F/CMVSS Noncompliance - Air Bag Warning Label

General Motors has decided that certain 2004 model year Chevrolet Malibu vehicles fail to conform to Federal/Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, Occupant Crash Protection. The air bag warning labels on the driver and passenger sun visors do not have everything required by the Safety Standard.

Corrected air bag labels are to be installed over the incorrect labels. Since these labels can easily be installed by the customer, and to reduce their inconvenience, the correct labels and application instructions will be mailed to customers of record. Dealers will receive labels for installation on the vehicles in inventory.

Involved are certain 2004 model year Chevrolet Malibu vehicles built within these VIN breakpoints:

Important: Dealers should confirm vehicle eligibility through GMVIS (GM Vehicle Inquiry System) before beginning recall repairs. [Not all vehicles within the above breakpoints may be involved.]

For US

For dealers with involved vehicles, a Campaign Initiation Detail Report containing the complete Vehicle Identification Number, customer name and address data has been prepared and will be loaded to the GM DealerWorld, Recall Information website. The customer name and address data furnished will enable dealers to follow up with customers involved in this program.

For Canada

Computer listings containing the complete Vehicle Identification Number, customer name and address data of involved vehicles have been prepared, and are being furnished to involved dealers. The customer name and address data will enable dealers to follow up with customers involved in this recall. Any dealer not receiving a computer listing with the recall 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 recall.

Air bag warning labels will be mailed to owners of record and involved dealers (for dealer stock vehicles) at no charge. Additional labels, if required, for U.S. dealers can be ordered through the GMSPO (P/N 15006352).

Important: To ensure proper adhesion of the label, the interior temperature of the vehicle must be at least 50°F (11°C).

1. Use a clean, dry cloth to dust/clean off the driver's sun visor.
2. Firmly hold the label and peel the protective liner from the backside of the label, being careful not to touch or contaminate the adhesive by allowing dirt or any foreign matter to come in contact with it.
3. Carefully align the new label to cover the old label and smooth down, especially around the edges. Apply pressure for approximately 3 to 5 seconds.
4. Repeat Steps 1 through 3 on the passenger's sun visor.

Submit a Product Recall Claim with the information indicated below:

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

General Motors will notify customers of this recall on their vehicle (see copy of customer letter included with this bulletin). The correct air bag warning label will be mailed to the customer of record for installation.

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle that is subject to a recall 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 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 notification letters, customers are told how to contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the recall is not completed within a reasonable time.

This bulletin is notice to you that the new motor vehicles included in this recall may not comply with the standard identified above. Under Title 49, Section 30112 of the United States Code, it is illegal for a dealer to sell a new motor vehicle which the dealer knows does not comply with an applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. As a consequence, if you sell any of these motor vehicles without first performing the recall correction, your dealership may be subject to a civil penalty for each such sale.

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

Dealers are to service all vehicles subject to this recall 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. Recall 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 recall enters your vehicle inventory, or is in your dealership for service in the future, please take the steps necessary to be sure the recall correction has been made before selling or releasing the vehicle.

Dear General Motors Customer:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Federal regulation requires that any vehicle lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within ten days.

General Motors has decided that certain 2004 model year Chevrolet Malibu vehicles fail to conform to Federal/Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 208, Occupant Crash Protection. The air bag warning labels on the driver and passenger sun visors do not have everything required by the Safety Standard.

A new air bag warning label will be installed on both sun visors, over the current air bag warning labels. Since the new labels can be easily installed, and to reduce your inconvenience, the labels and installation instructions are being sent with this letter. If you desire, however, you may take the labels to your dealer for installation. This service will be performed for you at no charge .

This label installation will take approximately 15 minutes. However, due to scheduling requirements, your dealer may need your vehicle for a longer period of time.

If you would like the labels installed for you, we recommend that you contact your dealer as soon as possible to schedule an appointment. Instructions for installing the labels have been sent to your dealer.

Should your dealer be unable to schedule a service date within a reasonable time, you should contact the appropriate Customer Assistance Center at the number listed below:

If, after contacting the appropriate 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 1-888-327-4236.

The enclosed customer reply form identifies your vehicle. Presentation of this form to your dealer will assist in making the necessary correction in the shortest possible time. If you have installed the labels yourself or if you no longer own this vehicle, please let us know by completing the form and mailing it back to us.

More information about this recall (including frequently asked questions) is available online at the Owner Center at My GMLink. This free online service offers vehicle and ownership-related information and tools tailored to your specific vehicle. To join, visit www.mygmlink.com and enter your Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) included with this letter to get the most personalized information for your vehicle.

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.

General Motors Corporation

Enclosure

Important: To ensure proper adhesion of the label, the interior temperature of the vehicle must be at least 50°F (11°C).

1. Use a clean, dry cloth to dust/clean off the driver's sun visor.
2. Firmly hold the label and peel the protective liner from the backside of the label, being careful not to touch or contaminate the adhesive by allowing dirt or any foreign matter to come in contact with it.
3. Carefully align the new label to cover the old label and smooth down, especially around the edges. Apply pressure for approximately 3 to 5 seconds.
4. Repeat Steps 1 through 3 on the passenger's sun visor.