CAMPAIGN: REAR SEAT SHOULDER BELT RETRACTORS. Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham 1988

SUBJECT: 1988 BROUGHAM MODELS: REAR SEAT SHOULDER BELT RETRACTORS

The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as amended, provides that each vehicle which is subject to a product 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 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 owner 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 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 owner letter, 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, owners are instructed how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

CONDITION

General Motors has determined that some 1988 Cadillac Broughams have been assembled with rear seat shoulder belt retractors which fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 209 - Seat Belt Assemblies. Involved vehicles may have a retractor assembly that may not lock when subjected to an acceleration of 0.7 g. If the shoulder belt retractor inertia lock does not engage (lock) it could increase the likelihood of injury to a seat occupant. However, the lap belt does function as intended.

DEALER ACTION

To correct this condition, dealers are to inspect and, if necessary, replace the rear seat shoulder belt retractor assembly on suspect vehicles per the Vehicles Involved and Service Procedure sections of this bulletin.

NOTE: Owners of affected vehicles will be provided the option to inspect the rear seat shoulder belt retractor assemblies to determine if replacement is required. This will minimize both owner and dealer inconvenience. (See Parts Information Section.)

VEHICLES INVOLVED

All 1988 Cadillac Broughams within the following VIN ran e require this campaign (Cadillac records indicate a total of 5,445 vehicles are affected.

J9701477 through J9706922

OWNER NOTIFICATION

Owners of vehicles affected by this campaign will be notified by letter from Cadillac Motor Car Division. A copy of the owner letter is attached.

DEALER LIST

A list of vehicles involved, which our records indicate were sold by or shipped to 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 list to the follow- up necessary to complete this campaign. If no list is attached, none of the suspect vehicles are known to be in your area.

DEALER CAMPAIGN RESPONSIBILITY

Dealers are to service all vehicles involved in this campaign, at no charge to owners, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership.

Whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign is taken into new or used car inventory, dealers are to take the steps necessary to be sure the campaign correction has been made before reselling the vehicle.

THIS BULLETIN IS NOTICE TO YOU THAT THE NEW MOTOR VEHICLES INCLUDED IN THIS CAMPAIGN MAY NOT COMPLY WITH THE FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD AS PREVIOUSLY INDICATED. 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.

In addition, dealers are to perform the campaign on all affected vehicles as they are brought in for any kind of service until all vehicles have been corrected.

CAMPAIGN FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES

Since owners of affected vehicles are provided the option to inspect their rear seat shoulder belt retractor assemblies to determine if replacement is required, dealers may riot be requested by owners to inspect 100% of the vehicles on their campaign lists. Consequently, vehicles inspected by owners may appear on the dealers "Not Modified" lists. Therefore, should your follow-up with an owner indicate the customer has inspected the vehicle and no further action is required, you should advise your Zone Office of the details. This will allow the Zone to remove the vehicle from your records.

PARTS INFORMATION

The rear lap/shoulder belt assembly required to complete this campaign should be obtained directly from the manufacturer - General Safety Corporation, St. Clair Shores, Michigan. These parts will be provided to you at no charge. To obtain these parts, submit your order by calling Toll-Free 1-800-338-8240 or Direct at 313-777-6530. Be prepared to provide the Vehicle Identification Number, five-digit dealer code and required part numbers when ordering. The part numbers with corresponding colors are noted below. To minimize customer inconvenience and reduce the necessity for dealers to inventory large quantities of rear lap/shoulder belt assemblies, customers will be asked in their notification letter to inspect their vehicies to determine if replacement is required. When necessary, they will be asked to contact their dealer with color and trim information to allow for correct ordering of the required parts. After receipt of the rear lap/shoulder belt assemblies, dealers should contact the customer to arrange for the completion of this campaign.

Note: Only the rear shoulder and lap belt assembly will be shipped. The buckle portion of this system does not require replacement and will not be provided.

REAR LAP AND SHOULDER BELT ASSEMBLY

Right Hand Left Hand Color ---------- --------- ----- 20684088 20684089 Black 20684090 20684091 Dark Blue 20684092 20684093 Beechwood 20684094 20684095 Dark Carmine 20684096 20684097 Dark Claret 20684098 20684099 Gray 20684100 20684101 White with Black Trim 20684102 20684103 White with Dark Sapphire Trim 20684104 20684105 White with Dark Carmine Trim 20684106 20684107 White with Dark Claret Trim 20684108 20684109 White with Medium Gray Trim

SERVICE PROCEDURE

A. Inspection ---------- NOTE: BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT REAR LAP/SHOULDER BELT ASSEMBLIES MUST BE INSPECTED TO DETERMINE IF REPLACEMENT IS REQUIRED.

1. Pull out lap belt portion of the rear lap/shoulder belt to its full travel.

2. Look at the white Belt Identification Label located on the underside of the belt and check the five-digit number on the bottom of the label (see illustration). If the first two digits are 30, 31, 32 or 33, the belt assembly requires replacement. Proceed to Section B, Step No. 1.

3. If the first two digits are other than those indicated in Step 2, rear belt assembly replacement is not required. Install Campaign Completion Label.

B. Removal and Installation ------------------------ 1. Remove rear seat cushion by pushing rearward and lifting.

2. Remove the bolts (2) from both rear lap belt retractor assemblies and remove rear seat back from the vehicle. (The retractor bolts also retain the seat back.)

3. Loosen upper belt trim cover (on package shelf) by prying upward with a large screwdriver or trim tool.

4. Lift package shelf slightly in the retractor area to expose the shoulder belt retractor anchor bolt. Remove bolt and retractor.

5. Locate the rear shoulder belt retractor under the package shelf making sure the locator tab on the bottom of the retractor is seated in the locating hole. Insert the retractor anchor bolt and tighten. Torque anchor bolts to 35-48 N.m (26-35 lbs. ft.).

6. Replace shoulder belt trim cover (on package shelf) by snapping onto retractor bar. Make sure the back shelf material is not folded or bunched.

7. Install rear seat back and lap belt retractor assemblies. Torque anchor bolts to 35-48 N.m (26-35 lbs. ft.).

8. Install the rear seat cushion.

9. Install Campaign Completion Label.

CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL

Upon completion of this campaign, a white campaign tabel (Cat. No. S-1015) should be affixed on a clean, dry surface of the radiator support tie bar in an area clearly visible when the hood is raised. Each tabel provides space to print in ink (or type) campaign number 88-C-1 and your five-digit Cadillac dealer code. Dealers are to take the steps necessary to ensure that the numbers are properly recorded on the label.

SEAT BELT IDENTIFICATION LABEL (Figure 1)

THE WHITE BELT IDENTIFICATION LABEL IS LOCATED ON THE LAP BELT PORTION OF THE LAP/SHOULDER BELT ASSEMBLY. FULLY EXTEND THE LAP BELTS TO INSPECT THE IDENTIFICATION LABEL.

CREDIT

Credit for this campaign will be issued upon receipt of a properly prepared warranty claim as follows:

Failed Failure Labor Labor Sub- Description Part No. Code Operation Hours* Mat-Tow** ----------- -------- ---- --------- ----- ------- Inspect Rear Lap/Shoulder -- 96 V4350 .2 -- Belt Assembly Only Replace One Rear Lap/ -- 96 V4351 .5 $2.50 Shoulder Beit Assembly (Inspection Included)

Replace Both Rear Lap/ -- 96 V4352 .6 $5.00 Shoulder Belt Assemblies (Inspection Included)

* This labor time represents the actual time required to perform the correction. Dealers should apply for 0.1 additional hour for administrative allowance as "Other Labor Hours".

** Additional dealer allowance for parts handling.

Service Department Cadillac Motor Car Division General Motors Corporation

Dear Cadillac Owner:

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

General Motors has determined that some 1988 Cadillac Broughams have been assembled with rear seat shoulder belt retractors which fail to conform to the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 209 - Seat Beit Assemblies. Involved vehicles may have a retractor assembly that may not lock when subjected to an acceleration of 0.7 g. If the shoulder belt retractor inertia lock does not engage (lock) it could increase the likelihood of injury to a seat occupant. However, the lap belt does function as intended.

To correct this condition, dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace affected rear lap/shoulder belt retractor assemblies.

Please contact your dealer to arrange a service date. Your dealer will perform the required service at no charge to you.

Instructions for making this correction have been sent to your Cadillac dealer. The labor time to perform the inspection is approximately five minutes. Since dealers do not stock the belt assemblies in each of the eleven possible trim colors, you may have to schedule an additional appointment for replacement, if required. To minimize your inconvenience, you may wish to spend a few minutes to perform a simple identification inspection to determine if replacement of either rear lap/shoulder beit assembly is necessary. If replacement is required, you may call your dealer, providing him the interior trim color, so he may order your replacement rear lap/belt assembly(ies) preventing an additional service visit. (See inspection procedure on the back pf this letter.)

Until the replacement takes place, you should use the restraint system in other seating positions if possible. If it is necessary for passengers to occupy these rear outboard seating positions, you should still urge them to use the available restraint system.

Your Cadillac dealer is best equipped to obtain parts and provide service to ensure your Cadillac is corrected as promptly as possible. However, if you take your vehicle to your dealer on the agreed service date and they do not remedy this condition on that date or within five days, we recommend you contact the nearest Cadillac Zone Office, either in person or by telephone. The Zone Office will assist you and the dealer in getting your vehicle corrected. The locations and telephone numbers of the Zone Offices are listed at the end of this letter for your reference.

After contacting your dealer and the Zone Office, if you are still not satisfied we have done our best to remedy this condition without charge within a reasonable time, you may wish to write the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S. W., Washington, D.C. 20590, or call 800-424-9393 (Washington, D.C. residents use 426-0123).

The enclosed Campaign Owner Identification Card identifies your Cadillac. Presentation of this card to your dealer will assist in making the correction in the shortest possible time. If you choose to inspect the lap/shoulder belt assemblies yourself and determine replacement is not required, please check the appropriate box and return the postage-paid card to us. If you have sold or traded your vehicle, please complete the postage-paid card and return it to us. This will assist us in assuring all affected vehicles have been corrected.

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.

Cadillac Motor Car Division General Motors Corporation

REAR LAP/SHOULDER BELT INSPECTION

NOTE: BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT REAR LAP/SHOULDER BELT ASSEMBLIES MUST BE INSPECTED TO DETERMINE IF REPLACEMENT IS REQUIRED.

1. Pull out lap belt portion of the rear lap/shoulder belt to its full travel.

3. If replacement is indicated, call your dealer providing him with your Vehicle Identification Number and the belt part number on the Belt Identification Label. (This number identifies your interior trim color and belt location.) Your dealer will order the replacement parts necessary to perform the correction.

SEAT BELT IDENTIFICATION LABEL (Figure 2)

THE WHITE BELT IDENTIFICATION LABEL IS LOCATED ON THE LAP BELT PORTION OF THE LAP/SHOULDER BELT ASSEMBLY. FULLY EXTEND THE LAP BELTS TO INSPECT THE IDENTIFICATION LABEL.

CADILLAC ZONE OFFICES

When calling for assistance,askforthe Consumer Relations Representative.

CENTRAL ZONE LOS ANGELES ZONE 3031 W. General Motors Blvd. Post Office Box 5018 Post Office Box 33109 Thousand Oaks, California Detroit, Michigan 48232 91359-5018 (313) 974-1090 (805) 373-9777

FLORIDA ZONE MIDWEST ZONE Barnett Bank Centre Post Office Box 3002 Fifth Floor Naperville,lllinois 60566 625 North Flagler (312) 961-6858 West Palm Beach, Florida 33401 (305) 833-8311 NORTHWEST ZONE Post Office Box 23850 MID-ATLANTIC ZONE Oakland, California 94623 Post Office Box 9010 (415) 499-5252 Wayne, Pennsylvania 19087 (215) 296-6680 SOUTHWEST ZONE Post Office Box 660118 NEW YORK ZONE Dallas, Texas 75266-0118 Post Office Box 3003 (214) 659-5125 Parsippany, New Jersey 07054 (201) 993-4090

NORTHEAST ZONE 45 William Street Wellesley, Massachusetts 02181 (617) 237-9000 *NOTE: The state of Alaska is serviced by SOUTHEAST ZONE the Northwest Zone. The Post Office Box 50256 state of Hawaii is serviced Atianta, Georgia 30302 by the Los Angeles Zone. (404) 257-3600

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.