Letters
Dear Oldsmobile Owner:This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.
General Motors has determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in some 1986 Oldsmobile Delta 88 models. The left and right rear lower control arm ball joint stud to knuckle attachment may have been inadequately tightened when these vehicles were assembled. This could allow the rear lower control arm ball joint stud to loosen at the knuckle attachment. A loose ball joint stud could eventually break and separate from the knuckle. Separation could cause a loss of vehicle control which could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.
To prevent this from occurring on your vehicle, please contact your Oldsmobile dealer to arrange a service date. The dealer will replace and tighten both left and right rear lower control arm ball joint stud nuts and, if necessary, replace the knuckle(s). This service will be completed for you at no charge.
Instructions have been sent to your Oldsmobile dealer. It is estimated that parts will be available on or about September 19, 1986. The labor time to replace and tighten both left and right rear lower control arm ball joint stud nuts is approximately one hour. If knuckle replacement is necessary, additional labor time of approximately one hour each will be required.
Your Oldsmobile dealer is best equipped to provide service to ensure your vehicle is corrected as promptly as possible. However, if you take your vehicle to your dealership on the agreed service date and the dealer does not remedy this condition on that date or within five days, we recommend you contact the nearest Oldsmobile Zone Office either in person or by telephone. The Zone Office will assist you and the dealer in getting your vehicle corrected. The locations and telephone numbers of the Zone Offices are listed in your Warranty and Owner Assistance Information booklet which is located in your instrument panel compartment.
After contacting your dealer and the zone office, if you are still not satisfied that we have done our best to remedy this condition without charge 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 800-424-9393 (Washington, D.C. residents use 426-0123).
The enclosed owner reply card identifies your vehicle. Presentation of this card to your dealer will assist in making the correction in the shortest possible time. If you have sold or traded your vehicle, please let us know by completing the postage paid owner 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.
SUGGESTED OWNER FOLLOW-UP LETTER
General Motors has determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in some 1986 Delta 88 models. The left and right rear lower control arm ball joint stud to knuckle attachment may have been inadequately tightened when these vehicles were assembled. This could allow the rear lower control arm ball joint stud to loosen at the knuckle attachment. A loose ball joint stud could eventually break and separate from the knuckle. Separation could cause a loss of vehicle control which could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.
To prevent this from occurring on your vehicle, please contact us to arrange a service date. Our service department will replace and tighten both left and right rear lower control arm ball joint stud nuts and, if necessary, replace the knuckle(s).
Please contact our service department on telephone number in order to arrange a mutually satisfactory date to have this service performed on your vehicle. The labor time to replace and tighten both left and right rear lower control arm ball joint stud nuts is approximately one hour. If knuckle replacement is necessary, additional labor time of approximately one hour each will be required.
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.
TO ALL OLDSMOBILE DEALERS:
Oldsmobile Division is releasing Campaign 86-C-07 involving certain 1986 Delta 88 Models. The left and right rear lower control arm ball joint stud to knuckle attachment may have been inadequately tightened when these vehicles were assembled. This could allow the rear lower control arm ball joint stud to loosen at the knuckle attachment. A loose ball joint stud could eventually break and separate from the knuckle. Separation could cause a loss of vehicle control which could result in a vehicle crash without prior warning.
To prevent this from occurring, dealers are to replace and tighten both left and right rear lower control arm ball joint stud nuts and, if necessary, replace the knuckle(s) as outlined in Product Campaign Bulletin 86-C-07.
The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle 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 owner has tendered it for repair. A failure to adequately repair within 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 owners 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 solutions, every effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each owner and to repair their vehicle as soon as possible. As you will see in reading the attached copy of the letter which is being sent to owners, the owners are being instructed to contact the nearest Oldsmobile Zone Office if their dealer does not remedy the condition within five 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.
If your dealership has vehicles involved in this campaign, you will receive the following: one printout of vehicles in VIN sequence and one printout of vehicles in alphabetical sequence by owner name.
These printouts contain the complete Vehicle Identification Number and owner name and address data, and are furnished to the involved dealers with the campaign bulletin. Owner name and address data will enable dealers to follow up with owners involved in this campaign.
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 followup necessary to complete this campaign.
Enclosed with this letter are:
Two Product Campaign Bulletins 86-C-07 Copy of Owner Letter Copy of Suggested Owner Follow-up Letter
Dealers with vehicles to correct will also receive:
One Printout of Vehicles in VIN Sequence One Printout of Vehicles in Alphabetical Sequence
Your cooperation in completing this campaign as soon as possible will be greatly appreciated.