACED. THAT IS CRAZY ' IF THEY KNOW THAT A LARGE NUMBER OF A CERTAIN PART IS FAILING THEY SHOULD REPLACE IT WITHOUT WAITING FOR THE ISSUE TO MANIFEST ITSELF IN AN ACCIDENT. IN ADDITION, THE DRIVER SIDE ELECTRIC WINDOW IS ALSO NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY - WHICH ALSO APPEARS TO BE OCCURRING IN SEVERAL GM MODELS. THIS IS ALSO A SAFETY CONCERN BECAUSE IT COULD PREVENT THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE FROM EXITING IT IN AN EMERGENCY. GM IS AWARE THAT THIS IS A WORKMANSHIP/MATERIAL QUALITY ISSUE. *TR