Date: May 14, 1993
Managers
The Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 require that effective May 15, 1993, all products placed in interstate commerce must include a warning label if the product contains, or was manufactured with, a "Class I" material. The CFC- 12 refrigerant known as freon, and CFC-13 used in the manufacturing process are "Class I" chemicals.
Recent studies have indicated that CFC's and methyl chloroform may be contributing to a depletion of the earth's ozone layer. As a result, the U.S. and other countries of the world are banning production of these chemicals for all but the most essential products and processes. The production ban in the U.S. takes effect on January 1, 1996.
Saturn Corporation is committed to a phase-out of the use of ozone depleting chemicals as quickly as possible and to meeting the requirements of the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990. A new non-CFC refrigerant, R-134a will be used in all new Saturn vehicles equipped with air conditioning, beginning with the model year 1994. Other uses of CFC's and methyl chloroform in the manufacturing process will be eliminated as soon as effective, qualified substitutes can be found.
In the meantime, Saturn vehicles manufactured on and after May 15, 1993 will be labeled as required by the Clean Air Act, indicating if such products contain or were manufactured using CFC'S. As these chemicals are replaced with acceptable substitutes, the labels will be eliminated. A sample of the statement you will see on the consumer information label is attached.
In addition, we are asking for your assistance in ensuring that vehicles equipped with Retailer-installed air conditioning are labeled, as required by the Clean Air Act, to indicate that they contain CFC'S. Each car equipped by your Retail facility with Retaller-installed air conditioning must have a CFC-12 label affixed by Retail personnel prior to delivery of the vehicle to the customer. We are arranging to have a quantity of these labels sent to the Fixed Operations Manager at each Saturn Retail facility. A sample of the language contained in this label is included on the attachment.
Please share this information with your sales and Fixed Operations personnel, so they will be in a position to respond to customer inquiries, and to properly label vehicles which become equipped with Retailer-installed air conditioning. If you have any questions concerning Retailer responsibilities under the law, we suggest you consult with our attorney.
Customer Retail Support Operations
CFC DISCLOSURE STATEMENT FOR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED WITH FACTORY INSTALLED AIR CONDITIONING: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CFC DISCLOSURE INFORMATION -------------------------- WARNING: Manufactured with CFC- 113 and Methyl Chloroform and contains CFC- 12 and CFC-13, substances which harm public health and environment by destroying ozone in the upper atmosphere.
CFC DISCLOSURE STATEMENT FOR VEHICLES MANUFACTURED WITHOUT FACTORY INSTALLED AIR CONDITIONING: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CFC DISCLOSURE INFORMATION -------------------------- WARNING: Manufactured with CFC- 113 and Methyl Chloroform, substances which harm public health and environment by destroying ozone in the upper atmosphere.
CFC DISCLOSURE LABEL TO BE APPLIED BY RETAIL PERSONNEL FOR VEHICLES THAT HAVE RETAILER INSTALLED AIR CONDITIONING: ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- CFC DISCLOSURE INFORMATION -------------------------- WARNING: Contains CFC-12 and CFC-13, substances which harm public health and environment by destroying ozone in the upper atmosphere.
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.