FMVSS Noncompliance - Replacement of Hazard Warning Switch Assembly

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 customer has tendered it for repair. A failure to 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 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. As you will see in reading the attached copy of the divisional letter that is being sent to customers, the customers are being instructed to contact the appropriate Customer Assistance Center if their dealer 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, they are instructed on how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Saturn has decided that certain 2000 L-Series model vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) #108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment." Because of a problem in the hazard warning switch assembly in some of these vehicles, the turn signal lamps may not work, or may work intermittently when the driver uses the turn signal lever or hazard warning switch. If your vehicle's turn signal indicators are not flashing, then the turn signal lamps may not be flashing. If this happens, other drivers may not be alerted to the position or intended movement of the vehicle and a crash could occur. To correct this condition and in order to comply with FMVSS #108, Saturn Retailers will replace the hazard warning switch assembly.

Only selected 2000 model year L-Series Saturn vehicles within the following VIN range will require this campaign:

YY600001 - YY603614

A VIN listing of the vehicles is included in this bulletin for your reference.

You must verify campaign involvement through your AS400 system, or with the listing attached to this bulletin. It is important to note that campaign claims will only be paid on involved vehicles.

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

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:

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 00C03.

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. 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."

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.

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:

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."

1. A shipment of hazard warning switch assemblies required to perform this campaign will be automatically sent to you from Saturn Service Parts Operations (SSPO). These shipments are to aid the Retailer in campaign preparation and ensure minimal customer inconvenience. Further shipment will be automatically sent to fulfill your forecasted needs.
2. Please do not enter any orders for any part numbers listed without first contacting your PSA.
3. Required 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.

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.

Replacement Procedure

1. Disconnect negative battery cable.
2. Grasp I/P center trim plate at HVAC vent area and gently pull straight out to release trim plate attaching clips.
3. Rotate I/P center trim plate sideways and disconnect all electrical connectors from switches or blanks mounted in trim plate.
4. Remove I/P center trim plate from vehicle and place on a clean protected work surface.
5. Using a small flat blade screwdriver in retaining tab slots on backside of trim plate, release retaining tabs while sliding hazard warning switch out of trim plate.
6. Obtain service replacement hazard warning switch (P/N 90584072).
7. Slide hazard warning switch into I/P center trim plate opening and pull from backside to fully seat retaining tabs.
8. Position I/P center trim plate to vehicle.
9. Rotate I/P center trim plate sideways and connect all electrical connectors on switches or blanks mounted in trim plate.
10. Place I/P center trim plate into I/P opening.
11. Carefully route I/P center trim plate switch harnesses into I/P opening so they are routed under center HVAC duct.
12. Push firmly on I/P center trim plate at attachment locations to seat attaching clips.
13. Connect negative battery cable.

Tighten
Tighten the negative battery cable to 17 N·m (13 lb ft)

14. Function and observe the following lamps to ensure proper operation:

•	Hazard Warning Lamps

•	Turn Signal Lamps

•	Back-Up Lamps

CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL

Upon completion of the campaign, a Campaign Identification 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 (00C03) 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 Label and Item #S03 00013B for the Clear Protective Cover ).

1. To receive credit for replacing the hazard warning switch assembly, submit a claim with the information below:

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 below:

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 (printed towards the back of this bulletin) 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. All labor operations claimed in this bulletin must be submitted on individual (unrelated) CSO lines. 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 SSPO 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 1 day.

As stated in the "Credit" section of this bulletin, Retailers are empowered to use good judgement regarding loaner/rental cars or other goodwill expenses that might become necessary for customer satisfaction.

Complete this worksheet and attach it to the hard copy of the Customer Service Order (CSO) to document all campaign goodwill claims submitted to Saturn.

VIN #

Dear Saturn Owner:

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

Saturn has decided that certain 2000 L-Series model vehicles fail to conform to Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) #108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment". Because of a problem in the hazard warning switch assembly in some of these vehicles, the turn signal lamps may not work, or may work intermittently when the driver uses the turn signal lever or hazard warning switch. If your vehicle's turn signal indicators are not flashing, then the turn signal lamps may not be flashing. If this happens, other drivers may not be alerted to the position or intended movement of the vehicle and a crash could occur. To correct this condition and in order to comply with FMVSS #108, Saturn Retailers will replace the hazard warning switch assembly.

To prevent the possibility of this condition occurring, your Saturn Retailer will replace the hazard warning switch assembly at no charge to you. It will take less than one hour to make the repairs, although some additional time may be required for paperwork and processing.

Please contact your Saturn Retailer to arrange to have this service performed.

Your Retailer is prepared to perform this service promptly and with minimal inconvenience to you. However if your car is provided to the Retailer on the agreed service date and the condition is not remedied on that date, or within five days, please contact the Saturn Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-553-6000 prompt 3, or for the hearing impaired, 1-800-833-6000. We will assist you and the Retailer in getting your car serviced.

If, after contacting your Saturn Retailer and the Saturn Customer Assistance Center, you are still not satisfied that we have done our best to remedy this condition without charge and within a reasonable time, you may wish to write the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh Street SW, Washington, DC 20590 or call 1-800-424-9393 (Washington, DC residents use 202-366-0123).

Again, we sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern this situation may cause you. We want you to know that we will do our best, throughout your ownership experience, to ensure that your Saturn provides you many miles of enjoyable driving.

Sincerely,

Saturn Corporation

00-C-03