Warren, Mich. — July 29, 2016 — One of the latest General Motors recalls concerns approximately 289,254 2009 and 2010 Chevrolet Impala vehicles. These units might put occupants in danger because the passenger presence sensor wire might deteriorate and accidentally deactivate the passenger air bags when they’re needed.
According to the official Part 573 report for this recall, the PPS module wiring could get damaged if the front passenger seat frame rubs against it. While this might not happen in all vehicles – and only 1 percent of the recalled population are believed to have the defect – the problem is still considered potentially serious. Affected vehicles were produced between April 25, 2008 and February 16, 2010.
The damage has to be severe to prevent the air bags from functioning properly. If owners notice the air bag telltale light, the air bag status indicator or the service air bag message switched on, then this could indicate a possible problem. The same sensor issue might also affect alerts within the vehicle. The first employee indication of this issue dates back to a March 8 report through the company’s Speak Up for Safety program.
To update impacted cars and correct this problem, affected wires will be updated with anti-abrasion tape. This should help strengthen the wires and keep them from wearing down as easily. Though the report was submitted June 29, the same date planned for dealer notification, the accompanying recall acknowledgement wasn’t dated until July 20. No owner notification date was included.
In a Global Safety Field Instructions note also released June 29, the manufacturer announced that the GWM Investigate Vehicle History screen would be scheduled for a July 1 update. The statement also lists the passenger presence sensor and instrument cluster malfunction as the prompt for the recall.
