Tires - Side-to-Side Motion on Pavement W/Rain Grooves
9233saturn01
NO.: 91-T-34A
DATE: April, 1992
GROUP: Chassis
CORR NO.: 183502R
SUBJECT:
Side-To-Side Motion on Pavement with Rain Grooves (Replace Tires)
This bulletin supercedes Bulletin 91-T-34, which should be discarded.
MODELS AFFECTED:
All 1991 and 1992 Saturn SL2 Sedans and SC Coupes
CONDITION:
Some owners of 1991 and 1992 and Saturn SL2 and SC models may comment on vehicle side-to-side motion (wander) when traveling on pavement with deep, irregular-shaped longitudinal (parallel to, not across the road) rain grooves. This condition may be more noticeable on grooved pavement which is also uneven, stepped or bumpy. The specific road surfaces which may cause this condition are primarily found in Southern California and are most predominant in the San Fernando Valley Area.
CAUSE:
Although the tread design and construction of the original equipment tire, which was designed specifically for Saturn vehicles provides exceptional ride and handling on all typical road surfaces, certain design characteristics of this tire result in the above condition when operated on the unique road surfaces described above.
CORRECTIVE ACTION:
A new design tire, Firestone Firehawk GTA P195/60R15, construction number SN898G, has been made available for Saturn owners who experience this condition. The tire construction number is located on the inner sidewall of the tire, near the tire bead and is used to identify the particular construction type of each series of tire.) The new design tire significantly reduces rain groove side-to-side motion when operated on road surfaces like those described above while providing similar ride and handling characteristics as the original equipment tire.
PROCEDURE:
Saturn and Firestone will replace the original equipment tires with Firestone Firehawk GTA P195/60R15 tires (including mounting and balancing) at no charge to owners experiencing this condition during the first 25 percent of treadwear or within the first 12 months of ownership, whichever is to the owner's advantage.
For information on price adjustments after the free replacement period, refer to "Tire Warranty, Maintenance and Safety Information" in the "Saturn Owner's Handbook."
Tire replacement according to this bulletin will be performed by Firestone at selected regional stores. Vehicles should be taken to the regional store by the Saturn retailer. To find the location of the nearest regional Firestone store, contact Firestone Dealer Assistance at 1 - 800 - 638 - 4730 and reference this bulletin.
CLAIM INFORMATION:
To receive administrative allowance for handling this repair, submit a claim through the Saturn Dealer system as follows:
Labor
Case Operation
Type Description Code Time
VW Tires, replace O.E.M. tires T9553 0.3 hrs
with (GTA, SN898G)