Noncompliance - Park Lock System Compliance

General Motors has decided that certain 2005 model year Chevrolet Equinox vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114, Theft Protection. The Standard requires a park lock system in vehicles that will prevent the transmission from being shifted out of PARK when the key is removed from the ignition. Some vehicles were produced with a shifter park lock cable that was incorrectly adjusted, which allows the transmission to be shifted out of PARK when the ignition key is removed.

Dealers are to inspect the operation of the transmission shifter and if required, readjust the shifter park lock cable. The owner letter will explain how to determine if the cable needs adjustment. If the inspection indicates that the cable requires adjustment, or if the customer is uncomfortable performing the inspection, they will be instructed to contact their dealer.

Involved are certain 2005 model year Chevrolet Equinox 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 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 vehicles currently assigned will not have a report available in GM DealerWorld.

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 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.

No parts are required for this recall.

The following procedure provides instructions for inspecting the park lock system operation, and if necessary, seating the park lock cable end correctly in the shifter assembly.

Inspection

1. Place the automatic transmission lever in the PARK position.
2. Set the parking brake.
3. Turn the ignition key to the OFF position and remove the key.
4. Attempt to remove the transmission lever from the PARK position by depressing the shifter button and pulling the shifter in the direction of the other gear positions.

•	If the transmission lever could NOT be removed from the PARK position, then no further action is required.

•	If the transmission lever COULD be removed from the PARK position, then proceed to the next section titled, "Park Lock Cable Repair."

Park Lock Cable Repair

This procedure should only be performed if the automatic transmission lever could be removed from the PARK position with the ignition key in the OFF position.

1. Locate the fuse center on the forward right side of the floor console and remove the cover.



2. Remove the AIR BAG fuse.
3. Remove the rubber mat from the floor console at the base of the shifter.



4. Starting at the bottom, carefully pull to disengage the trim bezel retainers from the floor console.



5. Continue to disengage the trim bezel retainers from the instrument panel (IP).
6. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position and move the shifter lever to the L2 position.
7. Carefully disengage the retainers that attach the rear cover to the console.
8. With the trim bezel raised up, disconnect the electrical connector from the power window switch.
9. Carefully reposition the complete trim bezel off to the right side of the console.



10. Locate the orange retaining ring (1) that attaches the park lock cable to the shift control. Squeeze the two tabs on the orange retaining ring together and pull upward to remove the park lock cable from the shift control.
11. Place the shift lever in the PARK position and remove the key from the ignition.
12. Reaching under the front of the shift assembly, disconnect the park lock cable retainer (2) from the shift lever by pushing the end of the cable rearward to disengage the slot (4) from the pin (3).
13. With the park lock cable disconnected from the shifter, reposition the cable to obtain access to the cable end.




Important: DO NOT remove the locking retainer (C-clip) from the cable end in the next step. It is only necessary to raise or pry the clip partially out of the cable end.

14. Using a small flat-bladed screwdriver, carefully pry up the locking retainer (1) in the cable retainer.
15. Position the cable and orange retaining ring back into the shifter control and push down to seat the ring.
16. With the shift lever in the PARK position and the key removed from the ignition switch, reach under the shifter and attach the cable retainer to the pin on the shifter. Pull the cable forward to engage the cable retainer (a click will be heard and felt).

Important: Do not pull, push, or disturb the cable when seating the locking retainer in the next step. Doing so may cause the cable to be misadjusted.

17. With the cable attached to the pin, press the locking retainer inwards until fully seated in the cable retainer. At this point, the cable should be properly adjusted.
18. With the key removed from the ignition switch, attempt to remove the transmission lever from the PARK position.

•	If the transmission lever could NOT be removed from the PARK position, then the cable IS adjusted correctly. Proceed to the next step.

•	If the transmission lever COULD be removed from the PARK position, then the cable has NOT been adjusted correctly. Repeat the adjustment steps above.

19. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position and move the shift lever to the L2 position.
20. Carefully position the trim bezel over the console and connect the electrical connector to the power window switch.
21. Position the trim bezel to the IP and console, and engage the retainers.
22. Position the rear cover to the console and engage the retainers.
23. Place the shift lever in the PARK position and install the rubber mat.
24. Install the AIR BAG fuse and fuse center cover.

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:

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 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.

General Motors has decided that certain 2005 model year Chevrolet Equinox vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 114, Theft Protection. The Standard requires a park lock system in vehicles that will prevent the transmission from being shifted out of PARK when the key is removed from the ignition. Some vehicles were produced with a shifter park lock cable that was incorrectly adjusted, which allows the transmission to be shifted out of PARK when the ignition key is removed.

Your GM dealer will inspect the operation of transmission shifter, and if required, readjust the shifter park lock cable. This service will be performed for you at no charge.

Since the inspection is easy to perform, and to reduce any inconvenience to you, we have included the inspection procedure with this letter. However, if you desire, you can take your vehicle to your dealer for the inspection.

If you decide to inspect the transmission shifter operation yourself and you find that the shifter park lock cable requires adjustment, you should contact your GM dealer to schedule an appointment for the adjustment.

If the inspection determines that the cable DOES NOT require adjustment, please check the box marked "Other" on the enclosed customer reply form and mail it back to us. This will remove your name from our list so that you won't be contacted about this again.

This inspection will take approximately 5 minutes. If the cable needs adjustment, an additional 15 minutes will be required. 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. 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 will provide you with shuttle service or some other form of courtesy transportation 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.

The Owner Center at My GMLink is a free online service that 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 on the 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

04044

1. Put the vehicle in PARK, turn the vehicle off, and remove the key from the ignition.
2. Set the parking brake.
3. Attempt to move the transmission lever out of the PARK position by depressing the shifter button and pulling the shifter in the direction of the other gear positions.
4. Did the transmission lever move out of PARK?

NO - If the transmission lever could NOT be moved out of the PARK position, the cable is OK and does not require adjustment. Check the box marked "Other" on the enclosed customer reply form and mail it back to us. This will remove your name from our list so that you won't be contacted about this again.

YES - If the transmission lever COULD be moved out of the PARK position, place the lever back into the PARK position and contact your dealer to schedule an appointment to have your cable adjusted.