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Silvertwinkie · 04-03-2008, 07:58 PM

A few weeks ago, I got a letter in the mail from GM stating:

"that my 2004 Suburban could develop a condition where one or more of the instrument panel gauge needles may stick, flutter or become inoperative, this may cause inaccurate readings, including the speedometer and fuel gauge."

The go on further to say unless I've seen an issue as described don't take the truck in and they will extend the warranty on the gauge cluster for 7 years from the date of delivery or 70k, whichever comes first.

If work is needed, they say it has to be done by a GM dealer.

FYI.....

**moosetags** · 04-03-2008, 09:02 PM

Thanx. I have an '04 Suburban.

goransons · 04-03-2008, 09:07 PM

got that letter too, not sure I like the idea because my truck (2003) must have a switch that comes on after 36000 saying "break please" to all the expensive hard to get to parts.....

I wish they'd simply replace them, that gauge cluster can't be cheap over the counter after 70k or 7 years

safari 28 · 04-04-2008, 09:30 PM

Ok, devils advocate. You get a speeding ticket. You claim your speedometer was wrong or stuck. You have a document from GM claiming issues. Any legal eagles wanting to weigh in? Who pays your increased insurance, points etc??

safari57 · 04-04-2008, 10:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goransons

got that letter too, not sure I like the idea because my truck (2003) must have a switch that comes on after 36000 saying "break please" to all the expensive hard to get to parts.....

I wish they'd simply replace them, that gauge cluster can't be cheap over the counter after 70k or 7 years

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with one of those hidden switches in the truck

.

Barry

overlander63 · 04-05-2008, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by safari57

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one with one of those hidden switches in the truck

.

Barry

It's no longer a switch. Starting in 1996, all manufacturers changed to a software-based failure program...

Silvertwinkie · 04-05-2008, 07:30 AM

I'm with ya on that. I took mine in after I got it because there are some slight sounds coming out of the cluster, and the dealer says they all make some slight noise. Anyone else have slight noise coming out of the cluster?

**moosetags** · 04-05-2008, 08:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

I'm with ya on that. I took mine in after I got it because there are some slight sounds coming out of the cluster, and the dealer says they all make some slight noise. Anyone else have slight noise coming out of the cluster?

We have an '04 Sub, an '04 Tahoe, and an '05 Yuk XL, and none of them makes such a noise.

Brian

Davis · 04-05-2008, 08:27 AM

I to have a 2004 Suburban and received the letter before Christmas and took it in to the dealer cause it seemed that the fuel guage was not accurate. The dealer could not find any problems and said to monitor it. So far there are no problems with the fuel guage again but now the DIC shows " Check Oil Level " and the oil level is fine. So I have not yet taken it back to have that checked yet. I am not as much worried about that one since I can check the oil level myself. Has anyone else had that happen ?

safari57 · 04-05-2008, 09:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davis

I to have a 2004 Suburban and received the letter before Christmas and took it in to the dealer cause it seemed that the fuel guage was not accurate. The dealer could not find any problems and said to monitor it. So far there are no problems with the fuel guage again but now the DIC shows " Check Oil Level " and the oil level is fine. So I have not yet taken it back to have that checked yet. I am not as much worried about that one since I can check the oil level myself. Has anyone else had that happen ?

The problem is if you don't get it fixed and then go to sell or trade it and that light keeps coming on you have to go through the whole explanation thing and they may just not quite believe you. With that coming on and the earlier gas gauge concern if this were me I'd be going back and asking them to go ahead and make the fix. It is showing signs of more than one problem.

Barry

Davis · 04-05-2008, 09:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by safari57

The problem is if you don't get it fixed and then go to sell or trade it and that light keeps coming on you have to go through the whole explanation thing and they may just not quite believe you. With that coming on and the earlier gas gauge concern if this were me I'd be going back and asking them to go ahead and make the fix. It is showing signs of more than one problem.

Barry

Hi, Another reason I haven`t taken it back yet is that I have a 10 week old baby and Mama really needs her Suburban to travel with.It is a convenience thing and also the dealer we use is an hour away that is the reason I had it checked before the baby was born. But I will get it in when time permits unless something more urgent comes up. I don`t want to give the impression that I neglect my vehicles when I am actually a picky person about who works on them and I usually do most work myself except for the dealer items .

lsinclair · 04-05-2008, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Silvertwinkie

A few weeks ago, I got a letter in the mail from GM stating:

"that my 2004 Suburban could develop a condition where one or more of the instrument panel gauge needles may stick, flutter or become inoperative, this may cause inaccurate readings, including the speedometer and fuel gauge."

The go on further to say unless I've seen an issue as described don't take the truck in and they will extend the warranty on the gauge cluster for 7 years from the date of delivery or 70k, whichever comes first.

If work is needed, they say it has to be done by a GM dealer.

FYI.....

I have attached the GM Special Policy Coverage for your review. It has application for 2003 & 2004 GM trucks & SUV's. With the last 8 of your VIN #, you can check the VIN break points in the attachment. If your VIN falls within the break points, call your dealer for an appointment to get your IP cluster replaced (under warranty), even if you haven't experience the problem yet.
Good luck,

goransons · 04-05-2008, 06:54 PM

yep ours lands in those serial ranges, think I'll give them a call next week, thanks!

overlander63 · 04-05-2008, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davis

I to have a 2004 Suburban and received the letter before Christmas and took it in to the dealer cause it seemed that the fuel guage was not accurate. The dealer could not find any problems and said to monitor it. So far there are no problems with the fuel guage again but now the DIC shows " Check Oil Level " and the oil level is fine. So I have not yet taken it back to have that checked yet. I am not as much worried about that one since I can check the oil level myself. Has anyone else had that happen ?

It could well be the sensor in the pan. If you are mechanically inclined, you can see if unplugging the sensor causes a change.

Silvertwinkie · 04-05-2008, 08:03 PM

So what I am hearing you all say is that your clusters are totally silent, they make not a single sound at any time right? If not, then I am going to call them in the next few weeks when time permits.

Dealer told me that they all make a very slight bit of noise that can't be heard one the engine is started.

QuietWater · 04-06-2008, 07:55 AM

I have an '04 Avalanche and I got the notice, too. I took the truck in to have some other work on it and asked the service manager about it. He said if it isn't showing signs at the present time, it will eventually. In that case I told him the speedometer was shaky. He took all the numbers off the truck and said he had to order the cluster and it would take about a week. The new unit had to be custom set to the numbers on the truck. Most of that is computer work. Anyway, after the new cluster came in, it only took about half an hour for them to install. I can't tell any difference between the new and the old. The best part was that there was no charge. I guess what I am trying to say is: it will take two trips to get the job done. One to download the information and one to install.

overlander63 · 04-06-2008, 08:02 AM

The dealer may want to keep your truck after they've recorded the info. This is for Federal odometer tampering laws, if you continue driving the truck after they've recorded the mileage, the odometer will no longer be accurate. It may only be a dozen miles off, if you only drive to the dealer and back, but what if you choose that week to go to California?
Whenever a vehicle comes in to our shop for speedoemter replacement, the vehicle is pulled out of the shop to a parking space, the mileage is recorded, the vehicle is locked, and the keys are put in either a lock box (for vehicles still under warratny) or locked in the tech's toolbox untill the new speedometer arrives.

pyanke · 04-06-2008, 09:47 AM

I had the unit replaced in my 04 Silverado. I never did get the letter, I had to do the research online once the problem of a sticking speedometer started. It did not appear to affect the odometer at all. The repair took two trips to the dealer. The first one to check it out, get the details and order the part. It took about a half hour. The repair happened a week later and took about 90 minutes. Works great now.

marta5 · 04-06-2008, 09:53 AM

The dealer who sold our 04 Silverado to us last January told us, prior to the
sale, that the instrument cluster would need switching out for a new one.
Within a few weeks of ownership, the speedometer began malfunctioning, often sticking at 60 mph in the off position.
They replaced the cluster at no charge, even though we are the second owners of the truck (it was a gm certified vehicle with only 18k on it at purchase).
No problems since!

Cracker · 04-06-2008, 03:30 PM

Read the service bulletin carefully! If you simply go to the dealer and request replacement of the instrument cluster - as a precautionary matter - it may not happen. On the other hand, if you report - true or not - that the panel was acting up (i.e. - speedometer sticking) they will replace the cluster even if the Tech 2 gauge sweep does not show a problem. This sounds to me like GM is hoping you'll go past the 7 year or 70,000 mile mark before you have a problem. I would think that GM needs to step up to the plate again - like they did with the injectors on the diesels - and stop the nonsense generated by a group of cost accountants.