Owner Information
(Sample Of Notification Used)November, 1996
Dear
This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
Reason For This Recall:
General Motors has decided that certain 1997 Chevrolet Camaro & Pontiac Firebird Convertible model vehicles fail to conform to (Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 209, "Seat Belt Assemblies" which requires that seat belt retractors must not lock-up while a vehicle is parked on less than a 150 slope.
These vehicles were manufactured with seat belt retractors out of design position which may lock-up on slopes less severe than this requirement. As a result, occupants may not be able to extract and fasten their seat belts until the vehicle is moved to a more level surface. In the event of a vehicle crash, unbelted occupants are more at risk of injury than those using seat belts.
What Will Be Done:
To prevent the possibility of this condition occurring and in order to comply with FMVSS 209, your dealer will inspect for proper front seat belt retractor position. Retractors found to be improperly positioned will be reinstalled correctly. This service will be performed for you at no charge.
How Long Will The Repair Take?
The length of time required to perform this service inspection/correction is approximately 20 minutes. Additional time may be required to schedule and process your vehicle. If your dealer has a large number of vehicles awaiting service, this additional time may be significant. Please ask your dealer if you wish to know how much additional time will be needed.
Contacting Your Dealer:
Please contact your dealer as soon as possible to arrange a service date. Instructions for making this correction have been sent to your dealer. Please ask your dealer if you wish to know how much time will be needed to schedule, process and repair your vehicle. Your
Division Number Deaf, Hearing Impaired
or Speech Impaired *
Chevrolet 1-800-222-1020 1-800-833-2439
Pontiac 1-800-762-2737 1-800-833-7668
* Utilizes Telecommunication Devices for the Deaf/Text Telephones (TDD/TTY)
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, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20590 or call 1-800-424-9393 (Washington D.C. residents use 202-366-0123).
Customer Reply Card:
The enclosed customer reply card identifies your vehicle. Presentation of this card 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 postage paid 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.