CAMPAIGN:RH LOWER CONT. ARM NUTS UNDER-TORQUED

PRODUCT SAFETY CAMPAIGN

SUBJECT: 98006 - RH LOWER CONTROL ARM NUTS UNDER-TORQUED

MODELS: 1998 CHEVROLET BLAZER, OLDSMOBILE BRAVADA, AND GM JIMMY 4-DOOR TRUCKS EQUIPPED WITH 4WD OR AWD

THIS CAMPAIGN BULLETIN WAS SENT VIA DCS136 TO ALL DEALERS ON JANUARY 22, 1998

The Highway 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 customer has tendered it for repair. A failure to repair within sixty (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 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. As you will see in reading the attached copy of the divisional letter that is being sent to customers, the customers are being instructed to contact the appropriate Customer Assistance Center if their dealer does not remedy the condition within five (5) days of the mutually agreed upon service date. If the condition is not remedied within a reasonable time, they are instructed on how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

DEFECT INVOLVED

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 1998 Chevrolet Blazer, Oldsmobile Bravada, and GMC Jimmy 4- door trucks equipped with 4WD or AWD and built at the Moraine Assembly Plant. These vehicles may exhibit a condition in which either or both of the attaching nuts for the right-hand lower control arm may be under-torqued. Low torque on either of these nuts may allow the attachment bolt to loosen and subsequently fatigue and break. The bolt breakage could result in separation of the right-hand lower control arm from the frame causing loss of vehicle control. If this were to occur while the vehicle was in motion, a vehicle crash could result without prior warning.

To prevent the possibility of this condition occurring, dealers are to tighten the right-hand lower control arm nuts to the proper torque specification.

VEHICLES INVOLVED

Involved are the following 1998 Chevrolet Blazer, Oldsmobile Bravada, and GMC Jimmy 4-door trucks equipped with 4WD or AWD and built at the Moraine Assembly Plant:

CHEVROLET

VIN Ship To Dealer

1GNDT13W7W2194108 00192 1GNDT13W2W2194257 02035 1GNDT13W5W2194320 02180 1GNDT13W9W2194269 04866 1GNDT13W3W2194302 05684 1GNDT13W6W2194181 06115 1GNDT13W8W2194148 06595 1GNDT13W5W2194088 09061 1GNDT13W8W2194117 09096 1GNDT13W9W2194174 10215 1GNDT13W5W2194284 10248 1GNDT13WOW2194287 10248 1GNDT13W4W2194194 10532 1GNDT13W5W2194091 11002 1GNDT13WOW2194130 15003 1GNDT13W2W2194081 15072 1GNDT13W9W2194157 15546 1GNDT13W5W2194169 18062 1GNDT13WOW2194158 18386 1GNDT13W5W2194253 19447 1GNDT13W4W2194082 25128 1GNDT13WOW2194080 25348 1GNDT13W4W2194101 32061 1GNDT13W2W2194131 32229 1GNDT13W6W2194133 32229 1GNDT13W7W2194092 32433 1GNDT13WOW2194094 39222 1GNDT13WXW2194121 44296 1GNDT13W6W2194102 44487 1GNDT13WlW2194136 56304 1GNDT13W9W2194160 56304 1GNDT13W3W2194249 56304

GMC

VIN Ship To Dealer

1GKDT13W5W2535762 00305 1GKDT13W6W2535768 00305 1GKDT13W4W2535770 00305 1GKDT13W8W2535786 00305 1GKDT13WlW2535791 00305 1GKDT13W3W2535792 00305 1GKDT13W7W2535813 00305 1GKDT13W2W2535752 00320 1GKDT13W8W2535805 00320 1GKDT13WOW2535751 06053 1GKDT13W2W2535847 06545 1GKDT13W7W2535780 06589 1GKDT13WOW2535829 06589 1GKDT13W3W2535808 26162 1GKDT13W9W2535750 39056 1GKDT13W2W2535802 39056 1GKDT13W8W2535755 45127 1GKDT13W3W2535789 45129 1GKDT13W5W2535793 45129 1GKDT13W2W2535797 45129 1GKDT13W6W2535799 45129 1GKDT13WOW2535801 45129 1GKDT13W6W2535804 45129 1GKDT13W5W2535809 45129 1GKDT13W9W2535814 45129 1GKDT13WXW2535823 45129 1GKDT13W3W2535839 45129 1GKDT13W4W2535848 45129 1GKDT13W8W2535934 45129

OLDSMOBILE

VIN Ship To Dealer

1GHDT13WlW2713768 06349 1GHDT13WOW2713759 07281 1GHDT13W9W2713808 07324 1GHDT13W9W2713758 07678 1GHDT13W2W2713763 07902 1GHDT13WOW2713745 12763 1GHDT13W5W2713742 15814 1GHDT13W4W2713795 23911 1GHDT13W4W2713750 24902 1GHDT13W9W2713761 24902 1GHDT13W5W2713773 24902

NOTICE: Dealers should confirm vehicle eligibility through VISS (Vehicle Information Service System) or ServiceNet (GMC only) prior to 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 State Motor Vehicle Registration Records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any other purpose is a violation of law in several states. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this listing to the follow-up necessary to complete this campaign.

PARTS INFORMATION

No parts are required for this campaign.

CUSTOMER NOTIFICATION

There will no owner letter mailed. These vehicles are in-transit or very recently delivered to dealerships and have not likely been delivered to customers. If a vehicle was recently sold from your new vehicle inventory, contact the customer and make arrangements to have the required correction performed on the vehicle.

DEALER CAMPAIGN RESPONSIBILITY

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 appropriate divisional 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.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

1. Raise the vehicle.

2. If a frame contact-type hoist is used, place axle stands under both front lower control arms as close as possible to the lower ball joints.

3. Lower the vehicle onto the axle stands just until the front suspension is loaded with front vehicle weight.

4. Torque the right-hand lower control arm nuts to 110 Nm (81 Ft. Lbs.).

5. If a frame contact hoist was used, raise the vehicle off of the axle stands and remove the axle stands.

6. Lower the vehicle.

7. Install the GM Campaign Identification Label.

CAMPAIGN IDENTIFICATION LABEL

Each vehicle corrected in accordance with the instructions outlined in this Product Campaign Bulletin will require a "Campaign Identification Label". 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.

Each "Campaign Identification Label" is to be located on the radiator core support in an area which will be visible when the vehicle is brought in by the customer for periodic servicing. When installing the Campaign Identification Label, be sure to pull the tab to allow adhesion of the clear protective covering. Additional Campaign Identification Labels can be obtained from VISPAC Incorporated by calling 1-800-269-5100 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 a to 4:30 p.m. EST). Ask for Item Number S-1015 when ordering

Apply the "Campaign Identification Label" only on a clean, dry surface.

CLAIM INFORMATION

Submit a Product Campaign Claim with the information indicated below:

* REPAIR PART FAILED PARTS LABOR LABOR PERFORMED COUNT PART NO. ALLOW CC-FC 0P HOURS

Torque RH Lower 0 --- --- MA-96 V0128 0.3 Control Arm Nuts

* For Campaign Administrative Allowance, add 0.1 hours to the "Labor Hours".

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

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.