NHTSA Complaint #10367410 — 2005 PONTIAC SUNFIRE

MY HUSBAND AND I PURCHASED A 2005 PONTIAC SUNFIRE IN 2006. IT HAD 13,000 MILES AT THAT TIME AND HAD BEEN A REALLY RELIABLE CAR. MY HUSBAND HAS CHANGED THE OIL AND FILTER ON A REGULAR SCHEDULE AS WELL AS THE AIR FILTER. IT STILL GETS 33 MPG ON THE FREEWAY AND THE MILEAGE WAS ABOUT 68,000 WHEN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER STARTED TO GO BAD. IF THE GAUGES HADN'T STARTED TO MALFUNCTION ABOUT 6-8 MONTHS AGO I WOULD HAVE NO COMPLAINTS. THE VEHICLE'S TEMPERATURE GAUGE STARTED CLIMBING OFF THE CHARTS ONE DAY WHEN WE WERE ABOUT FORTY MILES FROM HOME. WE WE DRIVING 65 MPH. ON THE FREEWAY WHEN IT STARTED. WE PULLED OFF AS SOON AS WE COULD TO CHECK THE MOTOR AND FOUND THAT IT WAS NOT OVERHEATED AT ALL AND WE HAD NO LEAKS IN SIGHT. I FEEL VERY BLESSES THAT NO ONE WAS INJURED. WITH IN A MONTH THE GAUGE EVENTUALLY SPUN ALL THE WAY AROUND AND STARTED EFFECTING THE TACHOMETER. NOW THE SPEEDOMETER IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY BECAUSE OF THE TACHOMETER. IF THE CLUSTER HAD BEEN DESIGNED WITH A BUMPER PIN TO STOP THE GAUGES FROM MAKING A COMPLETE 360 ROTATION, IT MIGHT HAVE NOT BURNED OUT SO SOON. OUR TEMPERATURE GAUGE HAS MADE ABOUT 3 OR 4 REVOLUTIONS SO FAR MAKING THE OTHER GAUGES EVEN MORE INACCURATE. THE TACHOMETER IS ON IT'S SECOND TRIP AROUND THE GAUGE SO WE KNOW THE SPEEDOMETER IS NOT FAR BEHIND. WE ARE VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH OUR CHOICE AT THIS TIME AND ARE CONSIDERING A DIFFERENT MANUFACTURE FOR OUR NEXT VEHICLE. MY FATHER WAS A DIESEL MECHANIC FOR FIFTY YEARS AND HE ALWAYS INSTILLED ON ME TO BUY AMERICAN WHEN IT CAME TO MY CARS. I ALWAYS HAVE AND DON'T PLAN TO CHANGE THAT BUT, I WILL DO MORE RESEARCH NEXT TIME. THIS PROBLEM WAS POSTED ON EVERY WEB SIGHT I FOUND AND HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR YEARS. IT'S TIME TO BE MORE CAUTIOUS.