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Are we ready for an Infotainment System recall or class action?

3386 Views 17 Replies 16 Participants Last post by  Nomisnosnibor
There are so many failures in every model year that pales the incidents of the battery issue it boggles the mind it hasn't been recalled yet. If Chevy or NHTSA or Consumer Affairs won't act then maybe it's time for a class action lawsuit.

I've seen a few pop up for the battery recall demanding justice based on capacity loss (range). The Infotainment System is far simpler...It's just freaking defective!

Electronics don't automatically have a lifespan of three years unless it's designed that way or from poor design or components.

Any impact lawyers here want to take up the torch🔥?
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Are you seeing 100% failure rate at the 3 year mark?

My 2019, bought Aug 2019, has had to be reset 4 times. Two of which is within the last 30 days.
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The audio streams can be quirky, going from a USB drive to streaming Spotify on the phone, and using Android Auto maps at the same time. I've gotten used to reaching down and serially unplugging/plugging the USB drive and/or the phone's tether, just to change the audio source.
No problems with mine, so no. 2020 Premier.
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No problems with my 2021 bolt premier
It works and plays great!!
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No idea what the OP is talking about. Recalls are generally for safety defects or non-conformance with FMVSS.

Sure. Sometimes it gets into a bad state and needs a reboot by holding home + FF buttons. My '19 is almost 2.5 years old now. My car has never been serviced by a dealer yet.
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I had a few issues requiring reboot with the 2017, and I think there was a calibration updated at some point, but the 2020 infotainment system has worked just fine, it is a bit slow but I attribute that as much to my now older phone..
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If you're having issues, ask for the entertainment center firmware update from the dealer. That's what I did. At first they were going to charge me but on a subsequent call, my service rep said it should be covered under the three year warranty (since I was having problems). YMMV.
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One instance of a frozen system in 3+years, and I attribute that to putting it in gear before everything initialized.
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My 2019 needed a reboot twice in 2 years. Unfortunately that seems to be the nature of computers on wheels. My Model 3 has already needed one reboot in 2 months.

Mike
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If you're having issues, ask for the entertainment center firmware update from the dealer. That's what I did. At first they were going to charge me but on a subsequent call, my service rep said it should be covered under the three year warranty (since I was having problems). YMMV.
My 2017 Bolt entertainment locks up whenever I plug in my phone every 10-15 min like clockwork. I took my car in last friday for the battery update and asked if they could update the firmware. They said NO because sometimes the update bricked the units and it was out of warranty and would be customer pay for them to do that with my battery update.

I wonder if it's possible to replace these with an aftermarket unit without losing AC/backup camera?
My 2017 Bolt entertainment locks up whenever I plug in my phone every 10-15 min like clockwork. I took my car in last friday for the battery update and asked if they could update the firmware. They said NO because sometimes the update bricked the units and it was out of warranty and would be customer pay for them to do that with my battery update.

I wonder if it's possible to replace these with an aftermarket unit without losing AC/backup camera?
Maybe that's a standard response for a 2017 but I wouldn't be surprised at all if a different dealer would respond differently. Mine wanted $150 or something to do the update - I don't think he considered the year for a moment. Only later when I complained to the service rep that called did they agree to do the update under warranty.
The audio streams can be quirky, going from a USB drive to streaming Spotify on the phone, and using Android Auto maps at the same time. I've gotten used to reaching down and serially unplugging/plugging the USB drive and/or the phone's tether, just to change the audio source.
I’ve used wired CarPlay in many vehicles from Chevy, VW, and Ford. Often these head units freeze up resulting in the need to reboot the head unit or unplug/replug your phone. Maybe these issues will clear up when Apple CarPlay/Android Auto go wireless but I doubt it. Auto manufacturers (and their suppliers) have seemed to struggle with the tech in their head units ever since the units started doing more than just play radio/CDs.
I wonder if it's possible to replace these with an aftermarket unit without losing AC/backup camera?
This seems unlikely because of the other things this display shows (charging/battery stats, etc.). I’ve seen a few rare instances where an aftermarket head unit manufacturer made special units that integrate with A/C of specific vehicles but those cars required more simple controls than what we see in our Bolts.
Companies like class actions cost is minimal, their lawyers are getting paid anyway and they can drag it out for years and years. Only preople who make money are the plaintiff lawyers.
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In warranty? Take it to the dealer to fix it and keep taking it. After 3 times without it fixed, lemon-law it. May be harder/easier depending on state.
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There are firmware images out there that you can put on a USB thumb drive, I've done it on my 2017 and saved the trouble and expense. It fixed a bunch of small things. I have every reason to believe that the firmware images were just leaked by a dealership somewhere. This was years ago.
There are so many failures in every model year that pales the incidents of the battery issue it boggles the mind it hasn't been recalled yet. If Chevy or NHTSA or Consumer Affairs won't act then maybe it's time for a class action lawsuit.

I've seen a few pop up for the battery recall demanding justice based on capacity loss (range). The Infotainment System is far simpler...It's just freaking defective!

Electronics don't automatically have a lifespan of three years unless it's designed that way or from poor design or components.

Any impact lawyers here want to take up the torch🔥?
I would venture a guess that your phone, or the connection to your phone, is to blame for your issues.
USB connections are not the most robust connections and having them in the console facing vertically is asking for dirt/ liquids / god knows what else, to contaminate the contacts.
First I would try a known good usb cable. I have replaced mine 3 times already. Second I would inspect the car usb connector for debris.
Might save you from the hassle of a futile lawsuit. :)
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