NHTSA Complaint #11432140 — 2021 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 1500

On July 27, I encountered a failure of the rear vision display system on a 2021 Chevrolet Silverado. In short, the system used to display the rearview image went blank, and remained blank, the moment I first shifted the vehicle into reverse. Hence, no rearview image was visible while I was in the process of backing up the vehicle. I believe this may be a noncompliance with FMVSS 111 or a closely related safety defect (I worked in Safety Engineering at General Motors and Ford for a combined total of more than 30 years). I made a video to document this failure, and I uploaded it to YouTube. It is available at the following URL: https://youtu.be/zhBZwteAcBg This vehicle was provided to me as a loaner vehicle while my personal vehicle was being repaired by Quality Chevrolet in Escondido, California. Shortly after leaving the dealership, I pulled over to the side of the road and paired my cell phone with the vehicle. It took several attempts to successfully accomplish this. I then made a hands-free call and then proceeded to drive home. Within a couple miles, I decided to make a U-turn. Given the size of this vehicle, completing this U-turn required backing up. The moment I placed the transmission in reverse, the center display went blank and consequently no rearview image was displayed. Even after I shifted the transmission back to Drive, the center screen (which is also used to display other things like the radio station, time, temperature, etc.) continued to remain blank. However, the audio continued to function (noted at 1 minute and 15 seconds into the video). I decided to make a video to document the condition prior to turning off the ignition as my experience has been that such malfunctions are likely associated with software errors that can be difficult to track down and replicate. I drove this loaner vehicle several other times before returning it to the dealer. On each occasion, the rearview image displayed when the vehicle was put in Reverse.