36110 – Passenger Presence Sensor and Instrument Cluster – 2009-2010 Chevrolet Impala

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#36110-01: Product Safety Recall – Passenger Presence Sensor and Instrument Cluster Malfunction – (Jul 21, 2016)

Involved vehicles are marked “open” on the Investigate Vehicle History screen in GM Global Warranty Management system. This site should always be checked to confirm vehicle involvement prior to beginning any required inspections and/or repairs.

Condition

General Motors has decided that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety, exists in certain 2009 – 2010 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. The front passenger seat frame in these vehicles may rub against and damage the wires of the passenger presence sensor (PPS) module, which could cause the PPS system to fail to recognize that the passenger seat is occupied and improperly suppress the front passenger airbag. In addition, the cluster gauges and driver information center (DIC) alerts may intermittently turn off or not function properly. In rare circumstances, the damage to the PPS module could cause the airbag fuse to short, resulting in the loss of all airbags and seat belt pretensioners. Damage and chafing to the wires of the PPS module could prevent the front passenger airbag from deploying in the event of a crash, which could increase the risk of injury to front passengers. If the wire damage to the PPS module is severe enough to short the airbag fuse, it could cause the loss of power to the sensing diagnostic module, which would result in the loss of all airbags and seat belt pretensioners and could increase the risk of injury to vehicle occupants in the event of a crash.

Correction

All vehicles will have double wrap class F anti-abrasion tape with 50% overlap added to the wires in the PPS wire harness. For vehicles with wires that are chaffed, dealers will replace the wire if necessary and add anti-abrasion tape to protect it from further wear.

Parts

* To obtain the Woven Polyester (PET) Electrical Tape, contact Kent Automotive at 1-888-937-5368 (USA), 1-800-563-1717 (Canada), and request the part number above. Dealers that do not have a Kent Automotive account or representative must advise the Customer Service Representative that the part is being used for this GM bulletin to obtain special bulletin pricing. Do not order from GMCCA.

Warranty Information

Note: To avoid having to “H” route the customer reimbursement transaction for approval, it must be submitted prior to the repair transaction.

* The amount identified in “Net Item” should represent the actual cost of the woven polyester electrical tape (PET), not to exceed, not to exceed $0.85 USD, $1.18 CAD.

** The amount identified in “Net Item” should represent the dollar amount reimbursed to the customer.

Service Procedure

Follow the steps below to wrap the PPS under seat wire harness with Woven Polyester (PET) Electrical Tape. This procedure also includes a wire inspect and if required, repair.

1. Inspect the PPS pigtail harness for chafing. Removal of the seat cushion pad with the PPS module and harness may be required to fully inspect the harness. Refer to Inflatable Restraint Passenger Presence System Replacement — Front in SI.

2. The picture above shows the bottom of the seat with the front of the seat facing to the left. The location shown (1) is where the PPS harness may come in contact with the seat pan.

3. The picture above illustrates an example of the chafing (1) that may be identified on the PPS harness where it contacts the metal seat pan (2).

4. If the PPS harness shows signs of chafing, examine the wires in the harness carefully. If any wire is broken, shows signs of fraying or damage from an electrical short, repair using SI procedures. Refer to Splicing Copper Wire Using Splice Sleeves in SI. If the yellow wire is one of the damaged wires, please verify proper size airbag fuse is installed within the fuse box. If airbag fuse is open, please replace the airbag fuse. After performing any wiring repairs, proceed to Step 5. If the wire is not broken, frayed or showing damage from an electrical short, but the wire is exposed from the insulation (1) as shown above, proceed to Step 5.

5. Remove the PPS module (1) from the seat cushion pad and pull the harness through the cushion

6. Mark the harness 30 mm (1.2 in) from the PPS module (1) and 100 mm (4 in) from the first mark (2).

7. Tape the PPS harness starting from the mark near the PPS module (1) and extending from that point to the second mark along the harness (2). Ensure that there is a 50% overlap of tape. Once you have reached the 100 mm (4 in) mark, tape back over the first layer of tape to the starting point, creating a double layer of tape.

Important: Ensure that the end of tape finishes on top of itself, and not on the harness. This will prevent the tape from unraveling.

8. Reinstall the PPS module into the seat cushion pad.
9. Reinstall the seat cushion pad and PPS module into the seat. Refer to Inflatable Restraint Passenger Presence System Replacement – Front in SI.

Dealer Responsibility — For US (US States, Territories, and Possessions)

It is a violation of Federal law for a dealer to deliver a new motor vehicle or any new or used item of motor vehicle equipment (including a tire) covered by this notification under a sale or lease until the defect or noncompliance is remedied.

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle that is subject to a recall of this type must be adequately repaired within a reasonable time after the customer has tendered it for repair. A failure to repair within sixty days after tender of a vehicle is prima facie evidence of failure to repair within a reasonable time. If the condition is not adequately repaired within a reasonable time, the customer may be entitled to an identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle at no charge or to a refund of the purchase price less a reasonable allowance for depreciation. To avoid having to provide these burdensome remedies, every effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each customer and to repair their vehicle as soon as possible. In the recall notification letters, customers are told how to contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the recall is not completed within a reasonable time.

Dealer Responsibility — All

All new, used, GM Certified Used, courtesy transportation vehicles, dealer shuttle vehicles, etc. in dealers’ possession and subject to this recall must be held and inspected/repaired per the service procedure of this bulletin before customers take possession of these vehicles. Involved vehicles must be held and not delivered to customers, dealer-traded, released to auction, used for demonstration, or any other purpose.

All GM Certified Used vehicles currently in the dealers’ inventory within the Certified Pre-Owned Inventory System (CPOIS) will be de-certified and must be held and remedied per the service procedure in this bulletin. Upon submitting an accepted/paid warranty transaction in the Global Warranty Management (GWM) system, the vehicle can be re-certified for sale within the CPOIS system, or once again be used in the CTP program.

Dealers are to service all vehicles subject to this recall at no charge to customers, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.

Customers who have recently purchased vehicles sold from your vehicle inventory, and for which there is no customer information indicated on the dealer listing, are to be contacted by the dealer. Arrangements are to be made to make the required correction according to the instructions contained in this bulletin. A copy of the customer letter is provided in this bulletin for your use in contacting customers. Recall follow-up cards should not be used for this purpose, since the customer may not as yet have received the notification letter.

In summary, whenever a vehicle subject to this recall enters your vehicle inventory, or is in your dealership for service in the future, you must take the steps necessary to be sure the recall correction has been made before selling or releasing the vehicle.

Dealer Reports

For dealers with involved vehicles, a listing with involved vehicles has been prepared and will be provided to U.S. and Canadian dealers through the GM GlobalConnect Recall Reports, or sent directly to export dealers. The listing may contain customer names and addresses obtained from Motor Vehicle Registration Records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any purpose other than follow-up necessary to complete this recall is a violation of law in several states/provinces/countries. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this report to the follow-up necessary to complete this recall.

Customer Notification

USA & Canada – General Motors will notify customers of this recall on their vehicle (see copy of customer letter included with this bulletin).

Customer Reimbursement

Customer requests for reimbursement of previously paid repairs to correct the condition described in this bulletin are to be submitted to the dealer prior to or by August 31, 2017. See General Motors Service Policies and Procedures Manual, Section 6.1.11 – Product Field Action Customer Reimbursement Procedure (USA & Canada) or local Policies and Procedures, for details.

August 2016

Dear General Motors Customer:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

General Motors has decided that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety, exists in certain 2009-2010 model year Chevrolet Impala vehicles equipped with a Passenger Presence System. As a result, GM is conducting a safety recall. We apologize for this inconvenience. However, we are concerned about your safety and continued satisfaction with our products.

If after contacting your dealer and the Customer Assistance Center, you are still not satisfied we have done our best to remedy this condition without charge and within a reasonable time, you may wish to write the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20590, or call the toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1.888.327.4236 (TTY 1.800.424.9153), or go to https://www.safercar.gov. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Campaign ID Number for this recall is 16V507.

Federal regulation requires that any vehicle lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within ten days.

Jeffrey M. Boyer

Vice President

Global Vehicle Safety

GM Recall 36110

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