Noncompliance - Seat Belt Buckle Compliance

General Motors has decided that certain 2004 model year Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vehicles fail to conform to Federal/Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 209, Seat Belt Assemblies. These vehicles may have been produced with seat belt buckle assemblies containing a latch with a brittle condition that could cause the assemblies to fail the strength tests specified in the standard. As a result, the safety belt may not restrain the occupant as intended during a crash and could result in injury to the occupant.

Dealers are to replace all of the safety belt buckles.

Involved are certain 2004 model year Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana 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 & IPC

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 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 required to complete this recall 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.

Seat Belt Buckle Replacement -- Front

1. Remove the bolt cover from the base of the driver's seat belt buckle.
2. Remove the seat belt buckle retaining bolt from the seat.

Important: In order to remove a driver's seat belt buckle there is an electrical connector that must be disconnected and a wiring harness that needs to be routed out from under the seat assembly in the next step. This wiring harness is not used on the right front passenger seat.

3. Disconnect the electrical connector from the seat belt buckle wiring harness and route the wiring harness out from under the seat.
4. Remove the seat belt buckle from the seat.
5. Position the new seat belt buckle to the seat.
6. Route the new wiring harness under the seat and connect the electrical connector.

Notice: Use the correct fastener in the correct location. Replacement fasteners must be the correct part number for that application. Fasteners requiring replacement or fasteners requiring the use of thread locking compound or sealant are identified in the service procedure. Do not use paints, lubricants, or corrosion inhibitors on fasteners or fastener joint surfaces unless specified. These coatings affect fastener torque and joint clamping force and may damage the fastener. Use the correct tightening sequence and specifications when installing fasteners in order to avoid damage to parts and systems.

7. Install the seat belt buckle retaining bolt to the seat.

Tighten
Tighten the seat belt buckle retaining bolt to 52 N·m (38 lb ft).

8. Install the cover over the bolt on the seat belt buckle.
9. Repeat procedure on the passenger side, if applicable.

Seat Belt Buckle Replacement -- Rear Bench Seats

1. Move the front seats to the full forward position.
2. Release the bench seat from the floor. If necessary, see the vehicle's owner's manual for additional information.

2.1.

Locate the two pins located on the inboard sides of the bench seat. If the vehicle has floor mats, the pins will be located under a flap that has been cut into the mat. The driver's side pin has a gray cap with a black "L" marked on it. The passenger's side pin has a black cap with a white "R" marked on it.

2.2.	Pull the pin handle up to disengage the pin from the retaining clip, and then pull the pin out.

2.3.	Repeat this procedure on the other pin.

2.4.	Pull the seat rearward about 50 mm (2 in) and then lift the seat from the floor rails.

3. Reposition (tilt) the bench seat forward in the vehicle to improve access to the lower rear backside of the seat.
4. Release the J-strip(s) and hook and loop fastener(s) from under the rear of the seat cushion.

Important: Depending on the seating location, the seat belt buckle being changed may be attached to another buckle or a center lap belt with a bushing. The new buckle being installed at that seating location will also have the other buckles or lap belts already attached. Therefore, it is not necessary to remove the bushing (separate the buckles or lap belts).

5. Remove the bolt attaching the seat belt buckle(s) to the seat frame.
6. Route the seat belt buckle(s) being changed through the opening between the seat cushion and seatback.
7. Install the new seat belt buckle assembly through the opening between the seat cushion and the seatback.

Notice: Use the correct fastener in the correct location. Replacement fasteners must be the correct part number for that application. Fasteners requiring replacement or fasteners requiring the use of thread locking compound or sealant are identified in the service procedure. Do not use paints, lubricants, or corrosion inhibitors on fasteners or fastener joint surfaces unless specified. These coatings affect fastener torque and joint clamping force and may damage the fastener. Use the correct tightening sequence and specifications when installing fasteners in order to avoid damage to parts and systems.

8. Install the seat belt buckle retaining bolt to the seat frame.

Tighten
Tighten the seat belt buckle retaining bolt to 40 N·m (30 lb ft).

9. Repeat Steps 5-8 on the remaining buckles being replaced on that bench seat assembly.
10. Re-attach the J-strips under the seat and secure the hook and loop fasteners.
11. Repeat Steps 2-10 on any other bench seats.
12. Install all bench seats to the floor.

12.1.

Position the seat into the open slots in both rails in the floor.

12.2.

Push the seat forward in the rail, hooking both seat bases onto the pins inside of the rails.

12.3.

Locate the hole in the rail for the locking pin.

12.4.

Insert the correct locking pin into the seat base and push the seat to line up the pin with the base. The pin with the black cap marked "R" must be installed on the passenger's side and the pin with the gray cap marked "L" on the driver's side.

12.5.

Push the pin down until it is in the retaining clip.

12.6.

If the vehicle has a floor mat, put the flap back to its original position.

13. Move the front seats back 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.

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).

Letters will be sent to known owners of record located within areas covered by the US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. For owners outside these areas, dealers should notify customers using the attached suggested dealer letter.

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

General Motors has decided that certain 2004 model year Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana vehicles fail to conform to Federal/Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 209, Seat Belt Assemblies. These vehicles may have been produced with seat belt buckle assemblies containing a latch with a brittle condition that could cause the assemblies to fail the strength tests specified in the standard. As a result, the safety belt may not restrain the occupant as intended during a crash and could result in injury to the occupant.

Your GM dealer will replace all of the safety belt buckles in your vehicle. This service will be performed for you at no charge .

This service correction will take approximately 15 to 55 minutes, depending on the number of seat belt buckles that will require replacement. 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 any 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 between the hours of 8:00 AM and 11:00 PM, EST, Monday through Friday. The telephone numbers are provided below.

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 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.

More 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 on the enclosed form to get the most personalized information for your vehicle.

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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