CAMPAIGN:TIE ROD PINCH BOLT INADEQUATE LOAD ON T/R ADJ.. Buick Somerset 1985

For 1990-2009 cars

# CAMPAIGN:TIE ROD PINCH BOLT INADEQUATE LOAD ON T/R ADJ.

#### MODELS AFFECTED: 1985 SOMERSET REGALS

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 a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in some early production 1985 Somerset Regals. The vehicles have been assembled with inadequate clamp load on the tie rod adjuster. This could allow the tie rod to loosen and separate from the tie rod adjuster. Tie rod separation could cause a loss of steering control which could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.

#### VEHICLES INVOLVED

Involved are certain early production 1985 Buick Somerset Regals with the following serial numbers:

From Through and Including ---- ---------------------- Lansing Plant FM 400001 FM 404180 (S.O.P.)

INVOICES WILL NOT BE RELEASED ON THESE VEHICLES UNTIL YOU HAVE PROVIDED A COPY OF THE REPAIR ORDER TO YOUR BUICK ZONE OFFICE TO VERIFY THAT VEHICLE(S) HAVE BEEN CAMPAIGNED.

#### DEALER ACTION

To eliminate the possibility of this occurring on vehicles involved, the inner and outer tie rod pinch bolts are to be tightened according to instructions in the Technical Procedure Section of this bulletin.

Dealers are to service all vehicles subject to this campaign at no charge to the owner, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.

Whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign is taken into your dealership for service in the future, you should take the steps necessary to be sure the campaign correction has been made before reselling or releasing the vehicle.

Owners of vehicles recently sold from your new vehicle inventory are to be contacted by the dealer and arrangements made to make the required modification according to instructions contained in this bulletin.

#### 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 campaign identification label for each vehicle.

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 furnished will enable dealers to follow up with owners involved in this campaign.

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 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).

#### TRANSFER OF VEHICLE

If a vehicle has been transferred or sold to another location, please forward vehicle information for this vehicle to your Buick Zone Office for handling with the proper dealer.

#### 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 an S-866 form for that vehicle is eliminated. Terminal input instructions are covered in the D.C.S. Manual under section 9, page 9-JOIA and B.

#### TECHNICAL PROCEDURE

1. Raise vehicle on hoist.

2. Use a torque wrench and a 13mm socket with an extension to tighten the two (2) inner and two (2) outer tie rod pinch bolts to 55 N.m (41 lbs. ft.). Refer to Illustration for location of tie rod pinch bolts.

3. Lower hoist.

4. Raise hood to install a Campaign Identification Label on the fan shroud as follows:

Each vehicle modified in accordance with the instructions outlined herein will require 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 fan shroud and apply the Campaign Label.

5. Close hood.

#### WARRANTY INFORMATION

Labor Labor Other Operation Failure Code Operation Hours Hours --------- ------------- --------- ----- ----- Tighten Tie Rod 96 V2340 .3 *.l hr. Pinch Bolts

* .1 hour for clerical administration.

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 a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in some early production 1985 Somerset Regals. The vehicles have been assembled with inadequate clamp load on the tie rod adjuster. This could allow the tie rod to loosen and separate from the tie rod adjuster. Tie rod separation could cause a loss of steering control which could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.

To prevent this from occurring on your vehicle, please contact your Buick Dealer to arrange a service date. The dealer will tighten the tie rod pinch bolts. This service will be performed at no charge to you.

Instructions have been sent to your Buick Dealer. The labor time necessary to do this work will be about 20 minutes. Please ask your dealer if you wish to know how much additional time will be necessary to process your vehicle.

If the tie rod should separate while driving, prior to the time you have this service completed, you should bring the vehicle to a stop out of the line of traffic, and turn off the ignition.

Your Buick Dealer is best equipped to 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 (5) days, we recommend you contact the Customer Assistance Department, Flint home office, by calling: 1-800-521-7300 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, 40 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.

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.