CAMPAIGN: INOPERATIVE BUCKET SEAT BACK LOCKS
MODELS AFFECTED: 1984 ELDORADO TOURING COUPE
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as amended, provides that each vehicle which is subject to a recall campaign of this type must be adequately repaired within a reasonable time after the owner has tendered it for repair. A failure to adequately repair within 60 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 owner may be entitied 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 solutions, every effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each owner and to repair their vehicle as soon as possible. As you will see in reading the attached copy of the letter which is being sent to owners, the owners are being instructed to contact the nearest Cadillac Zone Office if their dealer does not remedy the condition within five days of the agreed service date. If the condition is not remedied within a reasonable time, the owners are instructed how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
CONDITION INVOLVED
General Motors has determined that some 1984 Eldorado Touring Coupes have been assembled with bucket seat back locks which fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 207 "Anchorage of Seats". In the event of a vehicle crash, the seat back inertia lock may not function. This would allow the seat back to fold forward, which could increase likelihood of injury to the seat occupant.
To prevent the possibility of this condition from occurring, dealers are to inspect the bucket seat back locks on all involved vehicles. Locks which have bent, broken or missing hooks are to be replaced per the service procedure in this bulletin. Approximately 10% of the locks will need to be replaced.
VEHICLES INVOLVED
1984 Eldorado Touring Coupes within the following VIN range will require this campaign (Cadillac records indicate that a total of 135 vehicles are affected):
EE600001 through EE610024
OWNER NOTIFICATION
Owners of all affected vehicles will be notified by Cadillac of this campaign. A copy of the owner letter is attached. A list of those vehicles involved, which our records indicate were shipped to or sold by you, is enclosed for your follow-up. This listing contains owner names and addresses obtained from Cadillac delivery records. You are urged to limit the use of this listing for the follow-up necessary to complete this campaign. Any dealer not receiving a vehicle listing with the campaign bulletin was not shipped any affected vehicles.
PARTS INFORMATION
The parts required to complete this campaign will be available the week of February 27, 1984 and should be obtained from the Parts Distribution Centers of the General Motors Warehousing and Distribution Division (GMWDD). The table below summarizes the parts involved with this campaign.
Description Part Number ----------- ----------- Control Assembly - Passenger Recliner 20329438 Control Assembly - Driver Recliner 20329439
To ensure this part will be obtained as soon as possible, it should be ordered on a CIO order using Advise Code "2" with no special Instruction Code. These parts may also be ordered on a VIP arder; however, unless prior zone approval is obtained, dealers will be required to absorb any surcharge involved under the VIP system.
If any problems are encountered in obtaining these parts, please follow the three-step procedure as stated in the GM Parts Emergency Order Follow-Up Procedure. (Refer to GM Parts Policy and Procedure Manual, Exhibit 20, Section IV, page 38).
DEALER CAMPAIGN RESPONSIBILITY
Dealers are to service all vehicles subject to this campaign at no charge to owners, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.
Whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign is taken into your new or used vehicle inventory, or it is in your dealership for service in the future, you should take the steps necessary to be sure the campaign correction has been made before reselling or releasing the vehicle.
This bulletin is notice to you that the new motor vehicles included in this campaign may not comply with the standard identified above. Under Sections 108 and 114 of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 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 up to $1,000 for each such sale.
Owners of vehicles recently sold from your new vehicle inventory are to be contacted by the dealer, and arrangements made to make the required modification according to instructions contained in this bulletin.
SPECIAL TOOLS
The checking templates required for this campaign are special tools which are available in limited quantities. Dealers will receive templates from their Business Management contact division. If required, dealers should contact their zone office regarding availability of additional checking templates.
SERVICE PROCEDURE
The bucket seat back locks on the subject vehicles may not lock under forward load conditions. Failure to lock involves bucket seat back locks from one supplier only. These locks may have been used on either the driver or passenger seat, or both sides. CONSEQUENTLY, BOTH DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEAT BACK LOCKS MUST BE INSPECTED ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE PROCEDURE DETAILED BELOW.
1. Put reclining seat back in full upright position and keep it there during this service procedure.
CAUTION:
TO HELP AVOID PERSONAL INJURY, INSPECT WITH THE SEAT BACK IN THE FULL UPRIGHT POSITION. THE LOCK IS SPRING LOADED. IF THE SEAT BACK IS FOLDED FORWARD FROM A RECLINING POSITION, AND THE RECLINER LEVER IS RELEASED, THE LOCK CAM COULD SLAM CLOSED ON EXPOSED FINGERS OR HANDS IN THE CAM HOOK AREA (See Figure 5).
2. Fold seat back forward. If the lock has a protruding cam as shown in View "A", Figure 1, it is not a suspect unit and no further checking is required.
3. If the lock has a non-protruding cam as shown in View "A", Figure 2, it is a suspect unit and must be fully checked as follows:
a. Sit in the seat.
b. Pull seat back slightly forward.
c. Lift the seat back lock emergency release lever knob and hold firmly in "UP" position as shown in Figure 3.
d. While holding the lever in the "UP" position, lean back firmly in the seat. In order to apply a sufficient load on the seat back lock hook, lean back hard enough to lift yourself off the seat cushion as shown in Figure 4.
e. Get out of the car.
f. Fold the seat back forward.
g. Check for a broken (cracked) or missing hook as shown in View "A", Figure 5. If the hook is broken (cracked) or missing, proceed to step 3i.
h. If the hook is not broken (cracked) or missing, check for a bent hook as shown in Figure 6 using the checking template. (If lock cover interferes with checking template, loosen or remove cover, as needed.) After properly placing the checking template on the lock, inspect the position of the template to the lock surface as illustrated. If the template is flush to the lock surface, the hook is not bent and the lock does not require replacement. If a gap is evident between the template and the lock surface, the hook is bent and the lock requires replacement.
i. If the hook is missing, broken or bent, replace the seat back recliner contral assembly following the procedure an page 9-51 of the 1984 Fisher Body Service Information Manual. The torque specifications required during installation are provided in the table below:
Description Torque Specifications ----------- --------------------- Seat back recliner control assembly 15 to 20 N.m (11 to 15 ft.lb.) upper two attaching bolts
Seat back recliner control assembly 22 to 28 N.m (16 to 21 ft.lb.) lower two attaching bolts
j. REPEAT THE SERVICE PROCEDURE FOR THE REMAINING SEAT BACK.
k. Install campaign completion label described in this bulletin.
CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL
Upon completion of this carnpaign, a white campaign label (Cat. No. S-1015) should be affixed on a clean, dry surface of the radiator core support in an area clearly visible when the vehicle's hood is raised. Each label provides space to print in ink or type Campaign 84-C-1 and your five-digit dealer code. Dealers are to take the steps necessary to assure that the numbers are properly recorded on the label.
CREDIT
Credit for this campaign will be issued upon receipt of a properly prepared warranty claim as follows:
A. Inspect both seat back locks only.
Failure Labor Labor Code Operation Hours ---- --------- ----- 96 V1940 .3
B. Inspect both seat back locks and replace one seat back lock.
Part Part Failure Labor Labor Qty. No. Code Operation Hours ----- --- ---- --------- ----- 1 * 96 V1941 .6
C. Inspect both seat back locks and replace both seat back locks.
Part Part Failure Labor Labor Qty. No. Code Operation Hours ---- --- ---- ---------- ------ 2 * 96 V1942 .9
* List part number of replaced part.
The labor time listed above represents the actual time required to perform the correction. Dealers should apply for 0.1 additional hour for administrative allowance as "Other Labor Hours".
General Motors bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, not a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, do not assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See a General Motors dealer servicing your brand of General Motors vehicle for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.
