Defect Involved
General Motors has determined that a defect which relates to Motor Vehicle Safety exists in some 1985 Safari Light Duty Van Model trucks equipped with power steering. In some instances a part of the steering gear housing which attaches to the frame may break. If this condition occurs there will be some warning. The steering wheel will no longer be centered and the driver will have to turn the wheel noticeably more to the left than to the right when going around the same degree of turn. Continued operation of the vehicle in this condition may cause the remaining attachments holding the steering gear to the frame to fracture resulting in loss of vehicle control which could result in a vehicle crash.
To prevent the possibility of this condition occurring on the vehicles involved, one of two courses of action must be taken:
1. If the attaching boss has been broken/cracked, the steering gear must be replaced.
2. If the steering gear is not broken/cracked, a brace must be installed which will provide additional support between the gears and the left hand frame rail.
VEHICLES INVOLVED
Involved are certain 1985 M15 Safari Van model Trucks equipped with RPO N40, power steering built within the following breakpoints:
Plant From To
Baltimore SOP FB506710
The specific vehicles involved in this campaign have been identified by Vehicle Identification Number Computer Listings. These listings are furnished to all involved dealers with the campaign bulletin.
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. Whenever a vehicle subject to this campaign is taken into your new or used vehicle inventory, or it is in 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. If no owner's name and address were available to GMC Truck at the time of campaign initiation, the dealer will determine the owner's name and
address from the dealership sales records. Please provide this information directly on the second copy of the listing next to the applicable VIN, so that our records may be updated and the appropriate notification mailed to the owner. This second copy should then be submitted to the address listed below in the previously supplied yellow campaign envelopes.
GMC Truck General Motors Corporation
101 Union Street
Plymouth, Michigan 48170
OWNER NOTIFICATION
Owners will be notified of this campaign on their vehicles by GMC Truck (see copy of Owner Letter included with this bulletin). A listing of owner names and addresses has been furnished to the involved dealers to enable dealers to follow up with owners involved in this campaign. This listing 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 this campaign.