FMVSS Noncompliance - Bilingual Visor Air Bag Label

General Motors has decided that certain 2000-01 Oldsmobile Intrigue and Buick Century/Regal model vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." The air bag labels on the sunvisors of these vehicles have a message area less than 30cm². FMVSS 208 requires label message areas to be no less than 30cm².

The correction is installation of a new air bag label over the incorrect air bag label located on the left-hand and right-hand sunvisor assemblies.

Since a new label can be easily installed, and to reduce customer inconvenience, the label will be sent with installation instructions directly to customers of record. Customers may install the label directly over the incorrect label. However, if they desire, they may bring the label to their dealer for installation at no charge.

Involved are certain 2000-01 Oldsmobile Intrigue and Buick Century/Regal model vehicles built within these VIN breakpoints:

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

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.

A new air bag label will be mailed to owners of record and involved dealers (for dealer stock vehicles) on a no charge basis. If additional labels are required, contact Dealer Support Materials by calling 1-888-549-6152. Be sure to request the air bag label for campaign 01017. DO NOT ORDER THIS PART FROM GMSPO.

1. Use a clean dry cloth to dust/clean off the visor before applying the label. Center the new label over the current one on the visor and smooth down, especially around the edges. Then apply pressure for approximately three to five seconds.
2. Install the GM Campaign Identification Label.

Place a Campaign Identification Label on each vehicle 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 Materials by calling 1-888-549-6152 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST). Ask for Item Number S-1015 when ordering.

Submit a Product Campaign Claim with the information indicated below:

Important: Product Campaign Claims should only be submitted for this campaign if the campaign service is actually performed by a technician at a General Motors dealership. For vehicles that remain open to this campaign even though the owner has installed the new label, dealers should complete and submit form CAM-01. U.S. dealers can obtain this form by calling 1-888-549-6152 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. EST). Ask for Item Number CAM-01 when ordering.

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

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

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle that 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 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.

This bulletin is notice to you that the new motor vehicles included in this campaign 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 campaign 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 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.

Dear General Motors Customer:

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

General Motors has decided that certain 2000-01 Oldsmobile Intrigue and Buick Century/Regal model vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." The sunvisor air bag labels on these vehicles have a message area smaller than that required by the standard.

The correction is installation of new air bag labels over the incorrect air bag labels located on the left-hand and right-hand sunvisors.

Since the new labels can be easily installed, and to reduce your inconvenience, the labels and installation instructions are being sent with this letter. You may install the labels directly over the incorrect labels. However, if you desire, you may bring the labels to your dealer for installation. This service will be performed for you at no charge .

The length of time required to perform this service correction is approximately 15 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 schedule, process, and repair your vehicle.

Should you choose to have your dealer install the labels for you, please bring the customer reply card, along with the enclosed labels, to your servicing GM dealer. Instructions for making this correction have been sent to your dealer. Please ask your dealer if you wish to know how much time will be needed to schedule, process and repair your vehicle. 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 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.

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

LABEL INSTALLATION PROCEDURE Use a clean cloth to dust/clean off the visor before applying the label. Center the new label over the current one on the visor and smooth down, especially around the edges. Then apply pressure for approximately three to five seconds.