In October 2018, I purchased a 2015 Cruze 2LT from my local Chevy dealer to use as a “beater” vehicle to keep from racking up mileage on my LTZ Tahoe. I noticed right away that this Cruze did not have a factory backup camera, so I explored this forum to see how I can go about adding one. My 2015 Cruze had the mid-grade touch screen non-navigation radio ID 23378511 receiver, (w/MyLink (opt UP9), AM-FM-XM-single CD-MP3(opt UFU)) installed. In consulting two separate local Chevy dealers in the Baltimore area, they informed me that when they called the GM Tech Line, they were informed that they could only program the radio with the options it came with when purchased new so the dealer was not authorized to upgrade my radio by enabling the backup camera feature. I even escalated this with Chevrolet customer service and they said the same thing. Being a bit frustrated, I looked around on the Internet and found a solution! I reached out to TVANDNAV2GO.COM in NY and found out that if I sent them the higher end navigation radio receiver with backup camera enabled from the factory, his company would simply enter the VIN of my 2015 Cruze 2LT into either navigation receiver I purchase (23497398 or 23477341) and when I plug it into my car, the radio will not display “Locked” and the options that were enabled in the donor 2015 Cruze will work! Sure enough, when I followed their guidance,the higher end factory navigation radio with backup camera enabled worked in my car.
In going this route, you can avoid dealing with the dealer and not having to mess with taking your radio apart and possibly damaging it by trying to reprogram the IC chip yourself. Please note that these direction will probably apply to other late model GM vehicles as well. The only thing that will be different is the part numbers for the radio, backup camera, harness, etc…
1. Purchase P/N 94556229HARNESS W/REAR CAMERA (Tasca $44.39) and P/N 95407980 LICENSE MOLDING W/REARCAMERA (eBay $114.99). Install these parts on your car and if you are lucky to find that your backup camera comes on, you are good to go and can stop at this point. In the event you find that the backup camera does not function, proceedto step 2.
2. Search eBay or reputable online used auto parts websites such as Automotix or LKQ to locate one of the following two navigation receivers (figured to upgrade to NAV) for a 2015 Chevy Cruze, you will want to locate either one of the following two receivers. In the event that the radio is still in the car, have them physically verify that the car had the factory backup camera installed. In the event the radio is no longer in the car, ask them for the VIN of the donor vehicle. In order to avoid running into problems, I highly recommend that the radio you purchase is out of a 2015 Chevy Cruze likelya 1LT, 2LT or LTZ. Not sure why, but I noticed some forums advised to avoid getting the receiver out of a diesel Cruze. While online salvage yard can perform the lookup, for verification, I recommend that you call your local Chevy parts department before purchasing and provide them with the last 7 digits of the donor car’s VIN so they can verify that donor car’s VIN shows that the 2015 Cruze the radio was removed from had factory navigation and the backup camera enabled. Furthermore, before purchasing the radio receiver, ensure that the receiver that they will actually be sending you has radio ID 23497398 or 23477341 on the label to ensure you are getting the correct radio otherwise, they will just pull what is in the car and send it to you:
(w/MyLink (opt UP9), AM-FM-XM-singleCD-USB-MP3-navigation (opt UHQ), ID 23497398
w/MyLink (optUP9), AM-FM-XM-single CD-USB-MP3-navigation (opt UHQ), ID 23477341.
You will also need the navigation radiocontrol pad P/N 95914366.
3. When you receive the donor radio, plug it into your 2015 Cruze to ensure that the backup camera comes on when placing the car in reverse. Don’t worry that the radio displays locked being that will be corrected once your cars VIN is programed into it. If the camera doesn't come on, ensure that the GM backup camera and trunk lid harness are connected. If after confirming that the backup camera is properly hooked up the backup camera still doesn't come on, send the donor radio back being the radio you received did not have the backup camera feature enabled from the factory.
4. Contact TVANDNAV2GO.COM in NY and let them know that you are sending them a radio to have the VIN updated. Be sure to include the donor car’s VIN andyour car’s VIN in the box and I recommend you ship it via USPS Priority Mail.
5. TVANDNAV2GO.COM will quickly update the VIN and once you receive it, simply install it into your car along with the navigation control pad and all of the radio features that were functioning in the donor car such as navigation and backup camera functionality will work!
