CAMPAIGN:BATTERY POSITIVE CABLE INSPECTION/CORRECTION. Saturn Saturn 1993

For 1990-2009 cars

# CAMPAIGN:BATTERY POSITIVE CABLE INSPECTION/CORRECTION

#### SUBJECT: BATTERY POSITIVE CABLE INSPECTION/CORRECTION

YEAR and MODEL: 1993 SATURN SL2, SC2 and SW2 MODELS

#### TO: ALL SATURN RETAILERS and AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDERS

The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act, as amended, provides that each vehicle which is subject to a product 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 repaired within a reasonable time, the owner may be entitled to an identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle at no charge, or 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 owner letter, owners are being instructed to contact the Saturn Assistance Center if their Retailer does not remedy the condition within five (5) days of the service date. If the condition is not remedied within a reasonable time, owners are instructed how to contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

#### DEFECT INVOLVED

Saturn has determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 1993 model year Saturn SL2 Sedans, SC2 Coupes and SW2 Wagons equipped with Twin Cam 16V engines and produced during March and April 1993. The battery positive cable terminal at the starter solenoid on these vehicles may be misformed. As a result, the terminal may contact the starter solenoid housing, resulting in an electrical short circuit. If this occurs, an underhood fire could result with or without the engine running and without prior warning. The action we are taking is to inspect the battery positive cable terminal and correct it, if necessary.

Some of the affected vehicles are in Retailer inventory and have not been delivered to customers. However, we are contacting owners of affected, delivered vehicles and asking them to make arrangements with a Saturn Retailer for service.

#### VEHICLES INVOLVED

Saturn SL2, SC2 and SW2 vehicles in the following VIN ranges will require this campaign:

Vehicles equipped with automatic transaxles, PZ241982 through and including PZ264402.

Vehicles equipped with manual transaxles, PZ240416 through and including PZ264402.

All other Saturn Models (SL and SL1 Sedans, SC1 Coupes and SW1 Wagons) within these VIN ranges are excluded from this action. It is important to note that claims will only be paid on involved vehicles.

#### OWNER NOTIFICATION

Owners of vehicles involved will be notified of this campaign by Saturn. (Refer to the involved owner letter included in this bulletin.)

#### FACILITY VIN LISTING

A list of vehicles assigned to you (Facility VINListing), which our records indicate were sold by or shipped to you, or located in close proximity to your facility is enclosed for your follow-up program. The Facility VIN Listing contains:

o Complete Vehicle Identification Number;

o Owner name, address and telephone number; and

o VIN's of vehicles, which according to Saturn records are in retail stock.

The Facility VIN Listing (with owner information) is furnished to involved Retailers with the Product Campaign Bulletin. Although these vehicles are assigned to your facility, it is important to note that owners can take their vehicles to the Saturn Retail Facility of their choice to have this campaign performed.

Those Retailers not involved initially in this campaign will receive a message at the top of a blank Facility VIN Listing that states: NO VEHICLES ASSIGNED AT THIS TIME FOR CAMPAIGN 93C04.

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 the law in several states. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this listing to the follow up necessary to complete this campaign. Those records updated with California DMV registration information will leave the following message printed adjacent to the appropriate VIN: "OWNER INFORMATION UPDATED BY CALIFORNIA DMV; PUBLICATION PROHIBITED."

#### REMOTE OWNER STRATEGY

In order to minimize customer inconvenience and ensure the highest level of customer satisfaction, owners who live in a remote location from an open Saturn Retail Facility will be contacted by Saturn to arrange to have their vehicles serviced in a manner convenient to them. Therefore, you may notice that not all vehicles which were sold by you are on your Facility VIN Listing.

#### SERVICE LINE CAMPAIGN IDENTIFICATION

All vehicles in for service at a Saturn Retail Facility will have the VIN checked for possible outstanding campaigns by the Saturn Retailer System. The SERVICE LINE portion of the Saturn Retailer System compares the VIN from the vehicle in for service to a list of VIN ranges (Campaign Parameter File) that was set up for this campaign. Although the Campaign Parameter File is designed to be as discriminating as possible, it should only be used as a tool to aid the Retailer in identifying vehicles that may possibly be subject to this campaign.

The information provided in the "VEHICLES INVOLVED" section of this bulletin is the definitive information to be used to identify vehicles involved in this campaign.

#### RETAILER RESPONSIBILITY

All unsold new vehicles in Retailers' possession and subject to this campaign must be held at the retail facility and inspected/repaired per the service procedure of this campaign bulletin before owners take possession of these vehicles.

Retailers 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.

Owners of vehicles recently sold from your new vehicle inventory are to be contacted by the Retailer, and arrangements made to make the required correction according to instructions contained in this bulletin.

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

#### TRANSFER OF CAMPAIGN RESPONSIBILITY

Saturn vehicles that have been sold by you, which may be closer in proximity to another Saturn Retailer, still appear on your Facility VIN Listing. If either you or the vehicle owner determines that it is more desirable for a vehicle on your Facility VIN Listing to be serviced by another Saturn Retailer, campaign responsibility may be transferred by 1) contacting the Saturn Assistance Center (1 - 800 - 828 - 2112 prompt 6); 2) submitting a Campaign Vehicle Action Report to your field representative. A copy of the Campaign Vehicle Action Report can be found in your Service Support Activities Folder; or 3) submitting an update in owner information to the Saturn Owner of Record system, via SERVICE LINE, for field organization review and approval. All changes to campaign responsibility will be reflected in your next monthly Unfixed VIN Report.

All other changes in vehicle status (e.g., scrapped, stolen, etc.) are to be made in accordance with section 4.4.3 of the Retailer Service Reference Guide (Notifying Saturn of Vehicle Status Change).

#### UPDATING SATURN OWNER INFORMATION

When reviewing the Unfixed VIN Report or entering claims into the SERVICELINE system, please compare your owner information to the Saturn provided information. If changes are required, please make them promptly. Variations in the Retailer's customer name information should be corrected using the methods listed below:

A. Change in Current Owner Information

1. Select [CMD-3] key for "Change Customer Data" and access the Customer File Maintenance Screen. Make the appropriate changes.

2. Select [CMD-5] key to save the updated customer information and return to the Service Vehicle Master Maintenance Screen.

3. Enter vehicle mileage and select the [CMD-5] key to open a Customer Service Order (CSO).

B. New Owner Information

1. Choose vehicle by the VIN and not by the customer's name.

2. Select the [CMD - 2] key to access the Customer File and Maintenance Screen. Enter the new owner's name and address information, and enter "Y" in the "New Owner" field to prompt the update.

3. Select the [CMD - 5] key to save the updated information.

4. Enter vehicle mileage and select the [CMD - 5] key to open a Customer Service Order (CSO).

#### PARTS INFORMATION

No parts are required to complete this campaign.

#### SUGGESTIONS FOR ENSURING CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

As you know, Saturn's success hinges upon our ability to execute superior customer support throughout the ownership experience, especially when important corrective actions such as this are required. Retailers should have an aggressive "action plan" so that they can quickly complete the campaign ... and minimize customer inconvenience. Some thought starters include:

1) Immediately contact owners to schedule appointments, so that this important service can be completed as quickly and conveniently as possible.

2) Coordinate with Saturn Roadside Assistance, as necessary, to pick- up and return vehicles for any owners who choose not to drive in.

3) Provide loaner or rental vehicles to owners, as required, until the repair can be performed.

4) Utilize additional Retailer resources to minimize owner wait time and to reduce inconvenience (e.g., leveraged service capacity).

Again, whatever "action plan" you choose, it is imperative that every effort is made to accommodate the owner. If you have any questions, please coordinate with the Saturn Assistance Center to help ensure customer satisfaction.

#### SERVICE PROCEDURES

I. BATTERY POSITIVE CABLE INSPECTION ------------------------------------ CAUTION: THE BATTERY NEGATIVE CABLE MUST BE DISCONNECTED FIRST TO PREVENT ARCING.

1. Disconnect the battery negative cable. (See figure 1)

#### CAUTION:

MAKE SURE THE VEHICLE IS PROPERLY SUPPORTED AND SQUARELY POSITIONED PRIOR TO LIFTING. TO HELP AVOID PERSONAL INJURY WHEN A VEHICLE IS ON A HOIST, PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE VEHICLE ON THE OPPOSITE END FROM WHICH COMPONENTS ARE BEING REMOVED.

2. Raise the vehicle on a hoist. (See figure 1)

#### CAUTION:

BE CAREFUL NOT TO CONTACT HOT EXHAUST PIPE.

3. Remove starter motor splash shield retainer by inserting a small screwdriver in the flat and rotate screwdriver to remove the center pin. (Refer to illustration.) (See figure 2)

4. With center pin removed, remove outer portion of the starter motor splash shield retainer. (See figure 2)

5. Remove starter motor splash shield by lifting upward and pulling backward at the top of the shield to remove shield from the starter motor. (See figure 2)

6. Visually inspect battery positive cable terminal at the starter motor solenoid. (See figure 3)

a. If rubber insulator on battery positive cable terminal is contacting the starter motor solenoid metal housing as indicated by the large arrow in the illustration, proceed to page 7 "II. ADJUSTING BATTERY POSITIVE CABLE TERMINAL AT STARTER MOTOR" procedure in this bulletin.

b. If rubber insulator on battery positive cable terminal is not contacting the starter motor solenoid metal housing, use feeler gages stacked to 2 mm (0.080 in.) and measure the clearance between the starter motor solenoid metal housing and the largest diameter of the rubber insulator on the battery positive cable terminal. (Refer to illustration.)

o If clearance is less than 2 mm (0.080 in.) proceed to page 7 "II. ADJUSTING BATTERY POSITIVE CABLE TERMINAL AT STARTER MOTOR" procedure in this bulletin.

o If the clearance is over 2 mm (0.080 in.) proceed to next step of this procedure.

7. Install starter motor splash shield and retainer (PN14039420).

8. Lower vehicle on hoist.

9. Connect battery negative cable.

Torque: 17 N,m (151 in - lbs)

10. Affix the campaign completion label as outlined on page 8 "CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL."

II. ADJUSTING BATTERY POSITIVE CABLE TERMINAL AT STARTER MOTOR (See figure 4) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Prying upwards using a wide bladed screwdriver, with the blade inserted between the largest diameter of the battery positive cable terminal's rubber insulator and starter motor solenoid metal housing (refer to illustration), obtain between 2 to 6 mm (0.080 to 0.240 in.) of clearance between battery positive cable terminal rubber insulator and metal housing of starter motor solenoid.

2. After battery positive cable terminal is adjusted, using the feeler gauge, verify that the clearance is not less than 2 mm (0.080 in.). If out of specification, repeat the "II. ADJUSTING BATTERY POSITIVE TERMINAL AT STARTER MOTOR" procedure.

#### Note: If clearance is greater than 6 mm (0.240 in.), cable interference to splash shield may result.

3. Install starter motor splash shield and retainer (PN14039420).

4. Lower vehicle on hoist.

5. Connect battery negative cable.

Torque: 17 N-m (151 in-lbs)

6. Affix the campaign completion label as outlined on page 8 "CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL."

#### CAMPAIGN COMPLETION LABEL

Upon completion of the campaign, a Campaign Completion Label should be affixed on a clean, dry surface of the radiator core support in an area clearly visible when the hood is raised. Each label provides a space to print in ink (or type) the campaign number (93C04) and the five (5) digit facility code of the Retailer performing the campaign service.

As a reminder, additional labels may be obtained from your Service Support Activities Folder (provided to each facility as part of their "start-up" package) or may be ordered from Saturn Publications (1 - 800 - 828 - 2112 prompt 3, Item # S03 00013).

#### CREDIT

1. To receive credit for inspecting or correcting the battery cable terminal, submit a claim using the labor operation below:

Sale Case Labor Labor Add Repair performed type Type Op Hours Hrs.* ---------------- ---- ---- ----- ----- ----- Battery Positive Cable Asm WC VC V8120 0.3 0.1 Terminal Inspection/Correction

2. Check your Saturn SERVICELINE Claim Memorandum daily. Remember to code the claim as a WC sale type, and VC case type. Contact your field representative if you need assistance.

3. Refer to the Customer Service Order Preparation Manual for details on Product Campaign Claim Submission.

* Campaign administrative allowance

May 12, 1993

Dear Saturn Owner:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. Saturn has determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 1993 model year Saturn SL2 Sedans, SC2 Coupes and SW2 Wagons equipped with Twin Cam 16V engines, and produced during March and April 1993. The battery positive cable terminal at the starter solenoid on these vehicles may be misformed. As a result, the terminal may contact the starter solenoid housing, resulting in an electrical short circuit. If this occurs, an underhood fire could result with or without the engine running and without prior warning.

Of course, we want to inspect your vehicle as soon as possible. If it has an improperly formed terminal, we want to correct this right away. As we hope you know, we will do our best to minimize any inconvenience to you and to provide you with the special care that all Saturn customers have come to expect.

#### What Saturn will do:

We will inspect your vehicle's battery positive cable terminal to see if it is properly formed. If not, we will repair it at no charge to you.

#### What you should do:

Contact your Saturn Retailer to arrange a mutually convenient time to take your car in to have this service performed. Just so you know, it will take about 15 minutes to complete the inspection and any necessary corrective action. Some additional time may be needed for paperwork and processing.

Your Retailer is best equipped to work with you in getting your car inspected and corrected promptly and with the least inconvenience to you. However, if your car is provided to the Retailer on the agreed service date and they do not remedy this condition on that date, or within five days, please contact the Saturn Assistance Center at 1-800-553-6000. Our advisors will assist you and the Retailer in getting your car serviced.

If, after contacting your Saturn Retailer and the Assistance Center you are still not satisfied 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 St. S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590, or call 1-800-424-9393 (Washington, D.C. residents use 426-0123).

Again, we sincerely regret any inconvenience or concern this situation causes you. We have taken this action in the interest of your safety. We also want you to know that we will do our best, throughout your ownership experience, to make you completely satisfied with your new Saturn.

Sincerely,

Saturn 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.