Recall - Rear Seat Back Frame Reinforcement: Overview
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GMC NUMBER: 91-C-04
GROUP: 10-A2 Seats
DATE: April, 1991
SUBJECT:
REAR BENCH SEAT BACK STRENGTH
MODELS:
1989-91 G-VANS WITH A03 OR A04 SEATING
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.
DEFECT INVOLVED
General Motors has determined that the rear bench seats in certain 1989-91 G-Vans fail to conform to the requirements of FMVSS 207, "Seating Systems". Should one of these vehicles become involved in an accident and there were passengers in the seat, the seat back frame could break and suddenly recline without supporting the loading specified in the Federal standard. This could increase the likelihood of occupant injury.
In order to comply with FMVSS 207, and to correct this condition, reinforcements will be added that run from the side of the seat back frame assembly to the seat cushion frame assembly to strengthen the seat back.
VEHICLES INVOLVED
Involved are CERTAIN 1989-91 G-Vans built within the VIN breakpoints.
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
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. Dealers are to correct all affected vehicles in new and used vehicle stock prior to their sale.
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, you should take the steps necessary to ensure the campaign correction has been made before reselling or releasing the vehicle. 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. 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.