Tire Safety - Firestone Tire Recall

Firestone has decided that a defect that relates to motor vehicle safety may exist in about 150 Wilderness LE P265/70R16 tires manufactured in Cuernavaca, Mexico on April 24, 2000. In order to recover those tires, Firestone is recalling about 8,000 tires manufactured during the week of April 23, 2000. Reduced adhesion in the 150 tires can lead to tread distortion and tread belt separation, which may be accompanied by irregular wear, noise, or vibration. If this condition were ignored, with continued operation, it may lead to complete separation of the tread/belt package from the tire carcass. This might startle the driver and lead to a vehicle crash.

The owner may bring the vehicle to either a GM dealer or a Firestone retailer for a free tire inspection and, if necessary, replacement of the tires. Dealers are to inspect the tires' DOT Serial Number to determine if they are subject to recall. Be sure to check the spare tire DOT number as well. If any tire on the vehicle has the suspect DOT Serial Number, dealers are to replace all five tires on the vehicle (including the spare tire), to help ensure customer satisfaction. If none of the tires on the vehicle have the suspect DOT Serial Number, dealers should not replace any of the tires of the vehicle under this campaign.

There is a difference between the service instructions that Firestone provided to its retailers and those GM provided to GMC and Chevrolet dealers. The Firestone procedure calls for the replacement of only those tires with the suspect DOT Serial Number, and certain other tires depending upon tread wear. If a dealer sublets the repair to a Firestone retailer, state "replace five tires" on the repair order.

In order to collect approximately 150 P265/70R16 Wilderness LE tires manufactured in Cuernavaca, Mexico during the week of April 23, 2000 that may have a safety related defect, Firestone has initiated a voluntary safety recall campaign covering approximately 8,000 tires. The tires may have been used on up to 4,700 vehicles manufactured at GM's Silao, Mexico plant during late April and early May 2000. The recalled tires are original equipment on a small number of model eyar 2000 GMC Yukon XL 1500 series and could also be ordered as optional equipment on the 2000 MY Chevrolet Suburban 1500 series vehicle(s).

Invovled are certain 2000 Chevrolet Suburban and GMC Yukon XL vehicles built within these VIN breakpoints:

Important: Dealers should confirm vehicle eligibility through GMVIS (GM Vehicle Inquiry System) or GM Access Screen (Canada only) or DCS Screen 445 (IPC Only) before beginning campaign repairs. [Not all vehicles within the above breakpoints may ve 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 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 listing to the follow-up necessary to complete this campaign.

All five tires (four on the vehicle and the spare tire), must be inspected to confirm the suspect DOT Serial Number. If the dealer inspection confirms that one or more tires have the suspect DOT Serial Number, ALL FIVE TIRES are to be replaced.

U.S. Dealers

Dealers should obtain five replacement tires from the Firestone retailer nearest them. Complete a "GM Dealer Tire Requisition and Return Document." The completed form is authorization for any Firestone retailer to deliver replacement tires to the GM dealer at no charge.

If you are unable to get recall replacement tires immediately from your nearest Firestone retailer, then please ask your Firestone retailers to check stock at other Firestone retailers or have them call for an expedited shipment of the replacement tires.

Canadian Dealers

To procure the appropriate tires for repair, immediately contact the location nearest your facility, noted below, for an expedited shipment of replacement tires.

Both Firestone and GM will contact owners by mail within the next two weeks to advise them of this Firestone recall and ask them to bring their vehicles in for a tire inspection and free replacement of the recalled tires. Owners are given the choice of having the recall inspections and, if necessary, tire replacement performed by a local Firestone retailer, or by the GM dealer. GMVIS will be updated with campaign completion information provided by Firestone, about recall services provided by Firestone retailers.

FOR US AND IPC (US States, Territories, and Possessions)

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act 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 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 campaign notification letters, customers are told how to contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the campaign is not completed within a reasonable time.

FOR ALL

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 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.

Important: If replacement tires are not available for same day installation, provide the customer with courtesy transportation, if required.

1. Raise and suitably support the vehicle.
2. Confirm that the tire type and tire size are Firestone Wilderness LE (blackwall or outline white letter) in size P265/70R16.

-	If the vehicle has the above tires on the vehicle, proceed to Step 3.

-	If the vehicle does not have the above tires on the vehicle, no further action is required. Install the GM Campaign Identification Label.

3. Inspect the DOT Serial Number on all five of the tires (including the spare tire). The Serial Number will be stamped into the inside facing sidewall of the tire, close to the wheel rim. If one or more tires have the DOT Serial Numbers listed below, REPLACE ALL FIVE TIRES.

Recalled DOT Serial Numbers: DOT V672 WL1 1700 or DOT V672 WL2 1700.

Important: If tire replacement is sublet to your Firestone retailer, state "replace five tires" on the repair order.

4. At the time of tire removal, cut the sidewall of all tires with the suspect DOT Serial Numbers so that they will not hold air. Tires with DOT Serial Numbers other than the suspect ones, are not to be destroyed. Return all five tires using the normal procedure for General Motors New Vehicle Limited Warranty by attaching a completed "GM Dealer Tire Requisition and Return Document" to each removed tire, and return to the appropriate Firestone Return Center.

•	U.S. Dealers:

•	A copy of the form can be found in Service Bulletin 00-03-10-003A. If UPS return labels are required, they can be obtained by calling Dealer Support Materials at 1-888-549-6152.

•	Canadian Dealers:

•	A copy of the form can be found in the Policies and Procedures Manual.

5. Replace the tires with Wilderness LE P265/70R16 BW or OWL as appropriate. Follow applicable Service Manual procedure for tire replacement.
6. Install the GM Campaign Identification Label.

FOR US AND IPC

Place a Campaign Identification Label on each vehicle corrected in accordance with the instructions outlined in ths Product Campaign Bulletin. 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.

Put the Campaign Identification Label on a clean and dry surface of the radiator core support in an area that will be visible to people servicing the vehicle. When installing the Campaign Identification Label, be sure to pull the tab to allow the adhesion of the clear protective covering. Additional Campaign Identification Labels for US dealers can be obtained from Dealer Support Material by calling 1-888-549-6152 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST). Ask for Item Number S-1015 when ordering.

Additional Campaign Identification Labels for IPC dealers can be obtained from your Regional Marketing Office.

FOR CANADA

Place a Campaign Identification Label on each vehicle corrected in accordance with the instructions outlined in this Product Campaign Bulletin. 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.

Put the Campaign Identification Label on a clean and dry surface of the radiator core support in an area that will be visible to people servicing the vehicle. Additional Campaign Identification Labels for Canadian dealers can be obtained from DGN by calling 1-800-668-5539 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST). Ask for Item Number GMP 91 when ordering.

Important: General Motors Corporation has agreed to allow the use of their Claims System for dealer payment.

Submit a claim with the information indicated below:

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

Dear gGeneral Motors Customer:

Within the last several days, you should have received a letter from Firestone advising you of a safety recall that applies to the tires on your 2000 GMC Yukon XL/Chevrolet Suburban 1500 Series.

This notice is being sent to you, in addition to Firestone's previous notification, to help minimize any inconvenience that you might have because of the Firestone recall. Although Firestone is conduting the recall, for your convenience, General Motors is assisting Firestone by making our dealer body available to perform the campaign inspection and, if necessary, tire replacement.

Firestone has decided that a defect that relates to motor vehicle safety may exist in about 150 Wilderness LE P265/70R16 tires manufactured in Cuernavaca, Mexico on April 24, 2000. In order to recover those tires, Firestone is recalling about 8,000 tires manufactured during the week of April 23, 2000. Reduced adhesion in the 150 tires can lead to tread distortion and tread belt separation, which may be accompanied by irregular wear, noise, or vibration. If this condition were ignored, with continued operation, it may lead to complete separation of the tread/belt package from the tire carcass. This might startle the driver and lead to a vehicle crash.

To correct this condition, your dealer will inspect the DOT Serial Number on your tires to determine if your tires could potentially have this defect, and replade them if necessary.

Please contact your Chevrolet or GMC dealer, or if you wish your Firestone retailer, as soon as possible to arrange a service date and to make sure parts are available in case your vehicle should need a tire replacement. Because of the small number of tires involved in the campaign, parts generally are available, and instructions for making this correction have been sent to your dealer.

Your Chevrolet or GMC dealer, or your Firestone retailer, can provide services to correct your vehicle as promptly as possible. 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:

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 attached customer reply card identifies your vehicle. Presentation of this card 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 attached and mailing it in the postage paid envelope.

We are sorry that you have been caused this inconvenience; however, we hope our involvement in this tire campaign will minimize any unnecessary inconvenience for you and will result in your continued satisfaction with our products.

General Motors Corporation

Enclosure