NHTSA Complaint #10555991 — 2005 ISUZU ASCENDER

ON 11/27/13 I WAS TRAVELING FROM MINNEAPOLIS MN TO OMAHA NE FOR THE HOLIDAY WEEKEND. I HAD JUST LEFT A REST STOP ON HWY 35 SOUTHBOUND. AT ONE POINT I HAPPENED TO ROUTINELY SCAN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER AND SUDDENLY NOTICED THAT, ACCORDING TO THE GAUGE, MY ENGINE OIL PRESSURE WAS SHOWING 60+ PSI AND WAS CONTINUING TO RISE. I QUICKLY PULLED OFF ON THE HIGHWAY SHOULDER AND SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN. THE GAUGE NOW READ OVER "80". I GOT OUT AND CHECKED UNDER THE HOOD, BUT FOUND NOTHING UNUSUAL. NOTE: WHEN THE GAUGE WENT CRAZY, THERE WERE NO OTHER WARNING LIGHT OR INDICATORS. I GOT BACK IN THE VEHICLE AND IT STARTED NORMALLY AND THE ENGINE SOUNDED FINE. I PROCEEDED INTO MASON CITY IA AND FOUND A GM DEALER. THERE WERE NO MECHANICS PRESENT, BUT A HELPFUL SALES PERSON TOOK ALOOK AT THE GAUGE AND SAID IT WAS PROBABLY A FAULTY STEP MOTOR IN THE GAUGE OR A BAD SENDER UNIT. IN EITHER CASE, HE SAID IT WAS OK TO DRIVE TO OMAHA, BUT SUGGESTED STOPPING AT A GM DEALER IN OMAHA ON FRIDAY, AFTER THANKSGIVING. I DID TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A GM DEALER ON FRIDAY AND A MECHANIC CHECKED THE GAUGE AND SAID THAT IT WAS A FAULTY STEPPER MOTOR IN THE GAUGE. HE SAID GM HAS HAD ALL KINDS OF TROUBLE WITH THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTERS ON THE MID-SIZE SUVS THAT WERE MANUFACTURED FROM ABOUT 2003 THROUGH ABOUT 2007. HE SAID I SHOULD CHECK WITH A GM DEALER BACK IN MINNEAPOLIS TO SEE WHETHER GM IS COVERING MY BAD GAUGE. HE SAID THAT I WAS LUCKY THAT MY FIRST BAD GAUGE IN THE CLUSTER WAS OIL PRESSURE, RATHER THAN SPEEDOMETER OR GAS GAUGE. ON RETURN TO MINNEAPOLIS, A LOCAL GM DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE STEPPER MOTOR IN MY OIL PRESSURE GAUGE WAS DEFECTIVE, BUT CHECKED AND SAID IT WASN'T COVERED BY ANY GM WARRANTY. HE SAID THAT THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER COULD BE REHABBED (ALL STEPPER MOTORS REPLACED) FOR ABOUT $600. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT GM HAS BEEN AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM FOR YEARS BUT HAS OFFERED LITTLE RELIEF. *TR