2015 Chevrolet Impala

The connector on the drivers side module is corroded from water intrusion. It is an identical condition as described in NHTSA recall N172097060. The dealer and GM claims this vehicle was not included in the recall, even though it is a 2015 Chevrolet Impala. They now want me to pay 1,000+ dollars to fix the issue according to the steps in the bulletin? If i don't get this fixed soon is it could disable my vehicle as explained in the bulletin. I purchase the car in November of 2019 which is 7 months after this bulletin was released, and because GM did not include the VIN number in their system it was never corrected previously. The connector in the images is damaged now because the mechanic broke it at the dealer trying to get it off from the internal corrosion. I also contacted GM directly and they said that my car was not included in the VIN range and that I could take the issue up with NHTSA at my own prerogative.

JUST RECEIVED A MESSAGE ON THE DRIVER INFORMATION CENTER THAT SAYS "SIDE DETECTION SYSTEM" SO I LOOKED IT UP IN THE WARRANTY INFO BOOK AND FOUND ONLY AN INSTRUCTION THAT SAID TO CLEAN THE REAR BUMPERS, AND NOTHING ELSE. CALLED DEALER AND THEY WANT $135 TO DIAGNOSE AND POSSIBLE REPAIR CHARGE OF $1100. LOOKED INTO COMMON PROBLEMS WITH OTHERS VEHICLE OWNERS AND FOUND SEVERAL WITH IDENTICAL PROBLEMS; ALSO FOUND A GM 'SPECIAL COVERAGE ADJUSTMENT"" DATED 4-1-19 COVERING THE COST OF REPAIR BUT ALSO FOUND IT WAS ONLY GOOD FOR YEARS AND/OR 80,000 MILES. MY VEHICLE HAS 62,000 MILES BUT IS 6 MONTHS BEYOND THE YEARS. IS THIS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE? I WOULD THINK SO. SO WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT THIS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT CAN CAUSE SIGNIFICANT OTHER INCIDENTS WITH THE VEHICLE, SUCH AS LOOSING THE INSTRUMENT PANEL INDICATORS AS WELL AS ISSUES INVOLVING VEHICLE HEADLIGHT AND ENGINE SHUT DOWN. WOULD LIKE A RESPONSE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AS I WOULD LIKE TO GET THIS TAKEN CARE OF ASAP. THANK YOU [XXX] CELL # [XXX] JUNE 15. 2021 P.S. THIS HAS BEEN THE BEST VEHICLE I HAVE EVER OWNED; UP UNTIL NOW. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

The blind sensor indicators are defective. The right side stays on but the the left side worked accordingly. Without warning the indicator on the left also stopped working. GM is well aware of the issue but will only fix the issue if it happens within a warranty timeframe. The initial issue with mine happened while driving in a winter storm with slushy roads. The sensors that stays illuminated isn't as much as a safety issue as the one that was lighting up as expected then stopped without warning. This item should be a full recall not a fix it if it breaks scenario. Mine stopped working within my warranty timeframe but because I was a secondary purchaser, I had no way of knowing that waiting until my next oil change would cause me to be stuck with $800 in repairs because GM refused to recall a safety issue item they are well aware of.

MY CAR WAS REPAIRED UNDER SPECIAL COVERAGE N172097060, SIDE BLIND SIDE ALERT MODULE, IN APRIL 2019. TWO YEARS LATER THE SAME PROBLEM HAS RECURRED YET NOW I'M TOLD THE SPECIAL COVERAGE HAS EXPIRED, AS THE IN SERVICE DATE OF MY VEHICLE IS 2 MONTHS PAST THE 6 YEAR LIMIT. THE REPLACEMENT PART WAS ALSO SUBSTANDARD, PERHAPS EVEN THE ORIGINAL DESIGN, AS IT DID NOT LAST MUCH MORE THAN TWO YEARS. THE FACT THAT IT FAILED JUST TWO MONTHS AFTER THE COVERAGE LIMIT IS A SLAP IN THE FACE TO ME AS A CONSUMER. THE DEALER CHARGED ME OVER 900 DOLLARS TO REPLACE THE SIDE DETECTION SYSTEM, REQUIRED TO PASS NY STATE INSPECTION.

I HAD THE DRIVER SIDE BLIND SPOT DETECTION GO BAD ON MY IMPALA, SO IT'S STARTING OUT THAT MY DRIVER SIDE MIRROR BLIND SIDE IMAGE WAS BLINKING, THEN IT STOP AND WAS WORKING OK FOR ABOUT THREE WEEKS AND THEN A MESSAGE APPEARS ON MY DASH TO FIX THE BLIND SPOT DETECTION SYSTEM, WHICH IF FINE, BUT WHEN I GO TO THE INTERNET TO SEE IF I CAN JUST DO AWAY WITH THIS SYSTEM, THE FEEDBACK THAT I'VE FIND OUT WAS VERY UPSETTING, EVERYTHING ON DASH DOESN'T WORK, CAN'T GET INTO THE CAR, CARS DON'T START. THAT'S FINE BUT WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO GET FIX THE SERVICE MANAGER AND WORKER TELL ME ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN WHEN THIS SYSTEM GOES DOWN. WHAT HAPPENS IF I'M DRIVING THE CAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND IT JUST STOP RUNNING, I HAVE NO BREAKS OR STEERING. IT'S CAUSES AN ACCIDENT.TO ME THIS IS A VERY SAFETY ISSUE. AND NOW THE PASSENGER SIDE BLIND SIDE IS BLINKING NOW, IT STOP BLINKING AND WORKING FINE FOR AWHILE AND THAN JUST QUITE WORKING.

WHEN THE CAR IS TURNED ON AND NOT IN MOTION THE DASH DISPLAYS A SERVICE SIDE DETECTION SYSTEM MESSAGE AND THE BLIND SPOT DETECTORS IN THE SIDE MIRRORS DO NOT LIGHT UP LIKE THEY SHOULD WHEN THE CAR IS FIRST STARTED. WHEN DRIVING, AT ANY SPEED AND ON ANY ROADS OR HIGHWAY, THE BLIND SPOT DETECTORS DO NOT LIGHT. WHEN ASSESSED BY A CHEVY MECHANIC THE SIDE DETECTION SENSORS WERE SWOLLEN AND . CORRODED. THIS SENSOR IS IN AN AREA WHERE IT IS UNPROTECTED FROM THE SNOW AND SALT. IT WILL COST ALMOST $2,000 TO REPLACE TWO SENSORS. IF NOT REPLACED I'M AFRAID THAT MY VEHICLES WILL START CATCHING FIRE OR HAVING OTHER ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS LIKE OTHER 2015 IMPALA OWNERS HAD HAPPEN TO THEM IN THE PAST DUE TO THESE CORRODED SENSORS.

ELECTRICAL MODULE (SIDE DETECTION) HAS FAILED TWICE. HAVE TO DRIVE TO GET REPAIR WITH NO GAUGES, SIGNALS, OR HEAT. THIS COULD EASILY BE A SAFETY ISSUE. THE CAR WAS PARKED, UPON STARTING, GOT SEVERAL ERROR MESSAGES INCLUDING SIDE DETECTION ISSUE, AIR BAG FAILURE, TIRE INFLATION FAILURE. NO SPEEDOMETER, TACHOMETER, HEAT - BUT THE STEERING WHEEL AND SEAT ELECTRICAL HEAT STILL WORK!