CAMPAIGN: 1980 PHOENIX STEERING GEAR MOUNTING BRACKET
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as amended, provides that each vehicle which is subject to a 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 reasonable equivalent vehicle at no charge or to a refund of the purchase price less a reasonable allowance for depreciation.
In order to avoid having to provide these burdensome solutions, every effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each owner and to repair his vehicle 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 nearest Pontiac zone office if his dealer does not remedy the condition within 5 days of the mutually agreed upon service date. If the condition is not remedied within a reasonable time, he is instructed on how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Condition Involved
General Motors has determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in some 1980 Pontiac Phoenix models.
The steering gear mounting plate on these vehicles may develop fatigue cracks at high mileage which would allow the steering gear attachment to become loose. If this condition is present on a vehicle, the driver may notice that the steering wheel can be turned several degrees before any change in direction of the vehicle occurs. If a vehicle is operated with this condition and a driver encounters circumstances which require full steering control, a vehicle crash without prior warning can occur.
Vehicles Involved
All 1980 Pontiac Phoenix within the following vehicle identification number groups:
Plant Beginning V.I.N. Up to and Including ----- ---------------- -------------------
1980 Tarrytown SOP 2Y685AT127670 Oklahoma City SOP 2Y377A6102340
Dealer Campaign Responsibility
Dealers are to install a new steering gear mounting bracket on all vehicles listed on the printout furnished. Dealers are to perform this recall campaign at no charge to the owner on affected vehicles, regardless of time, mileage or ownership, and are to correct all affected vehicles in dealer new and used car inventory prior to their sale. Whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign is taken into your new or used car inventory in the future, you should take the steps necessary to be sure the campaign correction has been made before reselling the vehicle.
Owner Notification
Owners of vehicles invovled in this campaign whose addresses are known will be notified by Pontiac Motor Division.
Two (2) sample owner letters are included in this bulletin. Certain owners will have vehicles that are involved in both product campaigns 80-C-10 and 80-C-11. These owners will receive owner letter #2.
A listing of owner names and addresses from state motor vehicle registration records may have been furnished to enable you to follow up with owners involved in this campaign. 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.
Notice: 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.
Service Procedure
Cars Equipped with Automatic Transaxle
Removal
1. From under hood, remove left upper nut at rack and pinion bracket.
2. Raise car on hoist. Depending on type of hoist used, position and adjust two (2) jack stands as follows:
Twin Post Hoist
Position jack stands at underbody area directly behind left and right hand front wheel opening (see Figure 1).
"H" Hoist
Position jack stands at left and right side rails just forward of stabilizer bar attaching bracket to support cradle.
3. Remove both rear cradle bolts and lower cradle approximately 3 1/2".
4. Remove both lower and upper right nuts at rack and pinion brackets.
5. Remove brackets at rack and pinion.
Notice: Be careful not to bend brake line.
Installation
New studs have been supplied and should be innstalled in place of any studs that came out when removing nut.
1. If new stud(s) must be installed, double nut the sutd and install in mounting plate until shoulder of stud bottoms on mounting plate. Then remove both nuts. Be sure that allstuds are seated properly.
2. Install new bracket and start four (4) new nuts (supplied in package) (refer to Figure 2).
3. Apply 1051343 Loc Tite No. 242 on stud threads, then tighten both lower and upper right rack and pinion bracket nuts and torque to 44 N.m (32 ft.lbs.)
4. Raise cradle and install both rear cradle bolts and torque to 115 N.m (85 ft.lbs.) Use a 5/8" gage rod at right rear mount location to align cradle when raising into position.
Notice: Be sure that parking brake cable is positioned properly in slot of rack and pinion bracket.
5. Remove jack stands and lower hoist.
6. Apply 1051343 Loc-Tite No. 242 on stud threads, tighten left upper rack and pinion bracket nut and torque to 44 N.m (32 ft.lbs.)
7. Inspect and reset front end toe adjustment to specifications (+.10 degrees +/- .10 degrees).
8. Open hood.
9. Clean and dry the surface of the upper radiator support tie bar. Apply "Campaign Identificaiton Label 80-C-10" in this position where it will be visible when the vehicle is brought in for periodic servicing by the owner.
Notice: Your 6-digit dealer code is to be typed or written in with ball point pen on the Campaign Identification Label.
10. Complete the campaign reply card and mail it to Pontiac.
11. Close hood.
Cars Equipped with Manual Transaxle
Removal
1. From under hood, remove upper left nut at rack and pinion bracket.
2. Raise car on hoist.
3. Remove both lower and upper right nuts at rack and pinion brackets.
4. Remove brackets at rack and pinion.
Notice: Be careful not to bend brake line.
Installation
New studs have been supplied and should be installed in place of any studs that came out when removing nuts. Be sure that all studs are seated properly.
1. If new stud(s) must be installed, double nut the stud and install in mounting plate until shoulder of stud bottoms on mounting plate. Then remove both nuts.
2. Install new bracket and start four (4) new nuts (supplied in package). (Refer to Figure 2).
3. Apply 1051343 Loc-Tite No. 242 on stud threads, then tighten both lower and upper right rack and pinion bracket nuts and torque to 44 N.m (32 ft.lbs.)
Notice: Be sure that parking brake cable is positioned properly in slot of rack and pinion bracket.
4. Lower hoist.
5. Apply 1051343 Loc-Tite No. 242 on styud threads, then tighten upper left rack and pinion bracket nut and torque to 44 N.m (32 ft.lbs.)
6. Open hood.
7. Clean and dry the surface of the upper radiator support tie bar. Apply "Campaign Identification Label 80-C-10" in this position where it will be visible when the vehicle is brought in for periodic servicing by the owner.
Notice: Your 6-digit dealer code is to be typed or written in with ball point pen on the Campaign Identification Label.
8. Close hood.
Enclosed With Your Copy Of This Bulletin Are the Following:
A list of those vehicles involved, which our records indicate are in your geographical area, is attached for your follow up. Advise the zone 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 vehicle in your area.)
A special computer data card is furnished for each vehicle on your list for reporting completion. Campaign identification labels 80-C-10 are furnished for installation on the upper radiator support tie bar to identify cars completed.
If a vehicle has been transferred or sold to another location, please forward the vehicle data card and details of the transfer to your Pontiac zone office.
Parts Information
One (1) steering gear mounting bracket, four (4) studs and four (4) nuts, will be shipped to dealers at no charge for each vehicle shown on your V.I.N. list.
Disposition of Replaced Parts
The removed parts from involved vehicles are to be retained for disposition by zone personnel.
Recording Completion
Campaign completion will be recorded from properly completed and paid warranty claims and dealer completion of special computer data cards. 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.
The computer data cards for the vehicles shown on your list are included with this bulletin. This card is preprinted with the V.I. number, dealer code and campaign number. Upon completion of the repair, the card should immediately be completed, including servicing dealer code, repair order number, date of repair and signature of person verifying the repairs and forwarded to Service Department, Pontiac Motor Division, One Pontiac Plaza, Pontiac, Michigan 48053.
Additional cards and campaign labels are available from your zone office service department.
DEALERS SHOULD STILL SUBMIT WARRANTY CLAIMS FOR CREDIT IN THEIR NORMAL MANNER WHEN THEY PERFORM THE SERVICE AS FOLLOWS:
(NOTICE: A completed warranty claim is to be kept as a permanent record of completion.)
WARRANTY CREDIT
A seperate repair order must be used for each V.I.N.
(Labor)
The new labor operations are assigned specifically for this campaign.
use only one of the labor operations per vehcile.
LABOR TROUBLE DESCRIPTION OPERATION CODE TIME ----------- --------- ---- ---- CARS EQUIPPED WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE
Install bracket and adjust V0130 96 1.1 hour tooe-in (includes replacing one (1) or two (2) studs if required)
Install bracket, adjust toe-in V0131 96 1.2 hour and replace three (3) or four (4) studs if required.
CARS EQUIPPED WITH MANUAL TRANSAXLE
Install bracket (includes V0132 96 0.5hour replacing one (1) stud or two (2) studs, if required).
Install bracket and replace V0133 96 0.6hour three (3)or four (4)studs if required.
Dealers will automatically receive 0.1 hours credit for dealer administrative detail associated with this campaign.
Trouble Code 96 Must Be Used with This Labor Operation.
(Parts)
The necessary steering gear mounting bracket packages are being forwarded to dealers no-charge; therefore, part numbers are not to be listed on the warranty claim - list $0.75 under the net item column as this represents 30% of furnished parts.
Material - $0.75 Net Amount Code - M
(Crediting)
Dealers will be credited via Warranty Document or Terminal Transmission, whichever is their normal method of submission for payment. Claims should be claim type 01, containing all information required for a regular claim, and should list the labor operation as outlined above.
Repairs submitted for vehicles not involved in the campaign will not be paid.
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.
