Product Safety - Wiper Motor Replacement

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 owner 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 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 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.

Saturn has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2003 model year Saturn L-Series vehicles. These vehicles exhibit a condition in which the windshield wiper motor may fail during use because of improper manufacture. If this were to occur in severe weather, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.

To prevent this condition from occurring, retailers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the wiper motor assembly.

Only selected 2003 model year Saturn L-Series vehicles within the following VIN range will require this recall.

3Y530133 - 3Y533472

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

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

Owners of all involved vehicles will be notified of this recall 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.

The listing contains:

The Facility VIN Listing is furnished to involved Retailers with the Product Recall Bulletin.

Those Retailers not involved initially in this recall will receive a message at the top of a blank Facility VIN Listing that states:NO VEHICLES ASSIGNED AT THIS TIME FOR RECALL 03-C-03.

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

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

Owners who have recently purchased vehicles sold from your vehicle inventory, and for which there is no customer information indicated on the retailer listing, are to be contacted by the retailer. Arrangements are to be made to make the required correction according to the procedure contained in this bulletin. This could be done by mailing to such customers, a copy of the customer letter accompanying this bulletin. Recall follow-up cards should not be used for this purpose, since the customer may not have received the notification letter.

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.

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:

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 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 Reference Guide, "Notifying Saturn of Vehicle Status Change."

A pre-shipment of the windshield wiper motor (Motor ASM-WSW) required to perform this recall has been automatically sent to retailers. These windshield wiper motors are to aid the retailers in recall preparation and will ensure minimal customer inconvenience.

Should additional parts be required, please order them from Saturn Service Parts Operations (SSPO) as needed.

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.

1. Remove front of dash weatherstrip from driver’s side of vehicle.
2. Carefully pull up driver’s side cowl grill to expose wiper motor.
3. Determine production location of wiper motor.

•

If wiper motor label indicates motor was made in England, as shown in Figure A, replacement of wiper motor is not required. Secure cowl grill and reinstall front of dash weatherstrip. Affix Recall Identification Label on a clean and dry surface of radiator core support, in an area clearly visible when hood is raised. (For more information, refer to "RECALL IDENTIFICATION LABEL" in this bulletin.)





•	If wiper motor has a label configuration, as shown in Figure B, perform the wiper motor replacement procedure in this bulletin.

REMOVAL

1. Remove wiper arm finish caps.
2. Mark both wiper arm positions on windshield by using a wax pencil or tape.
3. Remove wiper arm retaining nuts and washers.
4. Remove wiper arms.



5. Remove front of dash weatherstrip.



6. Remove grill nuts from base of wiper arm shaft.
7. Remove grill.



8. Remove electrical connector from wiper motor.
9. Remove wiper linkage retaining bolts.
10. Remove wiper motor/linkage assembly from plenum area.
11. Remove wiper motor crank arm nut and crank arm from wiper motor and save crank arm for reinstallation.
12. Remove three wiper motor fasteners and remove wiper motor from linkage.
13. Install new wiper motor on linkage and install fasteners.

Torque
Wiper Motor-to-Frame Fasteners: 5N·m (44 in-lbs)





Important: Steps 14-16 are required to ensure the wiper motor and crank arm are properly timed to the linkage.

14. Connect the wiper motor into the vehicle wiper electrical harness.
15. With the key on, cycle the wiper switch to the "Low Speed" position, and then back to "Park." This will ensure the wiper motor is in the "Park" position before installing the wiper motor crank arm.
16. Install wiper motor crank arm, aligning it in between the alignment marks on the linkage mounting plate.
17. Install crank arm and new washer and nut (a new washer and nut are provided with the replacement motor).

Torque
Wiper Mount Crank Arm Nut: 15-20 N·m(11-15 ft-lbs)

18. Install linkage connecting wiper arm to wiper motor crank arm ball stud.

INSTALLATION

1. Install wiper motor/linkage to plenum area.
2. Install wiper linkage retaining bolts.

Torque
Wiper Motor Retaining Bolts: 5 N·m(44 in-lbs)




3. Install grill.
4. Install grill nuts to base of wiper arm shaft.



5. Install front of dash weatherstrip.



6. Install wiper arm assemblies at mark made during removal or Park position.
7. Install wiper arm retaining washers and nuts.

Torque
Wiper Arm Retaining Nuts - Front 12 N·m(9 ft-lbs)

8. Install wiper arm finish caps.
9. Verify correct wiper system operation.
10. Affix Recall Identification Label on a clean and dry surface of radiator core support, in an area clearly visible when hood is raised. (For more information, refer to "RECALL IDENTIFICATION LABEL" in this bulletin.)

Upon completion of the recall, a Recall Identification Label and 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 recall number (03-C-03) and the five (5) digit facility code of the retailer performing the recall service.

As a reminder, additional labels may be ordered from Saturn publications (1-800-828-2112, prompt 3, Item Number S03 00013A for the Recall Identification Label, and item number S03 00013B for the Clear Protective Cover).

1. To receive credit for replacing the windshield wiper motor (Motor ASM-WSW), submit a claim with the information provided in Table A.
2. To receive credit for loaner/rental car cost incurred while the owner awaits recall repair or other goodwill expenses, submit a claim with the information provided in Table B.
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 toward 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 Recall Claim Submission.

*The parts allowance should be the sum total of the current SSPO retailer net price plus 40% of all parts required for the repair

**Recall administration allowance

***Net amount must be submitted as a miscellaneous sale...Loaner reimbursement not to exceed $30/day

****Enter number of days vehicle was rented...Not to exceed 1 day

October, 2002

Dear Saturn Owner:

This notice is sent to inform you that Saturn is conducting a voluntary safety recall that affects certain 2003 Saturn L-Series vehicles.

Saturn has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2003 model year Saturn L-Series vehicles. These vehicles exhibit a condition in which the windshield wiper motor may fail during use because of improper manufacture. If this were to occur in severe weather, driver visibility could be reduced, which could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.

What Saturn will do:

To prevent this condition from occurring, retailers will inspect and if necessary, replace the wiper motor assembly at no charge to you. Repairs will take about 45 minutes although some additional time may be required for paperwork and processing.

What you should do:

Contact your Saturn Retailer as soon as possible 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 a reasonable time, 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 we have done our best to remedy this condition without charge, you may wish to write the Administrator, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 Seventh St., 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

03-C-03

A Subsidiary of General Motors