Recall - Inspection/Replacement Of Fuel Tank Grade Vent: Overview
NO.:00-C-01
SAFETY
GROUP:
ENFX
DATE:
July, 1999
SUBJECT:
INSPECTION OF FUEL TANK GRADE VENT VALVE AND FUEL TANK REPLACEMENT (IF NECESSARY)
YEAR and MODEL:
2000 SATURN L-SERIES VEHICLES (ALL MODELS)
TO:
ALL SATURN RETAILERS and AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERS
The Highway 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 repair within sixty (60) days after tender of a vehicle is prima fade 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 remedies, 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 attached copy of the owner letter, the owners are being instructed to contact the Saturn Customer Assistance Center 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, owners are instructed on how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
DEFECT INVOLVED
Saturn has decided that certain 2000 L-Series Saturn vehicles may fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 301, "Fuel System Integrity." These vehicles may have been produced with an inoperative valve within the fuel tank assembly. If a vehicle with an inoperable valve were involved in a rollover, fuel spillage could occur. If an ignition source were present, a fire could result. To ensure that the fuel tank assembly valve is operating as intended, Saturn will inspect the fuel tank assembly valve, and, replace the fuel tank assembly if necessary.
VEHICLES INVOLVED
Only selected 2000 model year Ls Saturn vehicles within the following VIN range will require this campaign:
YY600001 - YY602473
1 Of 4:
2 Of 4:
3 Of 4:
4 Of 4:
A VIN listing of the vehicles is included in this bulletin for your reference.
You must verify 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 letters included in this bulletin.)
FACILITY VIN LISTING
A list of vehicles assigned to you (Facility VIN Listing), which our records indicate were sold by or shipped to you, (or are located in close proximity to your facility) is enclosed.
This listing contains:
^ Owner's name with address and telephone number;
^ Complete vehicle identification number (VIN); and
^ VINs of vehicles, which according to Saturn records are in retail stock.
The Facility VIN 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.
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 00-C-01.
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 unsold 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.
Owners of vehicles recently sold from your vehicle inventory are to be contacted by the Retailer and arrangements made to make the required correction according to the procedure contained in this bulletin.
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 desirable for a vehicle on your Facility VIN Listing to be serviced by another Saturn Retailer, or if the customer's 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 Reference Guide, "Notifying Saturn of Vehicle Status Change."
PARTS INFORMATION
1. A pre-shipment of fuel tank assemblies required to perform this campaign has been automatically sent to your Retailer from Saturn Service Parts Operations (SSPO). In addition, several incidental parts will be sent to each Retailer. These initial parts shipments are to aid Retailers in campaign preparation and will ensure minimal customer inconvenience. Further shipments will automatically be sent at a later date to fulfill your forecasted parts requirements.
2. There are two types of fuel tank assemblies that SSPO will be sending to Retailers. Both types are under the same part number. The tank assemblies differ in the fact that one tank has a rubber shim on the top of the tank covering the fuel line coming from the fuel pump and going to the fuel filter. The other tank incorporates a design change and does not require the addition of the rubber shim. Both types of tanks are being used to replace suspect fuel tank assemblies.
3. Both types of tank assemblies will have a sticker on front of them identifying whether the rubber shim is required. The first four digits of the code on the sticker will read either "LS31" or "LS32."
^ LS31 indicates that tank DOES require rubber shim.
^ LS32 indicates that tank DOES NOT require rubber shim. Tanks requiring rubber shim will have rubber shim already installed from SSPO.
4. Certain tanks have been inspected that have the suspect Julian date of "1119," "1119A," or"1119B" on the grade vent valve. These tanks will have two white dots on the grade vent valve or the fuel pump module signifying that these tanks have been inspected and meet Saturn's quality standards. Tanks with white dots are acceptable and should be used for servicing vehicles.
5. Should additional parts be required, please contact your Parts Support Analyst (PSA) and SSPO will expedite parts shipment. Please do not enter any orders for any part numbers listed without contacting your PSA first.
6. Required Parts:
7. Incidental Parts: The inspection and replacement of fuel tank assemblies might require replacement of some incidental parts. These parts are as follows:
DISPOSITION OF REPLACED PARTS
Retailers will scrap all replaced parts in a manner that ensures that they cannot be reused, remanufactured, or otherwise entered into the stream of commerce in the future.
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 (00CO1) 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 # S03 00013A for the Campaign Completion Labe4 and Item # S03 00013B for the Clear Protective Cover).
CREDIT
1. To receive credit for inspecting, and if necessary, replacing the fuel tank assembly, submit a claim with the information illustrated.
2. To receive credit for loaner/rental car costs incurred while owner awaits campaign repair or other goodwill expenses, submit a claim with the information illustrated.
3. Retailers are empowered to use good judgement regarding loaner/rental cars or any other goodwill expenses deemed necessary. It will not be necessary to call the Saturn Customer Assistance Center for authorization of goodwill. The Goodwill Worksheet must be used to document goodwill expenses. The completed Goodwill Worksheet must be attached to the hard copy of the CSO. Retailers are to make sufficient copies of the blank Goodwill Worksheet to document goodwill expenses.
4. Check your Saturn SERVICELINE.XL Claim Memorandum daily. Remember to code the claim as a WC sale type, and VC case type. Contact your field representative if you need assistance.
5. Refer to the Customer Service Order Preparation Manual for details on Product Campaign Claim Submission.
* The parts allowance should be the sum total of the current SSP0 Retailer net price plus 30% of all parts required for the repair
** Campaign administrative allowance
*** Net amount must be submitted as a miscellaneous sale...Loaner reimbursement not to exceed $40/day.
**** Enter number of days vehicle was rented . . . Not to exceed 2 days,