NHTSA Complaint #10667542 — 2003 CHEVROLET EXPRESS

MY SPEEDOMETER QUICKLY JUMPS FROM ONE INDICATED SPEED TO ANOTHER SPEED THAT IS CLEARLY INACCURATE, DOWN AS LOW AS -0- WHILE DRIVING, ACCOMPANIED BY THE TRANSMISSION ATTEMPTING TO DOWNSHIFT ON IT'S OWN, WHICH CAUSES A SEVERE ENGINE OVER-REV CONDITION OR GOING INTO A NEUTRAL MOMENTARILY WITH NO INPUT FROM ME AS THE DRIVER. THERE ARE NO SPECIFIC ACTIONS I CAN TAKE TO TRIGGER THE ERRATIC SYMPTOM, NOR ANY SPECIFIC ACTION I CAN TAKE TO CAUSE NORMAL OPERATION. WITH SNOW AND ICE ON THE ROADS AT THIS TIME OF THE YEAR THIS IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AS IT COULD CAUSE THE VAN TO LOCK UP THE REAR WHEELS ON SLIPPERY PAVEMENT CAUSING LACK OF CONTROL. THIS CONDITION CAN OCCUR REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT CRUISE CONTROL IS SELECTED, REGARDLESS OF THE GEAR I MANUALLY SELECT, AND REGARDLESS OF THE TRAILER MODE BEING SELECTED OR NOT. SIMULTANEOUSLY THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT GOES ON, THE "ABS LIGHT" AND "BRAKES" LIGHTS ARE LIT ON THE DASHBOARD ALTHOUGH NO BRAKING ABNORMALITIES ARE NOTED. I REPORTED A LESS SEVERE CASE OF THIS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO, BUT RECEIVED NO REPLY FROM THE NHTSA. DOING INTERNET RESEARCH I FIND THAT IT MAY BE A DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETER DASHBOARD ASSEMBLY THAT WOULD NEED TO BE SENT AWAY FOR REPAIR/EXCHANGE. THEY REQUIRE A LARGE DEPOSIT IN ORDER TO GO THRU THE VERIFICATION PROCESS THAT THE ODOMETER READING I REPORT IS THE SAME AS THE UNIT I SEND IN. PART COST WITH DEPOSIT IS CLOSE TO $600, AND THEY SHOW AN ONLINE INTERNET VIDEO OF HOW TO REMOVE THE DASHBOARD UNIT WHICH TAKES LESS THAN 3 MINUTES. I'VE READ THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER SINCE NEW, AND IT HAS LESS THAN 17,000 ACTUAL MILES ON IT. *TR