GM bulletin PIT6161
What it saysThis Preliminary information communicates an issue with the side object detection module shown unavailable due to a sticker wrongly placed on the module. NHTSA’s full summary ↓
GM filed this with NHTSA as a service bulletin dated Apr 30, 2024, received May 10, 2024, about the back over prevention. It names 4 model years across Chevrolet and GMC (2024). A service bulletin is not a safety recall: it is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a condition, and whether the work is paid for depends on the warranty in force. Quoting the number at a service desk can save a diagnosis.
One page for every brand it was filed under. Each brand’s bulletins: Chevrolet · GMC.
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What the bulletin says
Source: NHTSA's summary of the manufacturer's communicationPicked out of NHTSA’s summary below, word for word. The document itself is the record, and the dealer checks the VIN.
This Preliminary information communicates an issue with the side object detection module shown unavailable due to a sticker wrongly placed on the module. Dealers are to remove the sticker.
Document filed under this number
| Document | Kind | Dated | NHTSA id | At NHTSA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PIT6161 | Service bulletin | Apr 30, 2024 | 10254497 | not found |
The summary is NHTSA’s abstract of the document, as filed under 49 CFR 579.5. One communication is usually filed as several documents — the bulletin, a dealer notice, an owner letter — and the number on any of them finds this page. A PDF link is shown only once NHTSA’s own server has been seen to serve that document; the rest are checked over the following nights. Quote the number at a service desk; it is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Model years it names
Source: as the manufacturer filed themChevrolet 2 model years
GMC 2 model years
A vehicle page’s bulletin list shows the newest few communications filed against that model year; the count there is every one.
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What owners reported
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseOwners of the 4 model years this bulletin names have filed 344 complaints with NHTSA since 2015. 123 of them name Electrical System — the same broad component group this bulletin is filed under. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so that means the same area of the vehicle, not necessarily the same fault.
The contact owns a 2024 GMC Sierra 3500. The contact stated while driving at approximately 60 MPH and towing a Forest River Riverstone Legacy 5th Wheel trailer, the brake pedal was depressed to slow for oncoming stopped traffic; however, the vehicle failed to respond as needed with the “Service Trailer Brake” warning light illuminated.
2024 GMC Sierra 3500HD · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 9, 2025
The GM brake controller will disconnect with the trailer being pulled. You get a message on the information center that the brake controller has lost connection with the trailer or no trailer brakes are available, something to that effect. This has happened up to 5 times in one day. You never know when this will happen.
2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Nov 3, 2023
I drove from California to ohio after I bought the truck, I noticed that when stopping to get gas my tailgate was open without me touching it. I drove with cameras showing the truck bed to see what happened and I watched it do it again while driving the vehicle, it just opened on its own while driving.
2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD · Electrical System · filed with NHTSA Jul 9, 2024
A complaint is one owner’s account, not a defect finding, and a bulletin is not a recall. Nothing here says this bulletin was issued because of these complaints, or that the repair it describes fixed them. Complaint files on this site begin in 2015.
More bulletins about the back over prevention
Source: same model, same component group8 other manufacturer communications filed against these GM models under the same component group (back over prevention), newest first.
| Number | Kind | Dated | NHTSA’s summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| PIT5697D | Service bulletin | Dec 4, 2024 | This Preliminary information communication provides information to the technician on installing Regular Production Option Code UVC Rearview… |
| PIP5847B | Service bulletin | Nov 17, 2023 | This Preliminary information communicates the possibility of a misfire or rough running concern and abnormal engine noise due to excessive w… |
| PIP5847A | Service bulletin | Aug 2, 2023 | This Preliminary information communicates the possibility of a misfire or rough running concern and abnormal engine noise due to excessive w… |
| PIT5990A | Service bulletin | Jul 12, 2023 | This Preliminary information communicates an issue with a wind noise while driving at highway speeds and dealers are to inspect the body har… |
| PIT5697C | Service bulletin | Jun 20, 2023 | This Preliminary information communication provides information to the technician on installing Regular Production Option Code UVC Rearview… |
| 23-NA-062 | Service bulletin | Jun 1, 2023 | This service bulletin provides repair information to correct a customer concern of Rear View Camera Coaxial Related Issues - DTCs B395A, B39… |
| PIT5544G | Service bulletin | May 22, 2023 | This Preliminary information communicates information on a hydrauilc rush type noise from the power steering gear. This noise is a character… |
| PIT5970B | Service bulletin | Apr 20, 2023 | This Preliminary information communicates information to the technician that if they receive a vehicle with this concern and verifying the r… |
Quote the number at the service desk. It is what the dealer’s system is keyed on.
Every manufacturer communication NHTSA holds for Chevrolet and GMC, by the number printed on the letter.
Common questions
Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR 579.5Is GM PIT6161 a recall?
No. A service bulletin is a manufacturer communication filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR 579.5; a safety recall carries an NHTSA campaign number (two digits, a letter, six digits) and a federal duty to repair for free. Check the vehicle’s recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls, or on its page here.
Is the PIT6161 repair free?
Not automatically. A service bulletin describes how to diagnose or repair a condition; who pays depends on the warranty in force, any extension, and the dealer. Quoting the number can save a diagnosis either way.
Which vehicles does PIT6161 cover?
The manufacturer filed it against 4 model years across 2 brands (Chevrolet and GMC): 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD, 2024 Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD, 2024 GMC Sierra 2500HD, 2024 GMC Sierra 3500HD. Whether one particular vehicle is affected is a matter of its VIN and its build, not its model year alone.