Preliminary Evaluation · Closed
Active Safety System Malfunction
Manufacturer: General Motors, LLC
This investigation led to a recall
NHTSA links this probe to recall campaign 14V541000.
Read the recall: what is defective and the free fix →What NHTSA is examining
On April 15, 2014, the Office of Defects Investigations (ODI) opened Preliminary Evaluation PE14-010 based on two complaints alleging incidents of sudden/severe uncommanded braking resulting in rear impact collisions in model year (MY) 2014 Chevrolet Impala vehicles.ODI analyzed all complaints related to allegations of unwanted brake activations while driving that were provided by GM or submitted to ODI from consumers and has not identified any additional incidents involving sudden, extended (greater than 1 second) autonomous braking.The two crash complaints that were the basis of PE14-010 involved rental vehicles equipped with an Electric Park Brake (EPB) system.Neither vehicle was equipped with Full Speed Range Adaptive Cruise Control (FSRACC) or Forward Collision Alert (FCA) systems. According to GM, brake lights will be illuminated if the service brakes are applied or the EPB system is activated while the vehicle is moving (dynamic EPB brake apply).In a dynamic EPB brake apply, the Electric Brake Control Module (EBCM) initiates a controlled deceleration while activating a chime and a telltale light.If the service brake is applied at any time during dynamic EPB brake apply, the system provides a substantially greater deceleration.Witness statements and analysis of crash data from the two incidents are consistent with inadvertent dynamic EPB brake applications.Both reports alleged beeping noise immediately before the accidents and one pre-crash data report shows a moderate…
Vehicles under investigation
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation records, updated daily. An investigation is not a determination that a defect exists; many probes close without a recall.