CAMPAIGN:LEFT AND RIGHT UPPER BALL JOINT NUT UNDER
SUBJECT: LEFT AND RIGHT UPPER BALL JOINT NUT UNDERTORQUED
MODELS: 1995 JIMMY 4WD BUILT AT MORAINE ASSEMBLY PLANT (VIN CODE "2")
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 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 appointments with owners and to repair their vehicles as soon as possible. As you will see in reading the attached copy of the letter which is being sent to owners, the owner is being instructed to contact the GMC Truck Division Consumer Relations Office if the dealer does not remedy the condition within five days of the mutually agreed upon service date. If the condition is not remedied within a reasonable time, they are instructed how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
DEFECT INVOLVED
General Motors has determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in CERTAIN 1995 4WD Jimmy vehicles. These vehicles were assembled with upper balljoints that were not torqued to the proper specification. This can result in improper seating of the tapered ball- joint stud in the tapered hole of the steering knuckle. In this condition, the stud can loosen, eventually fatigue, and fracture resulting in a loss of steering control. If this were to occur while the vehicle was in motion, a vehicle crash could occur without prior warning.
To correct this condition, dealers will torque the upper ball joint nut on both sides of the vehicle to the specified torque values.
VEHICLES INVOLVED
Involved are CERTAIN 1995 Jimmys (4 wheel drive only) built at Moraine Assembly Plant and built within the following VIN breakpoints:
Year Model From Through
1995 T10506 S2525264 S2525421
The specific vehicles involved in this campaign have been identified by Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) Computer Listings. These listings are furnished to all involved dealers with the campaign. Dealers should confirm vehicle eligibility through VISS (Vehicle Information Service System) or SERVICENET prior to beginning campaign repairs.
DEALER CAMPAIGN RESPONSIBILITY
All unsold vehicles in dealers' possession and subject to this campaign MUST be held and inspected/repaired per the service procedure of this campaign bulletin BEFORE owners take possession of these vehicles.
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.
Owners of vehicles recently sold from your new vehicle inventory with no owner information indicated on the dealer listing, are to be contacted by the dealer, and arrangements made to make the required correction according to the instructions contained in this bulletin. This could be done by mailing to such owners a copy of the owner letter accompanying this bulletin. Campaign follow-up cards should not be used for this purpose, since the owner 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.
If the name and address of the owner of an involved vehicle was unavailable to GMC Truck Division at the time of campaign initiation, the dealer must determine the owner's name and address from the dealership sales records. Please provide this information directly on the second copy of the listing next to the applicable VIN so that our records may be updated and the appropriate notification mailed to the owner. This second copy should then be submitted to the address listed below in the previously supplied yellow campaign envelopes.
GMC Truck Division General Motors Corporation 101 Union Street Plymouth, Michigan 48170
OWNER NOTIFICATION
Owners will be notified of this campaign on their vehicles by GMC Truck Division (see copy of owner letter included with this bulletin). A listing of owner names and addresses has been furnished to the involved dealers to enable dealers to follow up with owners involved in this campaign. This listing may contain owner 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 this campaign.
SERVICE PROCEDURE
1. Raise the vehicle and support it with safety stands.
2. Remove the front left and right tire and wheel assemblies.
3. Disconnect the cotter pin (Figure 1, Item 3) from the nut (Figure 1, Item 2) on the upper control arm ball joint stud (Figure 1, Item 1).
4. Using an 11/16 inch wrench loosen the nut (Figure 1, Item 2) by backing it off two complete turns.
5. Using a torque wrench with an 11/16 inch socket, tighten the balljoint stud nut (Figure 1, Item 2) to 75-91 NM (56-67 lbs. ft.). Tighten the nut to align the cotter pin. Do not exceed more than one sixth of a turn beyond torque settings. Do not loosen the nut to obtain alignment for cotter pin.
6. Install a new cotter pin equivalent to the original one that was removed in step 3 above (Figure 1, Item 3), and bend the pin ends against the nut.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 for the other side of the vehicle.
8. Install tire and wheel assemblies.
9. Install Campaign Identification Label.
PARTS INFORMATION
Parts are to be obtained from General Motors Service Parts Operation (GMSPO). To ensure that these parts will be obtained as soon as possible, they should be ordered from GMSPO on a C.I.O. order with no special instruction code but order under an advise code (2). All Goodwrench parts system test dealers should order on a "VIP" order.
Part Number Description Quantity ----------- ----------- -------- 9431604 Cotter Pin 2
WARRANTY INFORMATION
Dealers should submit an accurately filled out Warranty Repair Order on each vehicle completed under this campaign.
Labor Description *Time Cause Operation Allowance Code Number --------- ----------- --------- ----- V9620 Torque Left And Right Upper Ball 1.0 96 Joint Nut To Upper Control Arm
For dealer to receive Administrative Time Allowance associated with this campaign, add 0.1 hour to the Labor Operation Time Allowance.
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 five (5) digit dealer code of the dealer performing the campaign service. This information may be inserted with a typewriter or 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 for periodic servicing by the owner.
Apply "Campaign Identification Label" only on a clean, dry surface.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURE
Procedures covering this campaign are outlined in Section V of your dealership's "GMC Truck Warranty Claims Processing Manual" #P9119 Rev. 2/94.
Dear GMC Truck 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 a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in CERTAIN 1995 4WD Jimmys. These vehicles were assembled with upper ball joint nuts that were not torqued to the proper specification. This can result in improper seating of the tapered ball-joint stud in the tapered hole of the steering knuckle. In this condition, the stud can loosen, eventually fatigue, and fracture resulting in a loss of steering control. If this were to occur while the vehicle was in motion, a vehicle crash could occur without prior warning.
To correct this condition, dealers will loosen and torque the upper ball joint nut to the specified torque values. This service will be performed for you at no charge.
Instructions for performing this service have been sent to your GMC Truck dealer. Please contact your dealer to arrange a service date. The labor time necessary to perform this correction will be approximately 1 hour. Please ask your dealer how much additional time will be needed to process your vehicle.
Your GMC Truck dealer is best equipped to provide service to ensure your vehicle is corrected as promptly as possible. However, if you take your vehicle to your dealer on the agreed service date and they do not service this condition on that date or within five days, we recommend you contact GMC Truck Consumer Relations by telephone. Consumer Relations will assist you and your dealer in getting your vehicle corrected. The telephone number of the Consumer Relations office is listed in your Warranty and Owner Assistance Information Manual.
After contacting your GMC Truck dealer and GMC Truck Consumer Relations, if you are still not satisfied that 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 366-0123).
The enclosed postage paid owner reply card identifies your vehicle. Presentation of this card to your dealer will assist in making the necessary correction to your vehicle in the shortest possible time. If you have sold or traded your vehicle, please furnish us complete name and address of the person you sold or traded your vehicle to and return the card to us.
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 product.
GMC TRUCK DIVISION General Motors Corporation
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.
