CAMPAIGN:TIE ROD PINCH BOLT INADEQUATE LOAD ON T/R ADJ.

1985 GRAND AM MODELS

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 appointment with each owner and to repair their vehicle as soon as possible. As you will see in reading the attached copy of the letter which is being sent to owners, the owners are being instructed to contact the nearest Pontiac Zone Office if their dealer does not remedy the condition within five days of the agreed service date. If the condition is not remedied within a reasonble 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 some early production 1985 Pontiac Grand Am models. The vehicles were assembled with inadequate clamp load on the tie rod adjuster. This could allow the tie rod to loosen and separate from the tie rod adjuster. Tie rod separation could cause a loss of steering control which could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.

VEHICLES INVOLVED

Involved are certain early production 1985 Pontiac Grand Am models within the following vehicle breakpoints:

Assembly Beginning Up To And Model Plant VIN Including ----- ----- --- --------- 1985 Grand Am Lansing (C) S.O.P. FC704669

DEALER ACTION

To eliminate the possibility of this occurring on vehicles involved, the inner and outer tie rod pinch bolts are to be tightened according to instructions in the PART I - SERVICE PROCEDURE section of this bulletin.

Dealers are to service all vehicles subject to this campaign at no charge to the owner, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.

Whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign is taken into your dealership for service in the future, you should take the steps necessary to be sure the campaign correction has been made before reselling or releasing the vehicle.

Owners of vehicles recently sold from your new vehicle inventory are to be contacted by the dealer, and arrangements made to make the required modification according to instructions contained in this bulletin.

OWNER NOTIFICATION

Owners of vehicles involved in this campaign, as records available to Pontiac Motor Division indicate, will be notified by Pontiac Motor Division (see copy of owner letter included with this bulletin).

Owners of vehicles who have had the tie rod pinch bolts tightened to the proper torque specification should not receive notification or appear on the dealer's computer listing.

Involved vehicles have been identified by Vehicle Identification Number computer listings. Computer listings contain the complete vehicle identification number, owner name and address data, and are furnished to the involved dealers with the campaign bulletin. Owner name and address data furnished will enable dealers to follow-up with owners involved in this campaign.

These computer listings 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 the law in several states. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this listing for the follow-up necessary to complete this campaign.

PART I - SERVICE PROCEDURE

1. Raise vehicle on hoist.

2. Use a torque wrench and a 13mm socket with an extension to tighten the two (2) inner and two (2) outer tie rod pinch bolts to 55 N.m (41 lbs. ft.). Refer to Figure 1 for location of tie rod pinch bolts.

3. Lower hoist.

4. See PART II for installation of campaign identification label.

PART II - INSTALLATION OF CAMPAIGN IDENTIFICATION LABEL

Each vehicle modified in accordance with the instructions outlined in this service procedure will require a campaign identification label. Each label provides a space to include the campaign number, the five-digit dealer code of the dealer performing the campaign service, and the date vehicle was campaigned. This information may be inserted with a typewriter or ballpoint pen. Install the label on the radiator baffle where it is readily visible. Close hood. (Additional campaign labels are available on stationery order as Form 7901-709).

ENCLOSED WITH COPY OF THIS BULLETIN

A list of those vehicles involved which our records indicate are in your geographical area is attached for your follow-up. Advise the Pontiac Zone Office if vehicles appearing on the attached list are not in your area. (If a list of vehicles is not attached, our records indicate no affected vehicles in your area.) If a vehicle has been transferred or sold to another location, please forward the new name and address of the vehicle to your Pontiac zone office.

RECORDING COMPLETION

Campaign completion will be recorded from "PROPERLY COMPLETED AND PAID WARRANTY CLAIMS." Owners are being asked to present the owner reply card for identification to their dealer at the time they bring in their vehicle to have the campaign performed.

DEALERS SHOULD STILL SUBMIT WARRANTY CLAIMS FOR CREDIT IN THEIR NORMAL MANNER WHEN THEY PERFORM THE SERVICE AS FOLLOWS:

(A completed warranty claim is to be kept as a permanent record of completion.)

WARRANTY CREDIT

A separate repair order must be used for each vehicle.

Other* Failure Labor Labor Labor Operation Code Operation Hours Hours --------- ---- ---------- ----- ----- Tighten Tie Rod 96 V 2340 .3 .1 Pinch Bolts

*In addition dealerships will receive 0.1 hours credit for dealer administrative services associated with this campaign. The 0.1 hours allowance is to be entered in the "Other Labor Hours" field with each campaign repair listed for credit. This entry will not require authorization."

FAILURE CODE 96 MUST BE USED WITH THE LABOR OPERATION.

(CREDITING)

Dealers will be credited via Warranty Document or Terminal Transmission, whichever is their normal method of submission for payment. Claims must contain all information required and should list the labor operation as outlined.

Repairs submitted for vehicles not involved in the campaign will not be paid.

Dear Pontiac 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 some early production 1985 Pontiac Grand Am models. The vehicles were assembled with inadequate clamp load on the adjuster. This could allow the tie rod to loosen and separate from the tie rod adjuster. Tie rod separation could cause loss of steering control which could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.

To prevent this from occurring on your vehicle, please contact your Pontiac Dealer to arrange a service date. The dealer will tighten the tie rod end pinch bolts. This service will be completed for you at no charge.

Instructions have been sent to your Pontiac Dealer. The labor time to doe the work will be about 20 minutes. Please ask your dealer if you wish to know how much additional time will be necessary to process your vehicle.

Your Pontiac 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 agree service date and they do not remedy this condition on that date or within five days, we recommend you contact the nearest Pontiac Zone Office. The zone office will assist you and the dealer in getting your vehicle corrected. The locations and telephone numbers of the Zone Offices are listed in your Owners Manual.

After contacting your dealer and the zone office, 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 Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20590, or call 800-424-9393 (Washington, D.C. residents use 426-0123).

The enclosed owner reply card identifies your vehicle. Presentation of this card to your dealer will assist in making the correction in the shortest possible time. If you have sold or traded your vehicle, please complete the postage paid owner reply card and mail it 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 products.

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.