Front Shoulder Belt Retractor. Buick Park Avenue 1998

Subject:

Product Safety 00039A -- Front Shoulder Belt Retractor

Models:

1997-98 Buick Park Avenue Model Vehicles

This Campaign Bulletin is being revised to correct VIN breakpoint information for 1998 model year vehicles.

Condition

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 1997-98 Buick Park Avenue model vehicles. Some of these vehicles exhibit a condition in which the front seat shoulder belts may twist, allowing the webbing to become jammed in the retractor. When the shoulder belt webbing becomes jammed in the retractor, the belt may be unusable. In a vehicle crash, an unbelted front seat occupant may receive more severe injuries.

Correction

Dealers are to inspect for the presence of updated front shoulder belt bezels and where necessary, install new front seat shoulder belt opening bezel kits.

Vehicles Involved

Involved are certain 1997-98 Buick Park Avenue model vehicles built within these VIN breakpoints:

Year	Division	Model	Plant	From	Through
1997	Buick	Park Avenue	Orion	V4600001	V4662591
1998	Buick	Park Avenue	Orion	W4600001	W4618705

Important: Dealers should confirm vehicle eligibility through GMVIS (GM Vehicle Inquiry System) or GM Access Screen (Canada only) or DCS Screen 445 (IPC Only) before beginning campaign repairs.

Involved vehicles have been identified by Vehicle Identification Number. Computer listings containing the complete Vehicle Identification Number, customer name and address data have been prepared, and are being furnished to involved dealers with the campaign bulletin. The customer name and address data furnished will enable dealers to follow-up with customers involved in this campaign. Any dealer not receiving a computer listing with the campaign bulletin has no involved vehicles currently assigned.

These dealer listings may contain customer names and addresses obtained from Motor Vehicle Registration Records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any other purpose is a violation of law in several states/provinces/countries. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this listing to the follow-up necessary to complete this campaign.

Parts Information

Parts required to complete this campaign are to be obtained from General Motors Service Parts Operations (GMSPO). Please refer to your "involved vehicles listing" before ordering parts. Normal orders should be placed on a DRO=Daily Replenishment Order. In an emergency situation, parts should be ordered on a CSO=Customer Special Order.

Part Number	Description	Qty/ Vehicle
25696715	Bezel Asm, Frt Seat Shldr Belt Opg - Gray Medium 17I	As requ'd
25696716	Bezel Asm, Frt Seat Shldr Belt Opg - Regal Blue 27I	As requ'd
25696717	Bezel Asm, Frt Seat Shldr Belt Opg - Dark Blue Adriatic 30I	As requ'd
25696718	Bezel Asm, Frt Seat Shldr Belt Opg - Medium Crystal Green 42I	As requ'd
25696719	Bezel Asm, Frt Seat Shldr Belt Opg - Dark Toreador Red 51I	As requ'd
25696720	Bezel Asm, Frt Seat Shldr Belt Opg - Neutral Medium 56I	As requ'd

Service Procedure

Important: Some vehicles included in this campaign may have updated front shoulder belt opening bezels installed in one or both locations (refer to Corporate Bulletin Number 99-08-50-013).


(1)	Original Front Shoulder Belt Bezel
(2)	Updated Front Shoulder Belt Bezel

Updated front shoulder belt opening bezels (2) can be identified by the presence of a vertical (up and down) installation slot below the horizontal belt webbing slot.

If an updated front shoulder belt opening bezel is present, no service is required at that location.

Inspect for the presence of updated front shoulder belt bezels. Refer to the illustration.

•	If one or both of the front shoulder belt bezels do not have the vertical (up and down) installation slot (1), proceed to Step 2 of this service procedure.

•	If both the LH and RH front shoulder belt bezels have the vertical (up and down) installation slot (2), they have been updated with a new bezel and no service is necessary. Proceed to Step 3 of this service procedure (install campaign identification label).

Important: When removing (unsnapping) the front seat belt tower adjuster rear trim cover described in step 2 of the kit instructions, extra care must be used to avoid breaking the snap-together tabs.

Install one or two front seat shoulder belt opening bezel assembly repair kit(s) following the instructions in the kit.

Campaign Identification Label

FOR US AND IPC

Place a Campaign Identification Label on each vehicle corrected in accordance with the instructions outlined in this Product Campaign Bulletin. Each label provides a space to include the campaign number and the five (5) digit dealer code of the dealer performing the campaign service. This information may be inserted with a typewriter or a ball point pen.

Put the Campaign Identification Label on a clean and dry surface of the radiator core support in an area that will be visible to people servicing the vehicle. When installing the Campaign Identification Label, be sure to pull the tab to allow the adhesion of the clear protective covering. Additional Campaign Identification Labels for US dealers can be obtained from Dealer Support Material by calling 1-888-549-6152 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST). Ask for Item Number S-1015 when ordering.

Additional Campaign Identification Labels for IPC dealers can be obtained from your Regional Marketing Office.

Campaign Identification Label

FOR CANADA

Put the Campaign Identification Label on a clean and dry surface of the radiator core support in an area that will be visible to people servicing the vehicle. Additional Campaign Identification Labels for Canadian dealers can be obtained from DGN by calling 1-800-668-5539 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST). Ask for Item Number GMP 91 when ordering.

Claim Information

Submit a Product Campaign Claim with the information indicated below:

Repair Performed	Part Count	Part No.	Parts Allow	CC-FC	Labor Op	Labor Hours*
Inspect only for presence of new bezel	--	NA	**	MA-96	V0511	0.2*
Install one front seat shoulder belt opening bezel assembly kit	1 or 2	25696715	**	MA-96	V0512	0.3*
Add: Install second kit	1 or 2	25696715	**	MA-96	V0512	Add: 0.2
* -- For Campaign Administrative Allowance, add 0.1 hours to the "Labor Hours". ** -- The "Parts Allowance" should be the sum total of the current GMSPO Dealer Net price plus applicable Mark-Up or Landed Cost Mark-Up (for IPC) for parts needed to complete the repair.

Refer to the General Motors WINS Claims Processing Manual for details on Product Campaign Claim Submission.

Customer Notification

FOR US AND CANADA

Customers will be notified of this campaign on their vehicles by General Motors (see copy of customer letter included with this bulletin).

Customer Notification

FOR IPC

Letters will be sent to known owners of record located within areas covered by the US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. For owners outside these areas, dealers should notify customers using the attached suggested dealer letter.

Dealer Campaign Responsibility

FOR US AND IPC (US States, Territories, and Possessions)

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle which is subject to a recall campaign of this type must be adequately repaired within a reasonable time after the customer has tendered it for repair. A failure to repair within sixty days after tender of a vehicle is prima facie evidence of failure to repair within a reasonable time.

If the condition is not adequately repaired within a reasonable time, the customer may be entitled to an identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle at no charge or to a refund of the purchase price less a reasonable allowance for depreciation.

To avoid having to provide these burdensome remedies, every effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each customer and to repair their vehicle as soon as possible. In the recall campaign notification letters, customers are told how to contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the campaign is not completed within a reasonable time.

Dealer Campaign Responsibility

FOR ALL

All unsold new vehicles in dealers' possession and subject to this campaign MUST be held and inspected/repaired per the service procedure of this campaign bulletin BEFORE customers take possession of these vehicles.

Dealers are to service all vehicles subject to this campaign at no charge to customers, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.

Customers who have recently purchased vehicles sold from your vehicle inventory, and for which there is no customer information indicated on the dealer listing, are to be contacted by the dealer. Arrangements are to be made to make the required correction according to the instructions contained in this bulletin. This could be done by mailing to such customers a copy of the customer letter accompanying this bulletin. Campaign follow-up cards should not be used for this purpose, since the customer may not as yet have received the notification letter.

In summary, whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign enters your vehicle inventory, or is in your dealership for service in the future, please take the steps necessary to be sure the campaign correction has been made before selling or releasing the vehicle.

Suggested Dealer Letter

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 1997-98 Buick Park Avenue model vehicles. Some of these vehicles exhibit a condition in which the front seat shoulder belts may twist, allowing the webbing to become jammed in the retractor. When the shoulder belt webbing becomes jammed in the retractor, the belt may be unusable. When the shoulder belt webbing becomes jammed in the retractor, the belt may be unusable. In a vehicle crash, an unbelted front seat occupant may receive more severe injuries.

We will inspect for the presence of updated front shoulder belt bezels and where necessary, install new front seat shoulder belt opening bezel kits. This service will be performed for you at no charge.

Please contact us as soon as possible to arrange a service date.

We sincerely regret any inconvenience this causes you; however, we have taken this action in the interest of your continued satisfaction with our products.

GMODC

General Motors Corporation

August, 2000

Dear Buick Customer:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Reason For This Recall

General Motors has decided that a defect which related to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 1997-98 Buick Park Avenue model vehicles. Some of these vehicles exhibit a condition in which the front seat shoulder belts may twist, allowing the webbing to become jammed in the retractor. When the shoulder belt webbing becomes jammed in the retractor, the belt may be unusable. In a vehicle crash, an unbelted front seat occupant may receive more severe injuries.

What Will Be Done

Your dealer will inspect for the presence of updated front shoulder belt bezels and where necessary, install new front seat shoulder belt opening bezel kits. This service will be performed for you at no charge .

How Long Will The Repair Take?

The length of time required to perform this inspection and service correction is approximately 30 minutes. Additional time may be required to schedule and process your vehicle. If you dealer has a large number of vehicles awaiting service, this additional time may be significant. Please ask your dealer if you wish to know how much additional time will be needed to schedule, process and repair your vehicle.

Contacting Your Dealer

Please contact your Buick dealer as soon as possible to arrange a service date. Parts are available and instructions for making this correction have been sent to your dealer.

Your Buick dealer is best equipped to obtain parts and provide services to correct your vehicle as promptly as possible. Should your dealer be unable to schedule a service date within a reasonable time, you should contact the appropriate Customer Assistance/Relations Center at the number listed below:

Division	Number	Deaf, Hearing Impaired, or Speech Impaired*
Buick	1-800-521-7300	1-800-832-8425
* Utilizes Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf/Text Telephones (TDD/TTY)

If, after contacting the Buick Customer Assistance Center, you are still not satisfied that we have done our best to remedy this condition without charge and within a reasonable time, you may wish to write the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC 20590 or call 1-800-424-9393 (Washington, DC residents use 202-366-0123).

Customer Reply Card

The attached customer reply card identifies your vehicle. Presentation of this card to your dealer will assist in making the necessary correction in the shortest possible time. If you no longer own this vehicle, please let us know by completing the attached and mailing it in the postage paid envelope.

Courtesy Transportation

Your dealer will provide you with shuttle service or some other form of courtesy transportation while your vehicle is at the dealership for this repair. Please refer to your Owner's Manual and your dealer for details on Courtesy Transportation.

We are sorry to cause you this inconvenience; however, we have taken this action in the interest of your safety and continued satisfaction with our products.

Buick Motor Division

General Motors Corporation

Enclosure