instrument panel

[dmiller]

I have a 2001 pontiac sunfire I bought new and have had no problems with it until yesterday. As I was driving on the highway I lost the speedometer, fuel gauge, tachometer, stereo and all the warning lights came on. I stopped shut the car off and restarted it, the warning lights went off but the gauges still did not work. Could someone give me an idea of why this might happen?

[gp-gp]

what could have happened, is that you could have blown a fuse, check all ur fuses, make sure they are all ok, or tucked in correctly.

[SunFireRulz]

It could have to do with your stereo too, since they have the disabling system in them. I've heard horror stories of people's stereos doing brutal things to the electrical components of the car. You might want to try taking your car into a stereo install place and having them take the console apart...

[Sarah_xtc83]

I have a 98 sunfire GT same problem- has done it twice now, and once being on the highway- YIKES! anyways -- just wondering if you ever found out what it was

[skeeter74]

Just got an '05 sunfire back yesterday from the shop. Had the car less than two weeks. What a way to start off. Took the dealership a day and a half to figure out it was 2 faulty ground wires. Not sure if our symptoms were EXACTLY the same, but this is what happened. Went out and started the car and let it run for about 10 mins. Took off for work and 10 mins down the road all gauges went to zero and all warning lights came on. Pulled over, turned the car off and waited a few minutes. Started it back up, all warning lights went off and it seemed fine. Took off again on the highway and then just a min or two later the guages went again and all warning lights came back on. Hope this helps!

[MoistTowelette]

I just had the exact same thing start to happen today on a 2000 Sunfire GT. I start up the car and the gauges are flat, all the warning lights come on, then after a while the gauges work again with a few warning light still on (some for options not even on the car - remote locks). I've even had it read "Error" across the odometer display a few times. Sometimes after turning the car off and waiting a bit then restarting, the problem disappears.

skeeter74 - Any more details you may have as to what exactly they fixed and how much the repair was (although assuming it was under warranty it may not have cost anything)? I'd like to not get hosed on the repair and be able to point them in the right direction when I take it in to save some time and aggravation.

Thanks.

[Sarah_xtc83]

Haven't gotten it fixed yet- Had it into the shop last week- nothing showed up on the computers... Sooo they say I have to wait until it's more frequent because it hardly ever happens- so I guess they can't diagnose the problem if it's not happening (it's only happened twice since I have had the car). But nonetheless, having a car turn off on the highway is not safe- ! I'll let you know if I ever do find out what's up with my car ..Hopefully I do... You'd think because this problem is so common that they'd consider recalls?!

[skeeter74]

Well, since my car was under warranty, no cost to me. I know that they put the computer on it and it did not show up. So, I would direct them to the ground wires first. I will try to contact my dealership today and see if they can give me more detail as to exactly what 2 wires were faulty. If I get an answer, I will post it right away for you. If it's just two wires, I can't see the cost being that much. It's the labor that kills you. Maybe it could be something simple that you could easily do yourself. I'll post whatever I can find out for you. It might be worth while to check for any possible recalls on your year of car. From the looks of it, this seems to be too common of a problem and SHOULD warrant a recall. Hope I can help you save time, money AND aggrevation. Keep your fingers crossed.

[lillou1973]

a lot of items on a sunfire come in play a lot through the hot in run ignition switch...therefore controlling when your car is on or of and your ignition switch is tied right into your instument cluster leading also from your PCM...there has been a big re-call for faulty ignition switches. they get hot enough even without the key in to catch fire....scary aint it. well if that just dont top it off. as far as i can say about those 2 wires the fixed is that they might be the ones under or by you battery hold down rack....