IllustrationCHEVY CAVALIER 2005 MALFUNCTIONING DASH INSTRUMENTS SPEEDOMETER NO LONGER WORKING GAS GAUGE NO LONGER WORKING. *TR
2005 Chevrolet Cavalier
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Cavalier years
Owner complaints for the 2005 Chevrolet Cavalier are substantially higher than the model-year median of 140.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Cavalier years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
180–25K
4825–50K
7350–75K
4675–100K
37100–150K
8150K+
230 reports with mileage · 57 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Electrical System. Review the 211 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 18 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 16 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports0 fire reports5 injury reports
What owners actually said
287 reportsTHERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ONLINE CONCERNING THE 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. SPECIFICALLY, THE GAUGES (TACH, SPEEDOMETER, TEMPERATURE AND GAS) OFTEN QUIT WORKING, EITHER ALL AT ONCE OR ONE-BY-ONE. THE LOSS OF THE GAUGES IS A DANGER NOT ONLY TO THE MOTORISTS, BUT ALSO TO EVERYONE ELSE ON THE ROAD. I BOUGHT MY 2005 CAVALIER BRAND …
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THERE ARE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ONLINE CONCERNING THE 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER. SPECIFICALLY, THE GAUGES (TACH, SPEEDOMETER, TEMPERATURE AND GAS) OFTEN QUIT WORKING, EITHER ALL AT ONCE OR ONE-BY-ONE. THE LOSS OF THE GAUGES IS A DANGER NOT ONLY TO THE MOTORISTS, BUT ALSO TO EVERYONE ELSE ON THE ROAD. I BOUGHT MY 2005 CAVALIER BRAND NEW. AT APPROXIMATELY 60,000 MILES, MY TEMP, TACH AND SPEEDOMETER STOPPED WORKING. OFTEN, THE TEMP GAUGE WILL SWING IN THE WRONG DIRECTION AND INTERFERE WITH THE SPEEDOMETER. MANY DAYS, MY SPEEDOMETER WILL NOT WORK AT ALL; ON OTHER DAYS, IT WILL SHOW A READING OF 80 MPH - EVEN THOUGH THE CAR IS NOT MOVING. I DO NOT FEEL THIS PROBLEM IS A MATTER OF NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR, WHICH IS WHAT THE DEALERSHIPS TELL THOSE OF US WITH THESE PROBLEMS. TOO MANY OF US HAVE THESE ISSUES, WHICH HAPPEN ON BOTH LOW MILEAGE AND HIGH-MILEAGE CARS. *TR
I HAVE A 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER AND THE FUEL PUMP WENT OUT. I WAS ON THE FREEWAY GOING ABOUT 60 MPH AND THE CAR SPUTTERED AND DIED. *TR
I HAVE A 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER AND MY SPEEDOMETER AND GAS GAUGE HAVE GONE CRAZY, THIS REPAIR IS UPWARDS OF ABOUT $600 AND I JUST WENT ONLINE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I COULD DO AND FOUND A WEBSITE CALLED CARCOMPLAINTS.COM WHERE 30 OTHER PEOPLE HAD THE SAME IF NOT SIMILAR ISSUE WITH THE 2004-2005 CAVALIER, THERE WAS RUMOR OF A RECALL…
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I HAVE A 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER AND MY SPEEDOMETER AND GAS GAUGE HAVE GONE CRAZY, THIS REPAIR IS UPWARDS OF ABOUT $600 AND I JUST WENT ONLINE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT I COULD DO AND FOUND A WEBSITE CALLED CARCOMPLAINTS.COM WHERE 30 OTHER PEOPLE HAD THE SAME IF NOT SIMILAR ISSUE WITH THE 2004-2005 CAVALIER, THERE WAS RUMOR OF A RECALL AFTER THE CAR STIMULUS EVENT, BUT NOW I NEED TO GET MY CAR INSPECTED AND CANNOT BECAUSE OF THIS ISSUE. I HAVE USED A GPS TO MONITOR MY SPEED, THANK GOD FOR THOSE AND SO HAVE SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE, BUT I BELIEVE THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. *TR
FIRST THE TACHOMETER REDLINED ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO. MECHANIC SAID IT'S NOT REALLY AN IMPORTANT INSTRUMENT SO IGNORE IT (IT STICKS CONSTANTLY NOW). HOWEVER, BEGINNING OF 2009, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE STARTED READING HOT AND STICKING. ABOUT NOVEMBER THE SPEEDOMETER JOINED IN AND IS STICKING.*TR
FUEL GAUGE DOESN'T WORK ALL THE TIME FUEL GAUGE CAUSES THE TEMP GAUGE TO HANG UP. *TR
DEFECTIVE SPEEDOMETER INSTRUMENT CLUSTER, SPEEDOMETER MALFUNCTIONING WHEN VEHICLE IS IN OPERATION , SPEEDOMETER WILL INDICATE VARIOUS SPEEDS LIKE 110, 100. 70, MPH OR STUCK IN A MPH POSITION WHEN VEHICLE IS NOT IN OPERATION WITH ENGINE OFF. *TR
THE SPEEDOMETER HAS STOPPED FUNCTIONING ON MY 2005 CHEVY CAVALIER. IT OCCASIONALLY WILL WORK, BUT ONLY SPORADICALLY, IF EVER. *TR
MY 2005 CHEVROLET CAVALIER FUEL AND TEMPERATURE GAUGES QUIT WORKING NOW THE TECH IS GOING HAYWIRE. I USE A GPS SO I KNOW MY SPEED. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM. COST IS OVER $500. TO REPLACE ALL THE GAUGES. LOST GAUGES ONE AT A TIME. *TR
ALMOST THE ENTIRE GAUGE CLUSTER (SPEEDOMETER, FUEL, TACH, ETC) HAS GONE HAYWIRE. I AM UNCERTAIN AS I DRIVE OF SPEED, FUEL, ETC. OTHER CHEVROLET CAVALIER INDICATE THE SAME SAFETY CONCERN AND THE FACT THAT GM REFUSES TO CORRECT THE SAFETY PROBLEM. *TR AL FERRY
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.