Instrument Panel problems of the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500

30 problems related to instrument panel have been reported for the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500 based on all problems reported for the 2003 Sierra 1500.

1 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 10/25/2012

I received a letter from general motors a few years ago about a speedometer defect. The letter extended the manufactures warranty to 7 years 80,000 miles on the gauge cluster due to defects. The letter said in bold underlined words not to bring the truck in if it is not experiencing any problems. It is now past the extended warranty and the speedometer is not working. It is stuck at 80mph and will not move. I took it to the GMC dealership and gm will not fix the unit since it is to old. I believe it is very dangerous not to know how fast you are going, this is a known problem by gm and gm has not had to have a recall on the unit? gm should have a recall for all the affected cars and trucks with this known problem.

2 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 05/01/2009

The contact owns a 2003 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the instrument panel would not function properly. The contact indicated that the fuel gauge and speedometer were both inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the instrument panel was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.

3 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 12/26/2008

2003 GMC Sierra 1500 speedometer failed -- drifted fully upscale. No precursor - was driving steady at 45 mph. 93000 miles on vehicle. First time failure - but it is a hard failure - reading >120 mph with car shutoff in driveway. I adjusted my speed down to be below what I hoped would meet the speed limit. It appears GMC has issued service notices on this . . . I found the following on the internet: subject:bulletin gmp07-174 - special coverage adjustment #07187 --- some customers of 2003-2004 model year Cadillac escalade, escalade esv, and escalade ext; Chevrolet avalanche, silverado, suburban, and tahoe; and GMC sierra, envoy, yukon, and yukon xl vehicles have reported that the instrument panel (ip) cluster gauges stick, flutter, or become inoperative. This may cause inaccurate readings, including the speedometer and fuel gauge.

4 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 12/11/2008

My speedo was acting erratically and finally has stop working at all. It happened out of nowhere and I am hearing alot of complaints from friends and the company I work for who has several of these vehicles they are all going bad. My vehicle is 03 GMC sierra and most the others I know of are similar trucks and suvs. I have been pulled over for speeding twice now but have never been pulled over for speeding until my speedo quit working. I would like to see a recall I here this is a expensive problem to fix .

5 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 12/10/2008

The instrument cluster on a 2003 GMC Sierra 1500 pickup truck fails unexpectedly. There are problems with the stepper motors and the manufacturer knows about it. Certainly, one has to know the speed they are traveling,especially in school and construction zones. Mark these words "someone is going to get killed" there are several complaints filed with the manufacturer and you and yet noting is done to correct the problem. Is it going to have to take a fatality before a recall is issued. No wonder the car companies are in so much trouble!!!.

6 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 08/06/2008

Speedometer was working fine and then just completely stopped working. Checked on recalls to see if this was another defect but saw that there is a lawsuit going on with several people with the same complaint. Have not corrected the problem.

7 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 05/07/2008

Intermittent and erratic speedometer problem. Speedometer will sometimes appear to register correctly, other times will be inoperative, and at other times will register the wrong speed. This has been especially dangerous at night when it is difficult to use exterior visual cues of actual speed to know that the speedometer is giving the wrong information. This has led to several near accidents due to inaccurate knowledge of speed when approaching intersections and curves.

8 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 03/10/2008

Speedometer does not work.

9 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 03/03/2008

2003 GMC sierra with several problems. Consumer states that the transmission failed. Passenger side window motor broke, speedometer failed due to stepper motor failure, truck is on the third set of front brake rotors, and upper support column bearings, and more problems. The consumer stated the dealer refused to replace the upper support bearing, but replaced the intermediate shaft instead. The rear planatery forward clutch was burnt, which caused the transmission to fail.

10 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 02/11/2008

The contact owns a 2003 GMC Sierra 1500. The contact stated that the speedometer stopped working. He took the vehicle to the dealer and was informed that he was no longer eligible to receive a free repair. The qualifications for the free repair were seven years or 70,000 miles. The contact stated that he was never notified and, when he brought his vehicle in for repair, it was too late. The manufacturer stated that they would not cover the repair, even though the vehicle is only five years old. The contact stated that he had been to the dealer about the failure before the vehicle exceeded the mileage, but the failure had not been diagnosed until February 11, 2008. The VIN was invalid. The current and failure mileages were 110,000.

11 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 01/22/2008

The contact owns a 2003 GMC Sierra 1500. On September 27, 2005, the speedometer began displaying inaccurate readings. The speedometer sporadically failed for the next couple of years. On October 5, 2007, the speedometer displayed an inaccurate speed of 125 mph. The contact received a notice regarding a voluntary recall for the speedometer. Only vehicles less than six years old or with fewer than 70,000 miles would receive a free remedy. The contact's mileage was 115,000; therefore, he was ineligible for the free remedy. No repairs were made. The contact filed a complaint with the manufacturer. The purchase date, recall number, and speed were unknown. The failure mileage was 64,999 and current mileage was 115,000. Updated 3/25/08.

12 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 11/08/2007

Speedometer has failed and the truck is out of warranty. However, I see that this is a very big problem in these vehicles and general motors is aware of it.

13 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 07/01/2007

Upon purchasing the vehicle I noticed prior to purchase that the fuel gauge did not read accuratly. The dealership agreed to reimburse me for the cost of the fix. After a day or two durring a short in town drive I noticed my speedometer was acting "jerky". I arrived at my destination, but when I left the speedometer was reading 60mph at a stop. At what I estimated to be 65mph the speedometer read 120mph. Gm has been aware of this wide spread problem for almost a year but they refuse to issue a recall on a obviously flawed product.

14 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 06/01/2007

Odometer failure. Began showing erratic, incorrect speeds, starting around 80,000 miles. At +/-85,000 miles the odometer is stuck at 120mph and completely inoperative.

15 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 02/01/2007

Speedometer on my 03 GMC sierra truck stops working then works erratically,shows im going 120 when only traveling at 35 or so. I have been reading post on forum sites and seems to be a chronic problem from gm.

16 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 01/28/2007

Out of the blue, the speedometer on our 2003 GMC sierra started acting erratically. At rest, it reads ~50 mph, and over 120 mph when driving.

17 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 01/09/2007

1 driving on highway at limit 2 speedometer jumps up to 100 3 speedometer at 30 when stopped, still not working.

18 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 01/06/2007

Was driving on express way and speedometer went to zero while I was traveling approximately 65 mph. Have not taken in yet, will this week to the local dealer. Over past 2 days since incident occurred, has happened numerous times at various speed levels.

19 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 12/27/2006

Drove 2003 GMC sierra pickup to mountains, stayed 5 days. Got in truck to come home and speedometer was erratic at times and didn't move at all at other times. Have not had it repaired. Problem 3 mounths old.

20 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 12/10/2006

The speedometer, the heat gauge, and my battery gauge are all pegged and do not work at all on my 2003 GMC Sierra 1500 with 50k miles. . . I've read numerous message boards and I am not the only one. . . There are thousands of people who have the same problem with their GMC's. . .

21 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 12/01/2006

The contact owns a 2003 GMC Sierra 1500. While driving 65 mph, the speedometer failed and the needle became stuck on 40 mph. The fuel gauge needle also failed. As of October 31, 2007, the dealer had not inspected the vehicle. The contact felt that the instrument panel cluster caused the failure. The powertrain was unknown. The failure mileage was 68,000 and current mileage was 74,700.

22 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 10/31/2006

: the contact stated the vehicles speedometer began to stick and did not show the accurate speed traveled. The other gauges worked as normal. The vehicle had not been to a service dealer to address the issue.

23 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 10/16/2006

The speedometer stopped working in my 2003 GMC sierra, it just stopped one day going down the road, hasn't been fixed I think gm should something about I'm not the only on that has the problem.

24 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 09/20/2006

Erratic speedometer.

25 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 09/01/2006

My speedometer on my 2003 GMC speedometer has not worked properly for over a year. I now have 75,000 miles on my truck and GMC says it will not cover the expense of repairing it. This is an extremely dangerous situation that is occurring across the country and general motors is screwing its loyal customers. After numerous calls to customer service I was told that the company extended its warranty to seven years or 70000 miles in sept. And all gm owners were notified. I then asked them when they mailed my notification because I have not received a letter from gm notifying me of the extended coverage as of Nov. 8 2007. They were not able to tell me when they mailed a notification to me. My point is that if the company had notified me in sept. I would not be over the 70000 limit and would not have to pay for the repairs. I find it extremely hard to believe that a corporation as large os gm does not keep records of when they notify customers about potentially dangerous components on their vehicles. It appears as though gm is trying to get by with out having to pay for their mistakes. I have searched the internet and found many lawsuits over this matter and I fully intend to pursue my legal rights as well.

26 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 08/20/2006

Speedometer on 2003 GMC sie failed constantly and when it works, it works very erratically, tested actual speed on police radar and speed was never consistent and sometimes out by 15km/h. More often than not it does not work at all.

27 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 11/23/2005

The contact owns a 2003 GMC Sierra 1500. While driving approximately 60 mph, the speedometer and oil gauges stopped reading oil pressure, speed, and temperature gauge the vehicle was taken to a mechanic and the sensor was replaced; however, this did not correct the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and they stated that the repair would be expensive. As a result, the contact did not have the repair performed. The contact received a recall notice in August of 2007, but the vehicle exceeded the mileage requirement. The recall number was unavailable. The current mileage was 76,000 and failure mileage was 45,000. Updated 01/03/08 . Updated 12/12/07.

28 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 11/20/2005

My speedometer sticks, flutters, or dosen't work at all. I have taken my truck into the dealer multiple times over a two year period and was told they could not pin point the problem. I was recently told that there are multiple complaints about this problem and there is a defective part in gm vehicles. This is a saftey hazard and there should be a recall for this and it should be fixed at no charge to me.

29 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 08/01/2005

The speedometer on my 2003 GMC sierra sle is faulty. It began at approximately 37,000 miles and reads between 20-60 mph higher than my actual speed. The problem was initially isolated to the speedometer, but now my tachometer is now reading 800-2000 rpm higher than actual and the amp meter has also started to reading high. I contacted a local GMC dealership and got an estimate of around $600 dollars to fix the problem. The technician I spoke to at the GMC dealership informed me that there have been many similar complaints from GMC owners but no recall has been initiated. I did some research online and found discussion forums where many other GMC owners are experiencing the same problems. I believe this to be a safety issue that needs to be addressed and GMC confronted with a solution.

30 Instrument Panel problem

Failure Date: 04/15/2005

Speedometer in my 2003 GMC sierra suddenly quit working.


Other Electrical System related problems of the 2003 GMC Sierra 1500


Safety Ratings of Sierra 1500 Cars
Sierra 1500 Service Bulletins
Sierra 1500 Safety Recalls
Sierra 1500 Defect Investigations