Product Safety - Rear Safety Belt Twisted

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2004 Chevrolet Aveo sedan vehicles. The rear outboard shoulder safety belts on these vehicles can contact the seatback folding release knob during safety belt use and the belt can become twisted. If the belt is fully extended and then released when it is twisted, the safety belt retractor may lock in position so that the belt cannot be used. If you are in a crash and you are not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse.

Dealers are to install a safety belt webbing guide to prevent the belt from twisting.

Involved are certain 2004 Chevrolet Aveo sedan 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. Dealers that have no involved vehicles currently assigned will not have a report available in GM DealerWorld.

For Canada

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 is being furnished to involved dealers. Dealers that have no involved vehicles currently assigned will not receive a report with the recall bulletin.

The Campaign Initiation Detail Report may contain customer names and addresses obtained from Motor Vehicle Registration Records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any other purpose other than follow-up necessary to complete this recall is a violation of law in several states/provinces/countries. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this report to the follow-up necessary to complete this program.

Parts Pre-Ship Information -- For US and Canada

Important: An initial supply of anchors required to complete this recall will be pre-shipped to involved dealers of record. This pre-shipment is scheduled to begin the week of September 27, 2004 and will be approximately 20% of each dealer's involved vehicles. Pre-shipped parts will be charged to dealer's open parts account.

Additional parts, if required, 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.

The following procedure provides instructions for installing a rear seat shoulder guide to both (left and right) rear outboard seating locations.

1. Move both front seats to the full forward position.
2. Open the right side rear door.
3. Fold the right side rear seat back forward and down.



4. Locate the seat belt guide (1) and webbing material (3) on the rear shelf trim panel (2).



5. Remove the seat belt guide (1) from the opening (2) in the rear shelf trim panel.
6. Carefully cut off the guide (1) from the webbing material (3) and discard the guide.



7. Install the new guide (1) on the seat belt webbing (2) as shown.



8. While holding the webbing material (3) off to the side, position the new guide (1) in the opening in the rear shelf trim panel.

Important: If desired, a scratch awl type tool can be used to punch/pierce holes in the shelf panel in the next step instead of drilling.

9. Using a 7/64 inch drill bit, drill the holes in the rear shelf at the three locations (2) shown.
10. Install the three attaching screws.

Tighten
Tighten the three attaching screws to 1 N·m (9 lb in).




11. Verify that the webbing material is routed correctly through the new guide.
12. Repeat the procedure on the left side seat belt guide.
13. Return both seat backs to the upright position and return the front seats to their original positions.

The General Motors Courtesy Transportation program is intended to minimize customer inconvenience when a vehicle requires a repair that is covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty. The availability of courtesy transportation to customers whose vehicles are within the warranty coverage period and involved in a product recall is very important in maintaining customer satisfaction. Dealers are to ensure that these customers understand that shuttle service or some other form of courtesy transportation is available and will be provided at no charge. Dealers should refer to the General Motors Service Policies and Procedures Manual for Courtesy Transportation guidelines.

Submit a Product Recall Claim with the information indicated below:

Note: Canadian dealers should refer to the Canadian distribution of the bulletin for detailed claim information.

Refer to the General Motors WINS Claims 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 US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle which 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 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 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.

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. A copy of the customer letter is provided in this bulletin for your use in contacting customers. 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.

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2004 Chevrolet Aveo sedan vehicles. The rear outboard shoulder safety belts on these vehicles can contact the seatback folding release knob during safety belt use and the belt can become twisted. If the belt is fully extended and then released when it is twisted, the safety belt retractor may lock in position so that the belt cannot be used. If you are in a crash and you are not wearing a safety belt, your injuries can be much worse.

Your dealer will install a safety belt webbing guide to prevent the belt from twisting. This service will be performed for you at no charge .

This service correction will take approximately 20 minutes. However, due to service scheduling requirements, your dealer may need your vehicle for a longer period of time.

To limit any possible inconvenience, we recommend that you contact your GM dealer as soon as possible to schedule an appointment for this repair. By scheduling an appointment, your dealer can ensure that the necessary parts will be available on your scheduled appointment date.

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. The Customer Assistance Center hours of operation are from 8:00 AM - 11:00 PM eastern standard time Monday through Friday.

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 no longer own this vehicle, please let us know by completing the form and mailing it back to us.

If your vehicle is within the New Vehicle Limited Warranty your dealer may provide you with shuttle service or some other form of courtesy transporation 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.

Information about this recall (including answers to 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's 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN) shown onthe enclosed form to get the most personalized information for your vehicle.

Federal regulation requires that any vehicle lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within ten days.

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

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