Dead Instrument Panel after hitting a bump?

[DavHoo]

I have a 2011 Chevy Camaro LT, it's my wife's car and she loves it! One issue she's always told me about is that her instrument panel will sometimes just "die" while she's driving. This usually happens after hitting a bump on a road or a small pothole. Everything dies, no speedometer, no fuel gauge, nothing. Now, the car still operates and it appears that the turn signals still function because it happened to me the other day and when I came to a stop in traffic I took a picture of the panel. (attached)

She's taken it to the dealership and several mechanics but they all say they can't pull a code off the car unless it's doing it when she gets there! Turning the car off and back on seems to resolve the problem in the meantime, but it's not always convenient, or safe if you're on a highway somewhere!

Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Thanks!

David

[speedygonzales]

Any good dealers in your area? Ask them what an estimate costs and then decide if they can look it over. Tell them only an estimate. Chances are high, it's a poor connection at a connector.

[DavHoo]

Originally Posted by speedygonzales

Any good dealers in your area? Ask them what an estimate costs and then decide if they can look it over. Tell them only an estimate. Chances are high, it's a poor connection at a connector.

Thank you for the suggestion. We live outside of Knoxville, TN. There are 3 convenient dealers around but I haven't been impressed with any of their service departments. I understand that a loose connection is hard to track down, but surely it can be done.

I guess I'll reach out to one and see what they'll charge for an estimate.

Thanks,

David

[hazy]

if she goes direct to an AutoZone, O'Reily's, etc.. as soon as it occurs, they can pull the code.

Alternatively, you could get a bluetooth obd reader, and download Torque app, and pull the code yourself on the fly. It's super easy, and only cost abot $30 (20-25 for the plug-in and another 5 for the app)

That'd at least get you a code...

[Low Saturn]

I'd pull the instrument cluster and make sure the electrical connector is fully seated.

[snymat68]

CHECK FOR LOOSE FUSES!

I had the same issue with my radio/hvac controls center panel. It would randomly turn off and back on a random amount of time later. I had it replaced with a new unit and it still had the same issue. After some investigation work on my part, I finally figured out it was a loose fuse in the end of the dash that provides the power to that cluster. If I pushed the fuse one way everything was fine. If I merely breathed on the fuse in the other direction it would break contact and the cluster would shut off. My quick fix (to avoid tearing apart the fuse block) was to add a little solder to the lugs on the fuse and reinstall it. Problem solved and it's been working great for 6 months. You may have a similar situation. It's a quick, easy, free thing to check. Just pop the cover off and wiggle all the fuses while watching if the gauges shut off. Worth a shot.

[Brammon]

Did you ever find a solution to this? I’m having the same exact problem