Recall - Rear Seat Center Belt Reinforcement Bracket: Overview

Installation of Rear Seat Center Belt Anchor Reinforcement Plate
# 05041 - (May 10, 2005)

Models:
2002-2004 SATURN L-SERIES WAGON VEHICLES

ALL SATURN RETAILERS AND AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERS IN THE UNITED STATES

Important:
Saturn Retailers in Canada: The Canadian version of this bulletin follows the U.S. version.

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle that is subject to a recall of this type must be adequately repaired within a reasonable time after the customer has tendered it for repair. A failure to repair within sixty days after tender of a vehicle is prima facie evidence of failure to repair within reasonable time. If the condition is not adequately repaired within a reasonable time, the customer 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 customer and to repair their vehicle as soon as possible. In the recall notification letter, customers are told how to contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the recall is not completed within a reasonable time.

Condition

Saturn has decided that 2002-2004 Saturn L-Series wagon vehicles were built with a center and passenger side rear seat belt anchor that fails to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 210, "Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages." The seat belt anchor may separate from the floor of the vehicle before holding the required test load for the required time. If a separation occurred in a crash, the right and center rear seat occupants may not be properly restrained, increasing the risk of personal injury.

Correction

To correct this condition, Saturn retailers will install a rear seat center belt anchor reinforcement plate to the floor pan of the vehicle. This service will be performed at no cost to the owner.

Vehicles Involved





2002-2004 mode/year Saturn L-Series wagon vehicles within the VIN range shown will require this recall.

You must verify recall involvement through your AS400 system. It is important to note that recall claims will only he paid on involved vehicles.

Owner Notification

Owners of all involved vehicles located within areas covered by the US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act will be notified of this recall by Saturn. (Refer to the owner letter shown in this bulletin.)

Retailer Responsibility

All unsold new vehicles in Retailers' possession and subject to this recall must be held and inspected/repaired per the service procedure of this recall bulletin before customers take possession of these vehicles.

Retailers are to service all vehicles subject to this recall at no charge to customers, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.

Owners who have recently purchased vehicles sold from your vehicle inventory are to be contacted by the retailer and arrangements are to be made to make the required correction according to the procedure contained in this bulletin.

In summary, whenever a vehicle subject to this recall enters your vehicle inventory, or is in your retail facility for service in the future, you must take the steps necessary to be sure the recall correction has been made before selling or releasing the vehicle.

This bulletin is notice to you that the new motor vehicles included in this recall may not comply with the standard identified above. Under Title 49, Section 30112 of the United States Code, 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 recall correction, your dealership may be subject to a civil penalty for each such sale.

Transfer of Recall Responsibility

Saturn vehicles that have been sold to 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, recall responsibility may be transferred by completing the following:

^ Submit a Recall 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 Recall Vehicle Action Report is shown for your reference. Additional copies can be ordered from Saturn Publications. All changes to recall 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 Policies & Procedures Manual, "Notifying Saturn of Vehicle Status Change."





Parts Information

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.

Service Procedure Overview

In order to install the rear seat center belt anchor reinforcement plate to the floor pan of the vehicle, removal of the following interior parts is required: rear seat cushion, passenger side rear folding seat back, two 8 mm (0.315 in) child seat anchor plate assembly bolts, one 11.11 mm (7/16 in) seat belt anchor bolt, and a fiber retainer (if applicable) and buckle/latch assembly. No special tools are required to perform the service procedures in this bulletin.





Refer to the illustration shown to view the floor pan, child seat anchor plate, and rear seat center belt anchor reinforcement plate.








Credit





Loaner/Rental Worksheet





Disclaimer