NHTSA Complaint #11176654 — 2014 CHEVROLET IMPALA

BLIND SPOT DETECTION SYSTEM BEGAN TO FAIL, INDICATED BY THE SIDE MIRROR INDICATORS REMAINING ON EVEN AFTER THE CAR WAS SHUT OFF. DEALER SERVICE CENTER DIAGNOSTIC TEST SHOWED A FAULTY LEFT SIDE DETECTION MODULE. THE PROBLEM PROGRESSED TO THE POINT WHERE THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER WOULD ALSO FAIL - ALL INSTRUMENTS (SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER, ETC.) WOULD GO DEAD, VIRTUALLY ALL WARNING LIGHTS (TRACTION CONTROL, ABS, AIR BAG, ETC.) WOULD GO ON, HEATING SYSTEM (INCLUDING BLOWER) WOULD GO DEAD AND TURN SIGNALS AND HAZARD LIGHT WOULD BE INOPERATIVE. ALL OF THIS WOULD HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING, WHETHER IN CITY TRAFFIC OR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. ALTHOUGH THE MAIN OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN AFFECTED, THERE IS NO WAY TO SIGNAL OTHER DRIVERS OF A PROBLEM (NO HAZARD LIGHT OR TURN SIGNALS) IN THE EVENT OF A LARGER FAILURE. RESEARCH OF ONLINE CUSTOMER FORUMS SHOWS THAT THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON WITH THE LATEST GENERATION (2014 AND NEWER) IMPALA. REPLACING THE MODULES (AND IN SOME CASES, ALSO THE WIRING HARNESS, WHICH BECOMES CORRODED FROM THE WEATHER) SEEMS TO BE A SHORT TERM FIX AT BEST, AS THE DESIGN OF THE BLIND SPOT DETECTION SYSTEM EXPOSES THE SENSORS AND WIRING HARNESS TO ROAD SPRAY AND RAPID CORROSION DAMAGE. FURTHERMORE, THE BLIND SPOT DETECTION SYSTEM IS CONNECTED TO THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER IN A MANNER THAT EVENTUALLY RENDERS THEM INOPERATIVE AS WELL. THIS OCCURS RANDOMLY WHILE DRIVING.