Recall - Head Lamp Switch: Overview

NUMBER: 95-C-01

CORP.REF.NO.:

DATE: JULY 1994

SECTION: 8c

SUBJECT:
HEAD LAMP SWITCH

YEAR:
1994-1995

MODEL:
EIGHTY EIGHT & NINETY EIGHT

TO ALL OLDSMOBILE RETAILER
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as amended, provides that each vehicle 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 included copy of the letter that is being sent to owners, the owners are being instructed to contact the Oldsmobile Customer Assistance Network (OCAN) if their retailer 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 a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 1994 - 1995 Oldsmobile Eighty Eight and Ninety Eight model vehicles. A spring in the head lamp portion of the head/park lamp switch may fail and prevent latching of the head lamp portion of the switch in the "ON" position. If this were to occur, the head lamps would not stay illuminated, but the twilight sentinel (RPO T82) on vehicles equipped with this option and the park lamp portion of the swatch would still function as intended. A potential also exists that the spring could fail while the head lamps are "ON" and cause loss of head lamp lighting. Sudden loss of the head lamp lighting under severe weather or night time driving conditions could reduce driver visibility, which might result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.

To prevent the possibility of this condition from occurring, retailers are to inspect head/park lamp switch build date codes and replace switches with suspect build date codes.