Product Safety - Windshield Wiper Motor Failure

This recall bulletin, minus your assigned VIN listing, is being sent to you at this time in order to take care of those customers who bring their vehicle in for a malfunctioning windshield wiper motor prior to their notification of this recall.

GM plans to begin notifying owners of this recall in late June, 2003. That is when parts are expected to be available in sufficient quantities to support this recall. A VIN listing will be sent to dealers at that time.

In the meantime, should an owner bring in one of the vehicles listed above because the windshield wiper system exhibits the conditions described in the "Condition" paragraph contained in this bulletin, check the VIN in GMVIS to determine vehicle eligibility. If the vehicles is eligible, perform service correction and submit the claim as instructed in this bulletin.

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 1994 Chevrolet C/K Pickup, Tahoe, Suburban; 1995 Chevrolet C/K Pickup, C/K Crew Cab, Tahoe, Suburban, Astro Van; 1996 Chevrolet Blazer, S10 Pickup, C/K Pickup, C/K Crew Cab, Tahoe, Suburban, Astro Van; 1997 Chevrolet S10 Pickup, C/K Crew Cab, Suburban 4WD, Astro Van; 1994 GMC Sierra Pickup, Yukon, Suburban; 1995 GMC Sierra Pickup, Sierra Crew Cab, Yukon, Suburban, Safari Van; 1996 GMC Sonoma, Jimmy, Sierra Pickup, Sierra Crew Cab, Yukon, Suburban, Safari Van; 1997 GMC Sonoma, Sierra Crew Cab, Suburban 4WD, Safari Van; 1996 Oldsmobile Bravada vehicles. These vehicles may have a condition in which the windshield wiper motor may fail. These failures are the result of cracked solder joints on the controller circuit board near the wiring harness connector. Depending on which solder joints crack or the severity of the crack, the windshield wipers could work intermittently or not at all. If this were to occur in a severe weather situation, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.

Dealers are to replace the wiper motor circuit board and cover.

Involved are certain 1994 Chevrolet C/K Pickup, Tahoe, Suburban; 1995 Chevrolet C/K Pickup, C/K Crews Cab, Tahoe, Suburban, Astro Van; 1996 Chevrolet Blazer, S10 Pickup, C/K Pickup, C/K Crew Cab, Tahoe, Suburban, Astro Van; 1997 Chevrolet S10 Pickup, C/K Crew Cab, Suburban 4WD, Astro Van; 1994 GMC Sierra Pickup, Yukon, Suburban; 1995 GMC Sierra Pickup, Sierra Crew Cab, Yukon, Suburban, Safari Van; 1996 GMC Sonoma, Jimmy, Sierra Pickup, Sierra Crew Cab, Yukon, Suburban, Safari Van; 1997 GMC Sonoma, Sierra Crew Cab, Suburban 4WD, Safari Van; 1996 Oldsmobile Bravada 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.]

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 recall bulletin. The customer name and address data furnished will enable dealers to follow-up with customers involved in this recall. Any dealer not receiving a computer listing with the recall 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 recall.

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.

1. Turn the ignition key to the OFF position.
2. Remove the Connector Position Assurance (CPA) and disconnect the wiper motor electrical connector.



3. Remove the three screws that secure the cover to the wiper motor and remove the cover.
4. Inspect for sealant on the inside of the cover and then discard the cover and screws.

Important: If sealant was found on the old cover, it will be necessary to remove any old sealant from the motor housing in Step 6.

5. Carefully remove the module (circuit board) from the wiper motor by lifting up on the end of the module electrical connector.
6. If necessary, remove any old sealant from the wiper motor housing (refer to Step 4).

Notice: When handling the new module in the next step, be careful not to damage or band the electrical contacts on the bottom side of the module.

7. Install the module into the wiper motor housing, making sure that the module is fully seated. When fully seated, the edges of the module circuit board will be flush (even) with the motor housing along all sides.



8. Carefully apply a bead of silicone sealant, P/N 12345739 (or GE-162 sealant or equivalent) in the groove of the NEW cover (Figure 2). Remove any excess sealant that is outside of the groove.

Important: Only apply enough sealant to fill the groove in the cover.

9. Install the new cover on the wiper motor housing and install the three new screws.

Tighten
Tighten the screws to 2.6 N·m (23 lb in).

10. Reconnect the wiper motor electrical connector to the wiper motor assembly and install the CPA.
11. Turn the ignition key to the ON position and check the wiper system for proper operation (delay/low/high/etc.).
12. Install the GM Recall Identification Label.

Place a Recall Identification Label on each vehicle corrected in accordance with the instructions outlined in this Product Recall Bulletin. Each label provides a space to include the recall number and the five (5) digit dealer code of the dealer performing the recall service. This information may be inserted with a typewriter or a ball point pen.

Put the Recall 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 Recall Identification Label, be sure to pull the tab to allow the adhesion of the clear protective covering. Additional Recall Identification Labels for US dealers can be obtained from Dealer Support Materials by either ordering on the web from DWD Store, gm-dealerworld.com, or calling 1-866-700-0001 (Monday-Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm EST). Ask for Item Number S-1015 when ordering.

All customer requests for reimbursement for previous repairs for the recall condition will be handled by the Customer Assistance Center, not by dealers.

A General Motors Product Recall Customer Reimbursement Procedure Form is included with the customer letter.

Important: Refer to the GM Service Policies and Procedures Manual, section 6.1.12, for specific procedures regarding customer reimbursement and the form.

Submit a Product Recall Claim with the information indicated below:

Refer to the General Motors WINS Claims Processing Manual for details on Product Recall Claim Submission.

Customers will be notified of this recall on their vehicles by General Motors (see copy of customer letter included with this bulletin).

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle which 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 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 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.

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 a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 1994 model year Chevrolet C/K Pickup, Tahoe, and Suburban vehicles; 1995 model year Chevrolet C/K Pickup, C/K Crew Cab, Tahoe, Suburban, and Astro vehicles; 1996 model year Chevrolet Blazer, S10 Pickup, C/K Pickup, C/K Crew Cab, Tahoe, Suburban, and Astro vehicles; 1997 model year Chevrolet S10 Pickup, C/K Crew Cab, Suburban and Astro vehicles; 1994 model year GMC Sierra Pickup, Yukon, and Suburban vehicles; 1995 model year GMC Sierra Pickup, Sierra Crew Cab, Yukon, Suburban, and Safari vehicles; 1996 model year GMC Sonoma, Jimmy, Sierra Pickup, Sierra Crew Cab, Yukon, Suburban, and Safari vehicles; 1997 model year GMC Sonoma, Sierra Crew Cab, Suburban, and Safari vehicles; and 1996 model year Oldsmobile Bravada vehicles. These vehicles may have a condition in which the windshield wiper motor may fail. These failures are the result of cracked solder joints on the controller circuit board near the wiring harness connector. Depending on which solder joints crack or the severity of the crack, the windshield wipers could work intermittently or not at all. If this were to occur in a severe weather situation, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.

Your GM dealer will replace the wiper motor circuit board and cover. This service will be performed for you at no charge .

This service correction will take approximately 20 minutes. However, due to service scheduling requirements, your dealer may need your vehicle for a longer period of time.

Please contact your dealer as soon as possible to arrange a service date. Parts are available and instructions for making this correction have been sent to your dealer.

Your dealer is best equipped to obtain parts and 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.

The enclosed form explains what reimbursement is available and how to request reimbursement if you have paid for repairs for the recall condition.

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