Recall - Catalytic Coverter Inspection: Overview

NO: 99-E-O1

DATE: November, 1999

GROUP: ENEC

SUBJECT:
INSPECTION AND REPLACEMENT OF CATALYTIC CONVERTER (IF NECESSARY)

YEAR and MODEL:
1994 SATURN S-SERIES VEHICLES REGISTERED IN CALIFORNIA EQUIPPED WITH DOHC ENGINES (RPO LLO) AND CALIFORNIA EMISSIONS (RPO NB6)

TO: ALL SATURN RETAILERS and AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERS

DEFECT INVOLVED

Saturn has decided that certain 1994 Saturn DOHC (Dual Overhead Cam) vehicles with California emission package (NB6) may fail to meet California emission standards due to internal catalytic converter damage. These catalytic converters manufactured during the first quarter of the 1994 model year were produced with an internal mat material that may degrade when exposed to extreme temperatures and/or excessive mechanical forces. Degradation of converter mat material could result in vehicle symptoms such as underbody rattles, exhaust noise, and/or hesitation on acceleration.

VEHICLES INVOLVED

Only selected 1994 model year S-Series Saturn vehicles within the VIN range RZ100016 through RZ159813 will require this campaign. A VIN listing of the involved vehicles is included in this bulletin for your reference.

You must verily campaign involvement through your AS4OO system, or with the listing attached to this bulletin. It is important to note that campaign claims will only be paid on involved vehicles.

OWNER NOTIFICATION

Owners of all involved vehicles will be notified of this campaign by Saturn. (Refer to the owner letter included in this bulletin.)

FACILITY VIN LISTING

A list of vehicles assigned to you (Facility WIN Listing), which our records indicate were sold by or shipped to you, (or are located in close proximity to your facility) is enclosed. Only vehicles registered in California are involved in this campaign.

This listing contains:

Owner's name with address and telephone number; and Complete vehicle identification number (VIN).

The Facility WIN Listing (with owner information) is furnished to involved Retailers with the Product Campaign Bulletin. Although these vehicles are assigned to your facility, it is important to note that owners may elect to have their vehicle serviced at the Saturn Retail Facility of their choice.

Only Retailers with California registered vehicles will receive Facility VIN Listings. Those Retailers not involved initially in this campaign will receive a message at the top of a blank Facility VIN Listing that states: NO VEHICLES ASSIGNED AT THIS TIME FOR CAMPAIGN 99E01.

These listings 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 the law in several states. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this listing to the follow up necessary to complete this campaign. Those records updated with California DMV registration information will have the following message printed adjacent to the appropriate VIN:

"OWNER INFORMATION UPDATED BY CALIFORNIA DMV; PUBLICATION PROHIBITED."

RETAILER RESPONSIBILITY

All vehicles in Retailers' possession and subject to this campaign must be held at the retail facility and repaired per the service procedure of this campaign bulletin before owners take possession of these vehicles.

Retailers 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.

In summary, whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign enters your vehicle inventory, or is in your retail facility 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.

TRANSFER OF CAMPAIGN RESPONSIBILITY
Saturn vehicles that have been sold by you, which may be closer in proximity to another Saturn retailer, may still appear on your facility VIN Listing. If either you or the vehicle owner determines that it is more desireable for a vehicle on your Facility VIN listing to be service by another Saturn retailer, or if the customers address has recently changed, campaign responsibility may be transferred by completing the following:

Submit a Campaign Vehicle Action Report To Your Customer Assistance Manager (CAM) at the Saturn Customer Assistance Center

OR

Submit an update in owner information to the Saturn Owner Of Record system, Via SERVICELINE XL, for Saturn Customer Assistance Center Review and Approval.

A copy of the Campaign Vehicle Action Report is included for your reference. Additional copies can be ordered from Saturn Publications (1-800-828-2112, prompt 3, Item # S0397050). All changes to campaign responsibility will be reflected in your next Unfixed VIN Report.

All other changes in vehicle status (e,g., scrapped, stolen, etc.) are to be made in accordance with section 4.4.3 of the retailer Service Guide, "Notifying Saturn of Vehicle Status Change."

PARTS INFORMATION

1. A pre-shipment of catalytic converters and clamps required to perform this campaign has been automatically sent to you from Saturn Service Parts Operations (SSPO). These initial shipments are to aid the Retailer in campaign preparation and ensure minimal customer inconvenience.

2. Should additional parts be required, please order as needed.

3. Required Parts:

DISPOSITION OF REPLACED PARTS

Retailers are to fill out the Yellow Core Return Tag provided with each catalytic converter. Return the replaced catalytic converter, along with the Yellow Core Return Tag, using the existing core return program. All replaced catalytic converters, Saturn original or non-Saturn part, must be returned in the SSPO box to receive core credit. If you have any questions on how to process a core return, refer to Parts and Accessories Bulletin 98-PA-07, or contact your Parts Support Analyst at 1 (800) 828-2112, prompt 2.

SUGGESTIONS FOR ENSURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

As you know, Saturn's success hinges upon our ability to execute superior customer support throughout the ownership experience, especially when important corrective actions such as this are required.

It is imperative that every effort is made to accommodate the affected owners. Additionally, priority should be given to customer vehicles over retail inventory vehicles. If you have any questions, please coordinate with the Saturn Customer Assistance Center to help ensure customer satisfaction.

CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL

Upon completion of the campaign, a Campaign Completion Label and a Clear Protective Cover should be affixed on a clean, dry surface of the radiator core support in an area clearly visible when the hood is raised. Each label provides a space to print in ink (or type) the campaign number (99E01) and the five (5) digit facility code of the Retailer performing the campaign service.

As a reminder, additional labels may be ordered from Saturn publications (1-800-828-2112, prompt 3, Item # 503 00013A for the Campaign Completion Label and Item #S03 00013A for the Clear Protective Cover)