NHTSA Complaint #11706486 — 2024 GMC CANYON

I am reporting a driver distraction safety issue involving the infotainment system in my 2024 GMC Canyon. The vehicle displays a mandatory “Focus your attention on driving” warning every time the vehicle is started, requiring user acknowledgment. When using the built-in Google Maps navigation without subscribing to GM’s paid Connected Services plan (while tethering to a personal cellphone hotspot instead), the system displays a modal warning stating that a connected services subscription is required. This warning appears whenever cellular connectivity is briefly interrupted, even for a few seconds (such as when driving through a known cellular dead spot). The warning overlays the navigation screen and requires the driver to manually press a “Dismiss” button to continue, even while the vehicle is in motion, requiring the driver to take their eyes off the road to focus on pressing the dismiss button. This behavior creates a safety contradiction: The system warns drivers to focus on driving, then forces manual interaction with the touchscreen during active driving. The interruption is triggered by transient network conditions, not driver action. The behavior does not occur if the driver pays for GM’s subscription service, indicating it is a business-rule enforcement rather than a technical or safety requirement. The repeated appearance of this warning during normal driving conditions constitutes an unnecessary and avoidable distraction. It diverts attention from the road and navigation, increasing risk rather than reducing it. I believe this design violates established human-factors safety principles by introducing nonessential driver interaction during vehicle operation and should be reviewed as a potential safety defect related to driver distraction. We just got home from a trip to West Texas and had to press the dismiss button no less than 100 times while driving through areas with marginal/intermittent cell service. It's a huge driver distraction.