Noncompliance - Front Seatbelt Retractor Manufacturing Label

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle that 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 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 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 letter, customers are told how to contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the recall is not completed within a reasonable time.

Saturn has decided that certain 2002 and 2003 Model Year Saturn VUE vehicles fail to conform to Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 209, Seat Belt Assemblies. The front seatbelt assemblies in the involved vehicles do not include the statement requirement by CMVSS 209 for certain load limiting retractors (or a Type 1 or Type 2 seat belt assembly that includes a load-limiter).

To correct this condition and to comply with CMVSS 209, Saturn Corporation is asking owners and/or retailers to place a label with the required information inside the front seat belt shoulder belt fastener cover on both the driver and passenger side.

Only selected 2002 and 2003 model year Saturn VUE vehicles within the following VIN range will require this recall. 2S800001-3S828735

You must verify recall involvement through your AS400 system.It is important to note that recall claims will only be paid on involved vehicles.

OWNER NOTIFICATION

Owners of all involved vehicles will be notified of this recall by Saturn. (Refer to the owner letter included in this bulletin.)

RETAILER RESPONSIBILITY

All unsold vehicles in Retailers’ possession and subject to this recall must be held at the retail facility and repaired per the service procedure of this recall bulletin before owners take possession of these vehicles.

Retailers are to service all vehicles subject to this recall at no charge to owners, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.

Owners of vehicles recently sold from your vehicle inventory are to be contacted by the retailer and arrangements made to make the required correction according to the procedure contained in this bulletin.

In summary, whenever a vehicle subject to this recall enters your vehicle inventory, or is in your retail facility 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.

This bulletin is notice to you that the new motor vehicles included in this recall may not comply with the standard identified above. Under Title 49, Section 30112 of the United States Code, 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 recall correction, your dealership may be subject to a civil penalty for each such sale.

TRANSFER OF RECALL RESPONSIBILTY

Saturn vehicles that have been sold to you, which may be closer in proximity to another Saturn Retailer, may still appear on your Facility VIN Listing. If either you or the vehicle owner determines that it is more desirable for a vehicle on your Facility VIN Listing to be serviced by another Saturn Retailer, or if the customer’s address has recently changed, recall responsibility may be transferred by completing the following:

A copy of the Campaign Vehicle Action Report is included for your reference. Additional copies can be ordered from Saturn Publications (1-800-828-2112, prompt 3, Item # S0397050). All changes to recall responsibility will be reflected in your next Unfixed VIN Report.

All other changes in vehicle status (e.g., scrapped, stolen, etc.) are to be made in accordance with section 4.4.3 of the Retailer Service Reference Guide, "Notifying Saturn of Vehicle Status Change."

A pre-shipment of labels required to perform this recall has been automatically sent to retailers. These initial labels are to aid the retailers in recall preparation and will ensure minimal customer inconvenience.

Should additional parts be required, please contact Saturn Technical Assistance Center (TAC) at 1-800-828-2112, prompt 1; Monday from 9:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. CST; Tuesday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. CST.

As you know, Saturn’s success hinges upon our ability to execute superior customer support throughout the ownership experience, especially when important corrective actions such as this are required.

It is imperative that every effort is made to accommodate the affected owners. Additionally, priority should be given to customer vehicles over retail inventory vehicles. If you have any questions, please coordinate with the Saturn Customer Assistance Center to help ensure customer satisfaction.

Important: Perform the following procedure for the driver side of the vehicle.

1. Locate front seat belt shoulder fastener cover (located on the inside pillar between the front and rear door).



2. Unsnap shoulder belt fastener cover by placing your fingers under the lower edge of the cover and pulling it outward, while applying upward pressure to the shoulder belt fastener inner trim cover (at either location as shown by the arrows in the illustration).





3. Affix provided sticker to inside of shoulder belt fastener cover.
4. Rotate shoulder belt fastener cover back into the closed position and apply light pressure to cover to close it.
5. Perform steps 1-4 for the passenger side of the vehicle.
6. Affix Recall Identification Label on a clean, dry surface of the radiator core support in an area clearly visible when the hood is raised. (For more information, refer to "RECALL IDENTIFICATION LABEL" in this bulletin.)

Upon completion of the recall, a Recall Identification Label and Clear Protective Cover should be affixed on a clean, dry surface of the radiator core support in an area clearly visible when the hood is raised. Each label provides a space to print in ink (or type) the recall number (03-C-02) and the five (5) digit facility code of the retailer performing the recall service.

As a reminder, additional labels may be ordered from Saturn publications (1-800-828-2112, prompt 3, Item Number S03 00013A for the Recall Identification Label, and item number S03 00013B for the Clear Protective Cover).

1. To receive credit for placing the labels to the inside of the front shoulder belt fastener covers, submit a claim with the information provided in the table below.
2. Check your Saturn SERVICELINE.XL Claim Memorandum daily. Remember to code the claim as a WC sale type, and VC case type. Contact your field representative if you need assistance.
3. All labor operations claimed in this bulletin must be submitted on individual (unrelated) CSO lines. Refer to the Customer Service Order Preparation Manual for details on Product Recall Claim Submission.

* Labels are not to be sold to the CSO as they are shipped to the retailer at no charge.

** Recall administration allowance

DearSaturn Owner:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

Saturn Corporation has determined that certain 2002 and 2003 Model Year Saturn VUE vehicles fail to conform to Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (CMVSS) 209, Seat Belt Assemblies. The front seatbelt assemblies in the involved vehicles do not include the statement required by CMVSS 209 for certain load limiting retractors (or a Type 1 or Type 2 seat belt assembly that includes a load-limiter).

To correct this condition and to comply with CMVSS 209, Saturn Corporation is asking owners and/or retailers to place a label with the required information inside the front seat belt shoulder belt fastener cover on both the driver and passenger side.

What you should do:

Please apply the enclosed labels to the underside of the plastic front shoulder belt fastener cover over the B-Pillar anchor bolts as shown in the procedure on the reverse side of this letter. If you choose to apply the enclosed labels, no further service is required.

If you are not comfortable applying the enclosed labels to the plastic front shoulder belt fastener cover over the B-Pillar anchor bolts your Retailer is prepared to apply the labels at no charge to you. Please contact your Saturn Retailer to make arrangements for having the labels applied.

What Saturn will do:

Saturn will apply the labels at no charge to you. This service will take just a few minutes, although some additional time may be required for paperwork and processing.

Your Retailer is prepared to perform this service promptly and with minimal inconvenience to you. Should your Retailer be unable to schedule a service date within a reasonable time, please contact the Saturn Assistance at 1-800-553-6000 prompt 3, or, for the hearing impaired, 1-800-833-6000. We will assist you and the Retailer in getting your car serviced.

If, after contacting your Saturn Retailer and the Assistance Center, you are still not satisfied 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 St., S.W., Washington, DC 20590, or call 1-800-424-9393 (Washington, DC residents use 202-366-0123).

Again, we sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern this situation may cause you. We want you to know that we will do our best, throughout your ownership experience, to ensure that your Saturn provides you many miles of enjoyable driving.

Saturn Corporation

03-C-02

A Subsidiary of General Motors