# Speedometer needle pegs on start-up

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/speedometer-needle-pegs-on-start-up/71710>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** chrysler, speedometer, concorde\
**Created:** [April 2, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/speedometer-needle-pegs-on-start-up/71710 "2012-04-02T00:34:08Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![PJSPJS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PJSPJS](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PJSPJS)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 12:34am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/speedometer-needle-pegs-on-start-up/71710/1 "2012-04-02T00:34:08Z")

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Every now and then, when I start my car, the speedometer needle pegs completely to the right and then settles down and acts normally. Why does this happen and what does it indicate? The car is a 1995 Chrysler Concorde. Thank you!

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**Author:** ![Rod-Knox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a183cd/32.png) [@Rod-Knox](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Rod-Knox)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 12:47am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/speedometer-needle-pegs-on-start-up/71710/2 "2012-04-02T00:47:54Z")

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Like many gauges today your speedometer is a digital indicator that is driven by the computer. For reasons unknown to me many digital gauges make a full sweep and return to Zero when the engine is started.

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**Author:** ![PJSPJS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PJSPJS](https://community.cartalk.com/u/PJSPJS)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 12:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/speedometer-needle-pegs-on-start-up/71710/3 "2012-04-02T00:59:32Z")

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Thanks for the info. It’s just odd that it does it only intermittently.

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**Author:** ![Triedaq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@Triedaq](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Triedaq)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/speedometer-needle-pegs-on-start-up/71710/4 "2012-04-02T05:07:07Z")

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I had the same situation with a 2000 Ford Windstar, The frequency of this problem increased. At the same time, I noticed that the engine cranked more slowly. I replaced the battery and the problem was solved. You may want to have your battery load tested.

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**Author:** ![the\_same\_mountainbike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@the\_same\_mountainbike](https://community.cartalk.com/u/the_same_mountainbike)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 1:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/speedometer-needle-pegs-on-start-up/71710/5 "2012-04-03T01:30:41Z")

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Mine does this. I’ve found the protocol to reprogram the computer so that it doesn’t, but I can’t be bothered. It does no harm.

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**Author:** ![mleich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71c47a/32.png) [@mleich](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mleich)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/speedometer-needle-pegs-on-start-up/71710/6 "2012-04-03T02:14:44Z")

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My dad’s Pontiac does this–it seems to be programmed that way. Scares the @#%&\* out of me because long ago on a very cold morning I had the carb/butterfly valve/throttle stick and nearly blew up a different car!

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**Author:** ![oblivion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/3ab097/32.png) [@oblivion](https://community.cartalk.com/u/oblivion)\
**Post date:** [April 3, 2012, 2:30pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/speedometer-needle-pegs-on-start-up/71710/7 "2012-04-03T14:30:18Z")

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A 1995 shouldn’t be programmed to do this. It may be a glitch with the gauge cluster. But it shouldn’t harm anything. I’d just ignore it.