2010 Chevrolet Camaro SS: These Gauges Don't Work

Doesn't matter, they're at almost 9000 miles. the limit to give it back is 4k.

Ahh yes....The new GM.....same as the old GM

That's great. You pay extra for a feature that breaks.

It reminds me of the Oil Thing on the 2008 G8.

In terms of styling, Asian cars are boring compared to their American and Euro, counterparts. But mechanically, they have a distinct advantage in that they work (especially when you're talking about anything electrical). In the land of the blind the one one eyed man is king.

So far, in under 9k miles, I remember reading about a service airbag light, the spoiler falling off, and now nonfunctional gauges. Is there anything that I missed? And what is this, a VW?

those gauges look so cheap...you pay more for that?

Okay, it has been more than an hour since this was posted & we haven't heard from 1487. What gives??

Amazing, this is the first thing that's ever quit working on any of your cars. At least that's the way some of you act.

"In terms of styling, Asian cars are boring compared to their American and Euro, counterparts. But mechanically, they have a distinct advantage in that they work"

Dont lump Ford in with GM and Euros.......or Nissan in with the Asians either.

Disappointing to see the gauges not working properly.

I gave the Camaro a pass on the spoiler....it did not "fall off" as the poster above stated...it is just some loose parts in the trunk....no big deal. Now if electrical gremlins start appearing then that is different......the Mazda has had them since they got it.....the Nissans fell apart in just a few thousand miles so dont pile on the Camaro just yet. There are no perfect cars out there.......oh except for the Focus :) :) LOL just kidding.

don't worry, i can summarize 1487's thoughts for everyone:

"the editors are biased against the camaro! Hard-to-see, nonworking gauges are awesome. You're all idiots for disagreeing with me!"

Ok? back to regularly scheduled discussion...

Did I miss the part where he said they would be taking it to the dealer for diagnosis? Also, the post title says "these gauges" don't work, but the oil pressure gauge is the only one that is obviously broken in the photograph.

It's a shame that the gauge broke, but it's probably a very simple fix. Unfortunately, just complaining about it won't do the trick -- you do actually have to TRY to fix it.

"Amazing, this is the first thing that's ever quit working on any of your cars. At least that's the way some of you act."

I've had my RSX for 7 years and nothing has ever quit working on it. Also an Integra for 12 years, same deal. Only things I've had to change have been standard wear and tear items.

Don't take this the wrong way, but what kind of cars have you been driving where you expect things like gauges to fail within 9,000 miles?

@ misterfusion

We're going to try and trace the fault ourselves. The fuse box is a little cryptic, with nothing stating 'aux gauges' or anything like that - a quick glance at the manual wasn't much help either. I didn't have the time to get into it when I had the car. The general consensus is the pigtail coming off the gauges has become disconnected. We won't know for sure until one of us pries off the center console trim.

Complaining about it wasn't the goal. It was just an update.

Unlike the what the poster above stated, the Mazda hasn't had electrical gremlins in the plural. It has had exactly one problem, a bad nav screen, that was ineptly serviced twice. :-)

I'll give you that the spoiler did not completely fall off, but it was completely disconnected on one side. If the other side was torqued inadequately as well, a very likely circumstance, it would have eventually done so, though.

I love how everyone has to rip on gm right away when a car has a small problem. Why didnt everyone make fun of the mazda 6 when it had a bad nav, the bmw when the cup holder cover broke, when the honda fit had an air conditioning noise problem, when the fx50 had the wood peeling, when the gt-r was in the shop every other week, when the audi a4 had to have its control arms replaced because of vibration, how about the s5 that also has a vibration, i can just keep on going for all manufacturers.

As soon as something happens to an american car everybody starts talking like its a piece of crap. Yes the needle is not working, but its not like they will have to replace all of the control arms on the car.

Good for you fundango, your vehicles have been reliable, guess what we have owned 80s and 90s gm vehicles that everyone though was so bad that never broke or had any problems. But a vehicle that has 200k-300k miles and never broke down and just needed normal maintenance. What a piece of crap.

Audi, Honda, toyota, bmw, etc are not perfect. They have problems as well.

Remember that next time.

Could not have said it better oachalon. You nailed it. I think they just had pent up rage over the Z and GT-R. :)

Designer: Hmm. How about I just make the danger zones of these gauges look exactly like the gauge needle? Sounds like a great idea to me *eats paint chips, hits head on desk multiple times*

Funny how everyone jumps to the conclusion that I'm bashing the Camaro because it's a domestic. We used to have a Ford Taurus wagon that didn't have any problems either (we've also had an Explorer, Mustang, and Crown Vic that have had numerous problems ranging from annoying to catastrophic). My point is, since we've all apparently had cars that have been completely problem free, why not demand that kind of quality from manufacturers today? Why accept anything less?

Domestic car manufacturers in particular need to be problem free, if anything, to escape their reputation for poor quality from the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. The fact that they've been struggling to sell cars in the past decade or two while manufacturers known for their quality, such as Honda and Toyota have flourished, clearly demonstrates that consumers want cars that reflect attention to detail and high quality. A failed oil gauge and service airbag light all within the first 9000 miles of ownership isn't going to cut it, not if they want to survive. They need to do things cheaper and better than their import counterparts. No more excuses for Detroit.

fundango:

About that quality reputation for Toyota, hello, they just had 4million cars recalled for a potentially deadly issue with the gas pedal and floor mats. Add in the Tacomas being recalled for rust on the frames, might want to change the quality reputation. By the way, where was the front page news about it?

Honda and Toyota haven't flourished anymore in the last year than anyone else. Honda has barely scraped by, and Toyota has been begging the Japanese government for bailouts while losing billions.

I do agree domestic car manufacturers need to be problem free. Remember, the first Fit, made by Honda, needed a new transmission. Great quality there. IL editors constantly complained about the Silverado's transmission, but barely a peep from them about the Fit. They were willing however, to give Honda a second try, why not a new Silverado?

I will state that the Camaro has not gotten off to a great start. The problems have been the type that really annoys an owner. So far it does sound like a lack of quality control, or it could be first year bugs.

However, even the service airbag light, which could be just a sensor, is not as bad as the Volvo's issue. I can't even believe they are still driving the Volvo with that recall. By the way, the least reliable car my wife and I have ever owned, the one that had to be rebuilt at 90,000 miles, guess? A Honda. The one that required us to run the heater to cool the engine in the summer.

Hondas and Toyotas have developed reputations over time for being high quality and reliable. It's the reason that they've sold so many Camrys, Accords, Civics, and Corollas, and why domestic manufacturers haven't been able to compete apart from fleet sales. Reputations die hard. That's why smart companies go to such great lengths to develop and maintain their brand names.

The simple fact of the matter is, over the past two decades domestic manufacturers have done a piss poor job maintaining their reputations. And I'd say their current reputations are deserved. You've had numerous problems with your Honda and I've had numerous problems with just about every domestic I've owned save for the Taurus (and virtually none with the Japanese imports I've owned). Which would you guess is the more typical experience? If you look up reliability and quality ratings (CR, JD Power, take your pick) over the past two decades, they'll show that on average, Japanese imports have been more reliable and built better than domestics.

And regardless if you believe those publications or not, it doesn't change the fact that, given their current reputations, if domestic manufacturers want to survive in this economic climate, their products will need to be impeccable. The iconic Camaro needs to ooze quality, not have tacky looking gauges that fail.

Personally, it doesn't matter to me whether my car's wearing a bowtie, four rings, or a big H. If a manufacturer has shown over a significant period of time that they make quality products, I'll consider buying their cars. Until then, they can make commercials till their blue in the face about how good their cars are, but they won't be seeing my money. I'll let others take that risk.

Well put fandango. That said, I think these are probably just first year bugs. If there's no idiot light for low oil pressure then it's probably just a loose wire at the back of the gauge. Might as well take it to the dealer and see what kind of service you get.

@fundango,

+1, well said. Please repeat that post when this discussion invariably reappears.

@oachalon,

In fairness you should also be mentioning the problems with the recent domestics in the fleet: The Aura was in the shop for a combined ~30 days for problems with the steering shaft (in CA it could have been lemoned) in addition to the column cover problem; the Silverado had multiple instances of transmission trouble that resulted in a seize and had to be towed, plus tearing seat trim and worn buttons/steering wheel trim; the Grand Caravan intermittently failed to start and had numerous interior creaks/squeaks, plus the infamous "power failgate"; the Enclave suffered a very dangerous power steering failure that resulted in unpredictable and inconsistent effort; the CTS had intermittent power rear windows, multiple glitches in the infotainment/nav system, and interior squeaks/rattles including a squealing retracting nav screen.

Also, I'm not sure what blog you're reading, but of all the Audi/BMW/etc problems that you mentioned they were ALL ripped for them by the posters here.

@bodyblue,

"There are no perfect cars out there.......oh except for the Focus :) :) LOL just kidding."

I know you're kidding but it's worth mentioning that besides SYNC the Focus' bones are pretty old, it really should be dead reliable. When the car first went on sale in 1999 it was plagued with quality problems and recalls. I actually drove a 2000 ZTS 5-speed sedan for about a week and would have dubbed that car best in its class. Today not so much.

This is a perfect example for what happens when a company has a product that everyone wants and can't seem to make them fast enough! The result: little details get overlooked to meet production demands. Wait a year or so when the demand wanes and quality will improve.

Kurt-
Guess you didn't get the memo. As a revenue generating measure, engine oil is an option ($1,275) on all new Govt Motors vehicles. Consider it akin to CA Emissions: neccesary, but extra.

Good points, Fundango.
As for the gauge failure, I believe that the panel can be retrofitted to base Camaros, so my moneys on a loose harness connection.

"Remember, the first Fit, made by Honda, needed a new transmission. Great quality there. IL editors constantly complained about the Silverado's transmission, but barely a peep from them about the Fit. They were willing however, to give Honda a second try, why not a new Silverado?"

@AuraKR, that Fit's transmission issue was proved to be isolated whereas the Chevy technician stated they he had seen a rash of Silverado transmission failures within that time frame. However, I do agree with you about some of the complaints manufacturer to manufacturer not being voiced even though they are similar.

Egad! Those console-mounted gauges were a horrible idea back in the 1960s—which was decades before the age of "ergonomic enlightenment!" Today that kind of lousy design is flat out inexcusable.

What's next? Fins?

The Mini, X5, Accord, Camry, Focus, Tundra, xB, Rondo and CX9 all made it through their term with no unscheduled deal visits. I'm sure there are more but, I got tired of looking.

I dont know why everyone is against these gauges. They werent put there to be ergonomic, they were put there to bring back some style from the 60s. Most manufacturers dont even give you the option of seeing that information. So from people opinions you are better not having the gauges at all then having gauges that are not in the perfect place.

Bimmerjay, yes those vehicles did have problems on here as well, but people were much harsher on those cars than the foreign auto manufacturers. I was pointing out that all car manufacturers have problems

I will come out, i am a fan of GM. We have never had a problem with them. I personally own a 2007 Saturn Aura XR and a 2010 Camaro SS and both cars are excellent vehicles that have never given me any trouble. We have owned other manufacturers (honda, vw, ford) and none of them were even close to as reliable as our gm vehicles.

I also want to point out that my camaro does not have those gauges (1SS) but instead i have a cubby hole.

Fundango, i also do agree with you on some points. Honda and Toyota did build a reputation and in the late 90s and early 2000's, they did build vehicles better than the american manufacturers, but i completely believe that the americans are building a better car. It will take time for these companies to gain their reputation back.

The american people are a weird bunch, they will put up with engines blowing, transmissions failing, control arms needing to be replaced, but if you have the smallest interior rattle the car becomes a big pile of crap. Its okay for toyota to have their frames rust out, but a gauge stops working that most vehicles dont have in the first place and everything is horrible.

It kind of reminds me of what i heard Louis CK say on conan:

"Like the story I tell Conan about the guy sitting next to me on the airplane when the Internet shuts down suddenly, and he says, "This is bulls---," and I go,"How can you be angry? People owe you something that existed a minute ago?" There wasn't anybody next to me on the plane, that was me. People don't talk to me on airplanes. [Laughs] Anytime you see a bit where some stranger does something to me, it's me.

The fact is, I was really upset that the Internet shut down. I was livid. Then I caught myself — wait a minute, what are you upset about? This was incredible that it was possible even. It was like an epiphany to me, I started seeing things differently. "Take a breath and calm down, this is as good as they make these right now. This is as good as it is, and it's pretty goddamn great." And the same thing with the planes, they're hurling tons of metal with people in it all over the earth, all day, every day, 24 hours a day, safely. It's because these people are dedicated geniuses that we're all landing safely but somehow it doesn't make us happy. Too bad.

If you had a jetpack, you'd be like, "I have the sh----est jetpack. I can't believe I got this jetpack. Who's your service provider? Did they make the new one? Hate this thing, it sucks." Then we'd all sit there and talk about that.

The stuff we fill our lives with, it isn't necessary. It's so far from like, "I buy food for my kids and we eat it and we don't freeze in the winter." It's so far from that. Part of me feels like if people go back to basics they'll start to see that. You have a job and then you don't even make enough for the s--- you even own. You don't even get the pride of saying I have this job and because of it I have this car. I have this job and because of it I have custody of this car but the bank is paying somebody else for, and if they ever come calling I'm gonna go to jail. It's really a s--- life I think we're living right now. I feel bad for people because I see it on their faces all the time. So that's really more of what it was about. I didn't mean to say, "We're a s--- generation." I meant to say, "We're a s----y generation." [Laughs.] One or the other, I dunno."

Those cheap looking gauges didn't look good in my 85 Fiero and they still don't look good in 2010. How could GM take an incredible looking exterior like the Camaro's and pair it with possibly the worst interior design of this decade? Especially with so much riding on this car??