Recall - Excessive Brake Pedal Travel: Overview
GMC NUMBER: 92-C-16GROUP: 5 Brakes
DATE: September 1992
SUBJECT:
EXCESSIVE BRAKE PEDAL TRAVEL
MODELS:
1992 G-VANS WITH VACUUM POWER BRAKE SYSTEMS (JB5/JB7) BUILT AT THE SCARBOROUGH ASSEMBLY PLANT
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 appointments with owners and to repair their vehicles 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 GMC Zone Office if the dealer does not remedy the condition within five days of the mutually agreed upon service date. If the condition is not remedied within a reasonable time, they are instructed how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
General Motors has determined that some 1992 G-Vans produced at the Scarborough Assembly plant and equipped with vacuum power brake systems (JB5/JB7) have an incorrect brake pedal assembly. This incorrect brake pedal assembly has a push rod pin that is both too small and installed in the incorrect location relative to the brake pedal pivot. The incorrect location of the push rod pin causes an increased brake pedal ratio that results in a decreased master cylinder stroke. Although a vehicle with a decreased master cylinder stroke will meet the full system stopping requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 105, "Hydraulic Brake Systems" it will not meet the partial system failure requirements. A further reduction of braking ability at a time when partial system failure has occurred could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.
To correct this condition, dealers will inspect for an incorrect brake pedal assembly and replace as required.
VEHICLES INVOLVED
Involved are certain 1992 G-Vans built at the Scarborough Assembly Plant built within the following VIN breakpoints: N4516762 through N4517227
The specific vehicles involved in this campaign have been identified by Vehicle Identification Number Computer Listings. These listings are furnished to all Involved dealers with the campaign bulletin.
DEALER CAMPAIGN RESPONSIBILITY
All unsold new vehicles in dealer's 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 are to be contacted by the dealer, and arrangements made to make the required correction according to instructions contained in this bulletin.
In summary, whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign enters your vehicle inventory, or 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.
This bulletin is notice to you that the new motor vehicles involved 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.
If the name and address of the owner of an involved vehicle was unavailable to GMC Truck Division at the time of campaign initiation, the dealer must determine the owner's name and address from the dealership sales records. Please provide this information directly on the second copy of the listing next to the applicable VIN so that our records may be updated and the appropriate notification mailed to the owner. This second copy should then be submitted to the address listed below in the previously supplied yellow campaign envelopes.
GMC Truck Division
General Motors Corporation
101 Union Street
Plymouth, Michigan 48170
OWNER NOTIFICATION
Owners will be notified of this campaign on their vehicles by GMC Truck Division (see copy of owner letter included with this bulletin). A listing of owner names and addresses has been furnished to the involved dealers to enable dealers to follow up with owners involved in this campaign. This listing 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 this campaign.