CAMPAIGN:LAP BELT RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY
Subject: PRODUCT SAFETY CAMPAIGN 94-C-02 LAP BELT RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY
Models Affected: 1994 PONTIAC TRANS SPORT
TO: ALL PONTIAC DEALERS
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 repair within sixty (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 an 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 that is being sent to owners, the owners are being instructed to contact the Pontiac Customer Assistance Center if their dealer does not remedy the condition within five (5) days of the mutually agreed upon service date. If the condition is not remedied within a reasonable time, they are instructed on how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
DEFECT INVOLVED
General Motors has determined that certain 1994 Pontiac Trans Sport model vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208, "Occupant Crash Protection. " These vehicles are equipped with rear seats which may be installed in the 2nd row center seating position. When occupying a seat in this position a lap-only seat belt is worn. The retractor for this lap-only seat belt is missing a pawl spring and as a result may fail to lock-up. In the event of an accident, excess webbing could unwind from the retractor and injury to the seat occupant could result.
This condition may occur only in the following seats when they are used in the center seating position:
0 For vehicles with six (6) passenger seating, the affected seat is the one which was placed in the 3rd row left position when the vehicle was delivered.
0 For vehicles with seven (7) passenger seating, the affected seat is the one which was placed in the 2nd row center position when the vehicle was delivered.
To prevent the possibility of this condition occurring and in order to comply with FMVSS 208, dealers are to inspect the suspect retractor assemblies in all involved vehicles and replace those which are missing the pawl spring.
VEHICLES INVOLVED
Involved are certain 1994 Pontiac Trans Sport model vehicles built within the following VIN breakpoints:
Up To And Year Plant Beginning Including ---- ------ --------- --------- 1994 Tarrytown RT201414 RT203412
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 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 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 law in several states. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this listing to the follow-up necessary to complete this campaign. Any dealer not receiving a computer listing with the campaign bulletin has no involved vehicles currently assigned.
This bulletin is notice to you that the new motor vehicles included in this campaign may not comply with the standard identified above. Under Section 108 of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 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 campaign correction, your dealership may be subject to a civil penalty up to $1,000 for each such sale.
OWNER NOTIFICATION
Owners will be notified of this campaign on their vehicles by Pontiac Division (see copy of Owner Letter included with this bulletin).
DEALER CAMPAIGN RESPONSIBILITY
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 owners take possession of these vehicles.
Dealers are to service all vehicles subject to this campaign at no charge to owners, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.
Owners of vehicles recently sold from your new vehicle inventory with no owner information indicated on the dealer listing, are to be contacted by the dealer, and arrangements made to make the required correction according to the instructions contained in this bulletin. This could be done by mailing to such owners a copy of the owners letter accompanying this bulletin. Campaign follow-up cards should not be used for this purpose, since the owner may not as yet have received the notification letter.
In summary, whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign is taken into your new or used vehicle inventory, or it 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.
PARTS INFORMATION
NOTICE: It is anticipated that less than 10% of the seat belts will require replacement. Please place part orders accordingly.
Parts required to complete this campaign are to be obtained from General Motors Service Parts Operation (GMSPO). To ensure that these parts are obtained as soon as possible, they should be ordered from GMSPO on a C.I.O. order with no special instruction code, but on an advise code (2).
Part Quantity Description Number Per Vehicle ----------- ------ ----------- Rear Seat Lap Belt Retractor Assembly 12516349 1 Medium Gray
Rear Seat Lap Belt Retractor Assembly 12512907 1 - Adriatic Blue
SERVICE PROCEDURE
NOTICE: For vehicles with 6 passenger seating, the suspect seat is the 3rd row left-hand seat.
For vehicles with 7 passenger seating, the suspect seat is the 2nd row center seat.
It is also necessary to assure that the suspect seat has not been moved to another location. Suspect seats will have a label at the lower right-hand corner of the seat back which reads "CENTER OR LEFT." If the label reads other than "CENTER OR LEFT," the seat has been installed in another position. Locate the correct seat for inspection by checking the remaining seats for the "CENTER OR LEFT" label.
1. While seated in suspect seat, fasten lap belt in normal manner.
2. Grasp retractor side belt webbing and attempt to pull out additional webbing from retractor by sharply tugging on belt webbing.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2 three (3) times, buckling and unbuckling belt each time.
4. If additional webbing can be extracted from retractor during any of the three attempts, replace retractor assembly with a new retractor assembly (steps 5-10). If additional webbing cannot be extracted from retractor during any of the three attempts, no further action is re ired. Proceed to step 11.
5. Remove affected seat from vehicle.
6. Remove retaining screw and seat side cover.
7. Remove retaining bolt and seat belt retra
8. Install new retractor with retaining bolt.
9. Install seat side cover and secure with retaining screw.
10. Reinstall seat.
11. Install Campaign Identification Label.
CAMPAIGN IDENTIFICATION LABEL
Each vehicle modified in accordance with the instructions outlined in this Product Campaign Bulletin 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 the vehicle was campaigned.
This information may be inserted with a typewriter or ballpoint pen. Install the label only on a clean, dry surface of the radiator baffle where it is readily visible. (Additional campaign labels are available on stationery order as Form 7201-709.)
CLAIM INFORMATION
A separate repair order must be used for each vehicle. A completed warranty claim is to be kept as a permanent record of completion.
DEALERS SHOULD SUBMIT WARRANTY CLAIMS FOR CREDIT IN THEIR NORMAL MANNER WHEN THEY PERFORM THE SERVICE AS FOLLOWS:
*Other Failure Labor Labor Labor Operation Code Operation Hours Hours --------- ------- --------- ----- ----- Inspect Retractor - No Replacement 96 V8460 0.2 0.1
Inspect And Replace Retractor 96 V8461 0.2 0.1
* 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.
Parts required are to be listed in your warranty claim in the normal manner. Parts will be credited at dealer net plus 40% dealer handling allowance.
Dealers will be credited via Warranty Document or Terminal Transmission, whichever is their normal method of submission for payment. Claim must contain all information required and should list the labor operation as outlined.
RECORDING COMPLETION
Repairs submitted for vehicles not involved in the campaign will not be paid.
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.
Dear Pontiac Owner:
This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
REASON FOR THIS RECALL
General Motors has determined that certain 1994 Pontiac Trans Sport model vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208, "Occupant Crash Protection." These vehicles are equipped with rear seats which may be installed in the 2nd row center seating position. When occupying a seat in this position a lap-only seat belt is worn. The retractor for this lap-only seat belt is missing a pawl spring and as a result may fail to lock-up. In the event of an accident, excess webbing could unwind from the retractor and injury to the seat occupant could result.
This condition may occur only in the following seats when they are used in the center seating position:
0 For vehicles with six (6) passenger seating, the affected seat is the one which was placed in the 3rd row left position when the vehicle was delivered.
0 For vehicles with seven (7) passenger seating, the affected seat is the one which was placed in the 2nd row center position when the vehicle was delivered.
WHAT WE WILL DO
To prevent the possibility of this condition occurring and in order to comply with FMVSS 208, dealers are to inspect the suspect retractor assemblies in all involved vehicles and replace those which are missing the pawl spring.
This service will be performed for you at no charge.
WHAT YOU SHOULD DO
Please contact your Pontiac dealer as soon as possible to arrange an appointment and so the dealer may order the necessary parts for the repair.
Instructions for making this inspection/correction have been sent to your Pontiac Dealer and parts are currently available. The labor time necessary to perform this service correction is approximately 15 minutes. Please ask your dealer if you wish to know how much additional time will be needed to schedule and process your vehicle.
Your Pontiac dealer is best equipped to obtain parts and provide service to ensure that your vehicle is corrected as promptly as possible. If, however, you take your vehicle to your dealer on the agreed service date, and they do not remedy this condition on that date, or within five (5) days, we recommend you contact the Pontiac Customer Assistance Center by calling: 1-800-762-2737.
After contacting your dealer and the Pontiac Customer Assistance Center, if 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 die Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S. W. Washington, DC 20590 or call 1-800-424-9393 (Washington, DC residents use 366-0123).
The enclosed Campaign Owner Reply Card identifies your vehicle. Presentation of this card to your dealer will assist in making the necessary inspection/correction in the shortest possible time. If you have sold or traded your vehicle, please let us know by completing the postage-paid Owner Reply Card and returning 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.
PONTIAC DIVISION General Motors Corporation
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.
