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NHTSA Preliminary Evaluation PE14010

Preliminary Evaluation · Active Safety System Malfunction · Opened 2014-04-15 · Closed 2014-11-21

Investigation

Action number
PE14010
Type
Preliminary Evaluation
Open date
2014-04-15
Close date
2014-11-21
Manufacturer
General Motors, LLC
Affected makes
CHEVROLET
Affected components
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE; FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL; FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: CRASH IMMINENT BRAKING; PARKING BRAKE; PARKING BRAKE:INDICATOR LIGHT
Affected model years
2014
Affected (make, year) variants
5

Summary

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 initial vehicle deceleration followed by in increase in deceleration to approximately 0.6g just prior to the vehicle stopping and being struck from the rear.During this investigation, General Motors LLC (GM) inspected the two crash incident vehicles and examined each of the EPB switches to assess potential mechanical and electrical fault conditions.The testing and part examination did not find any evidence of mechanical or electrical failure of the EPB switches and GM did not identify any faults

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