CAMPAIGN: INCORRECT TAIL LAMP LENSES. Buick Skyhawk 1986

For 1990-2009 cars

# CAMPAIGN: INCORRECT TAIL LAMP LENSES

#### MODELS AFFECTED: 1986 SKYHAWK CUSTOM 2 DOOR AND 4 DOOR SEDANS ---------------- AND LIMITED 4-DOOR SEDANS

The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle 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 adequately 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 attached copy of the letter which is being sent to owners, the owners are being instructed to contact the Buick home office if their dealer does not remedy the condition within five (5) days of the agreed service date. If the condition is not remedied within a reasonable time, the owners are instructed on how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

#### CONDITION

General Motors has determined that some 1986 Skyhawks were assembled with tail lamp assemblies which have lenses which do not allow these vehicles to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108, "Lamp, Reflective Device and Associated Equipment." This standard requires that there must be a reflective surface (reflector) on the rear of all passenger vehicles. The tail lamp lenses used on these vehicles were the "smoked" (gray) colored lenses released for models that do not have the reflector in the lenses.

When a vehicle does not have a rear reflector and is parked or traveling without the tail lamps "on" at a time of reduced visibility, it is possible that an approaching vehicle may not be aware of this vehicle. This condition could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.

#### DEALER ACTION

Dealers are to install the correct tail lamps on vehicles involved as instructed in the "Technical Procedure" of this bulletin. The lens in these lamps are "red" in color and have the reflective surface in the center section of the lens.

#### VEHICLES INVOLVED

Certain 1986 Skyhawk models listed below with serial numbers lower than GK406330:

Custom 2-Door JS27 Model Custom 4-Door JS69 Model Limited 4-Door JT69 Model

A number of vehicles with serial numbers lower than GK406361 had the correct tail lamps installed prior to shipment to Dealers.

#### DEALER CAMPAIGN RESPONSIBILITY

Dealers 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.

This bulletin is notice to you that the new motor vehicles included in this campaign may not comply with the standard identification above. Under Sections 108 and 114 of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, 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 campaign correction, your dealership may be subject to a civil penalty up to $1,000 for each such sale.

#### DEALER MATERIAL

If your dealership has vehicles involved in this campaign, you will receive the following items:

- List of all vehicles involved in this campaign shipped to your dealership.

- One (1) campaign identification label per vehicle involved.

Involved vehicles have been identified by Vehicle Identification Number computer listings. Computer listings contain the complete vehicle identification number, owner name and address data, and are furnished to the involved dealers with the campaign bulletin. Owner name and address data will enable dealers to follow-up with owners involved in this campaign.

These computer 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 law in several states. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this listing to the follow-up necessary to complete this campaign.

#### OWNER NOTIFICATION

Owners of vehicles involved in this campaign will be notified by Buick Motor Division (see copy of owner letter included with this bulletin).

#### CHANGE OF OWNER INFORMATION

Dealers are to use the Dealer Communication System (D.C.S.) to provide Buick Motor Division with subsequent Buick owner information. By reporting a change of owner name or address of a vehicle in campaign status over the D.C.S., the need to send in a C.V.A.R. form for that vehicle is eliminated. Terminal input instructions are covered in the D.C.S. Manual under Section 9, page 9- J01A and B.

#### PARTS INFORMATION

The parts required to complete this campaign are to be obtained from GMWDD for each vehicle involved as listed below:

Quantity Per Description Part Number Vehicle ----------- ----------- ------------ Tail Lamp Assembly - Left 916757 1

Tail Lamp Assembly - Right 916758 1

DO NOT ORDER LAMP ASSEMBLIES UNLESS YOU HAVE VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THIS CAMPAIGN. THESE PARTS ARE AVAILABLE IN LIMITED QUANTITIES FOR THIS CAMPAIGN AND ARE NON-RETURNABLE.

To ensure this part will be obtained as soon as possible, it should be ordered from GMWDD on a C.I.O. order with no special instruction code, but order on an advise code (2).

#### TECHNICAL PROCEDURE

1. Open vehicle deck lid.

2. To prevent damage to the painted surface, apply masking tape on the rear bumper fascia and quarter panel in the area of the tail lamps.

PERFORM STEP 3 THROUGH 6 TO REPLACE BOTH RIGHT AND LEFT TAIL LAMP ASSEMBLIES. REFER TO ILLUSTRATION.

3. Remove the four (4) wing nuts that retain lamp and slide lamp rearward.

4. Unsnap plastic straps (2) from lamp wiring harness conduit and unplug lamp sockets from lamp housing.

5. Remove lamp and transfer wiring harness straps and gasket seal to the new lamp housing.

6. Install new lamp assembly by reversing removal procedure.

BE SURE GASKET SEAL IS ON OUTBOARD EDGE OF HOUSING, SEALING WASHERS ARE ON HOUSING MOUNTING STUDS, WIRING STRAPS ARE ATTACHED TO HARNESS CONDUIT, AND ALL LAMP SOCKETS ARE PROPERLY INSTALLED IN HOUSING.

7. Check tail lamp operation; correct as required.

8. Remove masking tape and close deck lid.

9. Install a Campaign Identification Label.

Each label provides a space to include the campaign number, the five (5) digit Dealer Code of the dealer performing the campaign service, and the date vehicle was campaigned. This information may be inserted with a typewriter or ballpoint pen. When installing label, clean the surface of the radiator upper mounting panel. When installing label, clean the surface of the radiator upper mounting panel and apply the campaign label where it is readily visible.

#### DISPOSITION OF PARTS

Replaced parts must be held for disposition by Buick contact personnel. Parts must have a claim tag attached showing the repair order and the VIN of the vehicle from which they were removed.

#### WARRANTY INFORMATION

Dealers are to submit each campaigned vehicle as a separate case on the one line Warranty Document form S-764. Dealers submitting warranty claims by teletype terminal are to transmit campaign completions as a separate case also.

#### LABOR AND PARTS CREDIT

SUBLET PART FAILED PARTS FAILURE LABOR LABOR OTHER DEALER OPER. COUNT PART NO. ALLOW CODE OP. NO. HOURS HOURS MTL. TWG. ----- ----- -------- ----- ------- ------- ----- ----- --------- Replace Tail Lamp ** Lens 2 916757 * 96 V3020 .4 .1 -

* List current dealer price plus 30% of installed parts. ** . 1 hour for administration.

To assure accurate records of all transactions on this campaign, it is recommended that campaign repairs for each vehicle be listed on the same repair order, and warranty cases other than campaigns may be listed on the same warranty document.

Warranty documents on this campaign are not to be sent to the Zone Office. Send directly to Buick - Flint as is done with normal submissions of warranty documents.

Zone authorization is not required.

November 1985

Dear Buick Owner:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

General Motors has determined that some 1986 Skyhawks were assembled with tail lamp assemblies which have lenses which do not allow these vehicles to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 "Lamp, Reflective Device and Associated Equipment." This standard requires that there must be a reflective surface (reflector) on the rear of all passenger vehicles. The tail lamp lenses used on these vehicles were the "smoked" (gray) colored lenses released for models that do not have the reflector in the lenses.

When a vehicle does not have a rear reflector and is parked or traveling without the tail lamps "on" at a time of reduced visibility, it is possible that an approaching vehicle may not be aware of this vehicle. This condition could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.

To remedy this nonconformance with FMVSS 108, your Buick Dealer will install the correct tail lamp on your vehicle. This service will be performed at no charge to you.

Instructions for making this replacement have been sent to your Buick Dealer. It is estimated that parts will be available on November 22, 1985. Please contact your dealer to arrange a service date. The labor time to complete this service is about twenty (20) minutes. Please ask your dealer how much additional time will be needed to process your vehicle.

Your Buick Dealer is best equipped to obtain parts and provide service to ensure your vehicle is corrected as promptly as possible. However, if you take your vehicle to your dealer on the agreed service date, and he does not remedy this condition on that date or within five days, we recommend you contact the Customer Assistance Department, Flint home office, by calling:

800-521-7300 for all except residents of Alaska and Hawaii. In Alaska, call (503) 641-8350. In Hawaii, call (805) 497-8561.

After contacting your dealer and the Buick home office, if you are still not satisfied that we have done our best to remedy this condition without charge within a reasonable time, you may wish to write the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590, or call 800-424-9393 (Washington D.C. residents use 426-0123).

The enclosed Owner Reply Card identifies your vehicle. Presentation of the card to your dealer will assist in making the correction in the shortest possible time. If you have sold or traded your vehicle, please let us know by completing the postage-paid Owner Reply Card and returning it to us.

We are sorry to cause you this inconvenience; however, we have taken this action in the interest of your safety and continued satisfaction with our products.

BUICK MOTOR DIVISION General Motors Corporation

General Motors bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, not a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, do not assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See a General Motors dealer servicing your brand of General Motors vehicle for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.