CAMPAIGN: DOOR PILLAR CRACKS INSTALL INNER/OUTER PLATES. Buick Somerset 1986

For 1990-2009 cars

# CAMPAIGN: DOOR PILLAR CRACKS INSTALL INNER/OUTER PLATES

#### SUBJECT: DOOR PILLAR CRACKS MODELS AFFECTED: ALL 1985 AND CERTAIN 1986 SOMERSET MODELS

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 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 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 Buick Home Office if their dealer does not remedy the condition within five (5) days of the agreed service date. If the condition is not remedied within a reasonable time, the owners are instructed on how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

#### CONDITION

General Motors has determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 1985 and 1986 Buick Somerset (two-door) models. Small cracks may develop in the body pillar around the door striker bolt hole. If left uncorrected, the cracks would eventually encircle the door strike bolt hole leading to difficulty in closing the door and might allow the door to come open during a vehicle crash which could increase the likelihood of injury to vehicle occupants.

#### DEALER ACTION

To correct this condition, dealers are to install an inner and outer reinforcement plate on both left and right body pillars as described in the Technical Procedure of this bulletin.

#### VEHICLES INVOLVED

Involved are all 1985 and certain 1986 Buick Somerset models within the following VIN breakpoints:

Year Plant Beginning Through & Including

1985 Lansing (M) Start of Production End of Production 1986 Lansing (M) Start of Production GM102476

#### DEALER CAMPAIGN RESPONSIBILITY

Dealers are to service all vehicles subject tothis 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 dealersiip 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.

#### DEALER MATERIAL

If your dealership has vehicles involved in this campaign, you will receive the following items:

o List of all vehicles involved in this campaign shipped to your dealership. o One (1) Campaign Identification Label per vehicle involved.

Involved vehicles have been identified by Vehicle Identification Number computer listings. Computer listings contain the complete vehicle identification number, 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 computer 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 follow-up necessary to complete this campaign.

#### OWNER NOTIFICATION

Owners of vehicles involved in this campaign will be notified by Buick Motor Division (see copy of owner letter included with this bulletin).

#### CHANGE OF OWNER INFORMATION

Dealers are to use the Dealer Communication System (DCS) to provide Buick Motor Division with subsequent Buick owner information. By reporting a change of owner name or address of a vehicle in campaign status over the DCS, the need to send a CVAR form for that vehicle is eliminated. Terminal input instructions are covered in the DCS Manual under Section 9, Page 9-J01A and B.

#### PARTS INFORMATION

Parts for this campaign are to be obtained from General Motors Service Parts Operations (GMSPO) to ensure that parts will be obtained as soon as possible, they should be ordered from GMSPO on a C.I.O. order with NO special instruction code, but order on an advise code (2).

Description Part Number Quantity Per Vehicle

Body Pillar Reinforcement Kit 20716329 1 (Contains Parts For Both Left and Right Body Pillars)

2.Omm Spacer - Door Striker 4469196 As Required

#### TECHNICAL PROCEDURE

The following service procedure is to be performed on both left and right body pillars:

1. Using a number 50 Torx(R) Bit Socket, remove the door striker bolt from body pillar.

2. Remove screw from pressure relief valve and remove valve from body pillar.See Figure 1.

3. Reach through hole exposed by removal of pressure relief valve and remove striker bolt attachment plate by grasping plate and rotating bottom of plate inboard (toward vehicle). Refer to Figure 1.

IF ATTACHMENT PLATE CANNOT BE REMOVED BY HAND, POSITION A SMALL FLAT PUNCH THROUGH STRIKER BOLT HOLE IN BODY PILLAR SO END OF PUNCH CONTACTS THE INBOARD THREADED AREA OF PLATE. USING A HAMMER, TAP THE PUNCH TO ROTATE THE BOTTON OF THE ATTACHMENT PLATE INBOARD.

4. Examine body pillar for cracks in area of striker bolt hole. Clean area and apply touch up paint over any exposed cracks.

5. Apply a small bead of a medium body sealer, such as 3M 08648, or equivalent, to outside edges of the outer reinforcement plate contained in body pillar reinforcement kit, Part Number 20716329, and position outer reinforcement plate to body pillar as shown in Figure 2.

6. Position and hold new inner reinforcement plate in place with flat side against the inside of body pillar with arrowhead shaped hole point inboard as shown in Figure 3.

INNER REINFORCEMENT PLATE ARE STAMPED LH (FOR LEFT HAND USE) AND RH (FOR RIGHT HAND USE). BE SURE TO USE THE CORRECT PLATE WHEN INSTALLING. DRIVER'S SIDE OF CAR IS LEFT HAND.

7. Insert striker bolt. Thread lock nut contained in body pillar kit onto striker bolt. Hold nut with 17 mm wrench or socket and tighten striker bolt to 53 N.m (40 lbs. ft.).

8. Check striker bolt for proper fore/aft adjustment as follows:

a. Press body caulking, such as 3M 08568, into door striker bolt opening as shown in Figure 4.

b. Close door only as far as necessary for striker bolt to form an impression in the caulking. (Complete door closing will make caulking removal difficult.)

c. Striker impression should be centered fore and aft. The minimum allowable measurement for dimension X (Figure 4) is 2 mm (3/32"). The maximum allowable measurement for dimension X is 4 mm (5/32"). A 2 mm (3/32") spacer, Part Number 4469196, or equivalent, can be used to achieve the desired alignment. Refer to Figure 5.

d. Remove all body caulking from door striker bolt opening.

e. If adjustment is necessary, remove striker bolt and add or subtract spacers as required. Reinstall striker bolt and torque to 53 N.m (40 lbs. ft.). Refer to Figure 5.

9. Position new pressure relief valve in opening of body pillar. Hold valve upward so top of valve fully contacts top of opening. Using hole at bottom of relief valve, mark and drill a 1/8 inch hole in body pillar for relief valve retaining screw and install screw. Refer to Figure 6.

10. Clean up any excess body sealer around edges of outer reinforcement.

11. Install Campaign Identification Label.

Each label provides a space to include the campaign number, the five (5) digit dealer code of the dealer performing the campaign service, and the date vehicle was campaigned. This information may be inserted with a typewriter or ballpoint pen. When installing label, clean the surface of the radiator support, and apply the campaign label where it is readily visible.

#### DISPOSITION OF PARTS

Replaced parts must be held for disposition by Buick Zone or Branch contact personnel. Parts must have a claim tag attached showing the repair order and the VIN of the vehicle from which they were removed.

#### WARRANTY INFORMATION

SUBLET PART FAILED PARTS FAILURE LABOR LABOR OTHER DEALER OPER. COUNT PART NO. ALLOW. CODE OP NO HOURS HOURS MTL TWG ---- ----- -------- ----- ------- ----- ----- ----- -------- o Install Body Pillar Inner & Outer Reinforcement Left and Right Sides. Check Striker Bolt Fore/Aft Adjustment & Adjust if Necessary; Both Left and Right Sides.

1 20716329 Kit ** 96 V4100 .4 *.1 --- As Req'd 4469196 Spacer

* Dealer Administration Allowance ** List current dealer price, plus 30%.

Dear Buick 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 certain 1985 and 1986 Buick Somerset (two-door) models. Small cracks may develop in the body pillar around the door striker bolt hole. If left uncorrected, the cracks would eventually encircle the door strike bolt hole leading to difficulty in closing the door and might allow the door to come open during a vehicle crash which could increase the likelihood of injury to vehicle occupants.

To correct this condition, your Buick dealer will install an inner and outer reinforcement plate on both the left and right body pillars. This service will be performed at no charge to you.

Instructions for making this correction have been sent to your dealer. It is estimated that parts will be available to your dealer on August 27, 1987. Please contact your dealer to arrange a service date. The time required to perform this service is about 25 minutes. Please ask your dealer if you wish to know how much additional time will be necessary to process your vehicle.

Your dealer is best equipped to obtain parts and provide service to ensure your vehicle is corrected as promptly as possible. However, if you take your vehicle to your dealer on the agreed service date, and he does not remedy this condition on that date, or within five days, we recommend you contact the Buick Customer Assistance Department, Flint Home Office by calling 800-521-7300.

After contacting your dealer and the Buick Home 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, DC, 20590; or call 800-424-9393 (Washington, DC residents use 426-0123).

The enclosed Owner Reply Card identified your vehicle. Presentation of the 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.

BUICK MOTOR DIVISION General Motors Corporation

General Motors bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, not a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, do not assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See a General Motors dealer servicing your brand of General Motors vehicle for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.