Product Safety - Rear Suspension Knuckle Bolt Fracture

General Motors has decided that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety, exists in certain 2005 Chevrolet Classic and Pontiac Grand Am vehicles. Some of these vehicles were built with rear suspension knuckle bolts that are not to specification and could fracture under high loads that can occur in some driving conditions. If the bolt fractures, the rear suspension linkage could detach from the knuckle and the rear wheel would be able to turn inboard or outboard. Sudden changes could occur in vehicle handling and, particularly at higher speeds, the driver may not be able to control the vehicle and a crash could occur without warning.

Dealers are to replace both rear suspension knuckle bolts.

Involved are certain 2005 Chevrolet Classic (U.S. only) and Pontiac Grand Am vehicles built within these VIN breakpoints:

Important: Dealers should confirm vehicle eligibility through GMVIS (GM Vehicle Inquiry System) prior to beginning recall repairs. [Not all vehicles within the above breakpoints may be involved.]

For US

For dealers with involved vehicles, a Campaign Initiation Detail Report containing the complete Vehicle Identification Number, customer name and address data has been prepared and will be loaded to the GM DealerWorld, Recall Information website. Dealers that have no involved vehicles currently assigned, will not have a report available in GM DealerWorld.

For Canada

For dealers with involved vehicles, a Campaign Initiation Detail Report containing the complete Vehicle Identification Number, customer name and address data has been prepared, and is being furnished to involved dealers. Dealers that have no involved vehicles currently assigned, will not receive a Campaign Initiation Detail Report.

The Campaign Initiation Detail Report may contain customer names and addresses obtained from Motor Vehicle Registration Records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any purpose other than follow-up necessary to complete this recall is a violation of law in several states/provinces/countries. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this report to the follow-up necessary to complete this recall.

Parts required to complete this recall are to be obtained from General Motors Service Parts Operations (GMSPO). Please refer to your "involved vehicles listing" before ordering parts. Normal orders should be placed on a DRO=Daily Replenishment Order. In an emergency situation, parts should be ordered on a CSO=Customer Special Order.

ATTENTION PARTS MANAGER : The total number of vehicles involved for the U.S. is 9,403, and 737 for Canada. Please see your involved VIN list for details. The VIN list is sorted by Business Associate Code (BAC) (U.S.) or Dealer Code (Canada) for easy reference. If your BAC/Dealer Code is not listed, then none of the involved vehicles are assigned to your dealership. Please order parts only for your involved vehicles in a time-frame that supports your expected repair rate. A dealer that orders unneeded parts or orders 100% of the requirement at once will disadvantage dealers with an immediate need.

1. Raise and support the vehicle.
2. Remove the rear wheels.



3. On rear disc brakes, disconnect the spring (6) from the bracket, remove the clip (1), and remove the cable (2) from the bracket (7) to gain clearance.




Important: Right hand shown in the illustration above, the left hand is similar.

4. Remove the driver's side link knuckle bolt (1), the nut (5), and the washer (4).
5. Install the new driver's side link knuckle bolt (1), the washer (4), and the nut (5).

Tighten
Tighten the lateral link to knuckle bolt to 100 N·m (74 lb ft).

6. Reinstall the parking brake cable (2), the clip (1), and the spring (6).
7. Repeat Steps 3-6 on the passenger side.

The General Motors Courtesy Transportation program is intended to minimize customer inconvenience when a vehicle requires a repair that is covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty. The availability of courtesy transportation to customers whose vehicles are within the warranty coverage period and involved in a product recall is very important in maintaining customer satisfaction. Dealers are to ensure that these customers understand that shuttle service or some other form of courtesy transportation is available and will be provided at no charge. Dealers should refer to the General Motors Service Policies and Procedures Manual for Courtesy Transportation guidelines.

Submit a Product Recall Claim with the information indicated below:

Note: Canadian dealers should refer to the Canadian distribution of the bulletin for detailed claim information.

Refer to the General Motors WINS Claims Processing Manual for details on Product Recall Claim Submission.

General Motors will notify customers of this recall on their vehicle (see copy of customer letter included with this bulletin).

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle which 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 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. In the recall notification letters, customers are told how to contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the recall is not completed within a reasonable time.

All unsold new vehicles in dealers' 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.

Dealers 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.

Customers who have recently purchased vehicles sold from your vehicle inventory, and for which there is no customer information indicated on the dealer listing, are to be contacted by the dealer. Arrangements are to be made to make the required correction according to the instructions contained in this bulletin. A copy of the customer letter is provided in this bulletin for your use in contacting customers. Recall follow-up cards should not be used for this purpose, since the customer may not as yet have received the notification letter.

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

Dear General Motors Customer:

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

General Motors has decided that a defect, which relates to motor vehicle safety, exists in certain 2005 Chevrolet Classic (U.S. Only) and Pontiac Grand Am vehicles. Some of these vehicles were built with rear suspension knuckle bolts that are not to specification and could fracture under high loads that can occur in some driving conditions. If the bolt fractures, the rear suspension linkage could detach from the knuckle and the rear wheel would be able to turn inboard or outboard. Sudden changes could occur in vehicle handling and, particularly at higher speeds, the driver may not be able to control the vehicle and a crash could occur without warning.

Your GM dealer will replace both rear suspension knuckle bolts. This service will be performed for you at no charge .

This service correction will take approximately 25 minutes. However, due to service scheduling requirements, your dealer may need your vehicle for a longer period of time.

To limit any possible inconvenience, we recommend that you contact your dealer as soon as possible to schedule an appointment for this repair. By scheduling an appointment, your dealer can ensure that the necessary parts will be available on your scheduled appointment date. Should your dealer be unable to schedule a service date within a reasonable time, you should contact the appropriate Customer Assistance Center at the listed number below. The Customer Assistance Center’s hours of operation are from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM, EST, Monday through Friday.

If, after contacting the appropriate 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 1-888-327-4236.

The enclosed customer reply form identifies your vehicle. Presentation of this form to your dealer will assist in making the necessary correction in the shortest possible time. If you no longer own this vehicle, please let us know by completing the form and mailing it back to us.

If your vehicle is within the New Vehicle Limited Warranty your dealer may provide you with shuttle service or some other form of courtesy transportation while your vehicle is at the dealership for this repair. Please refer to your Owner’s Manual and your dealer for details on Courtesy Transportation.

This free online service offers vehicle and ownership related information and tools tailored to your specific vehicle. To get the most personalized information for your vehicle, visit www.mygmlink.com , and enter your vehicle's 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN) shown on the enclosed customer reply form.

Federal regulation requires that any vehicle lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within ten days.

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 Corporation

Enclosure

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