F/CMVSS Noncompliance - Shift Lever Position Indicator Illumination

ON FEBRUARY 4, 2005, VEHICLES INVOLVED IN THIS RECALL WERE PLACED ON STOP DELIVERY. WHEN THE SERVICE PROCEDURE CONTAINED IN THIS BULLETIN IS PERFORMED, VEHICLES MAY BE DELIVERED.

General Motors has decided that certain 2005 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe; and GMC Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission fail to conform to Federal/Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 102 requirements for location, identification, illumination of displays. Under certain vehicle starting conditions, the shift lever position indicator located in the instrument panel cluster may not illuminate. In subsequent vehicle start-ups, this condition may or may not occur again. If the shift lever position indicator does not illuminate, the driver may not know which gear the vehicle is in and the vehicle may move in an unintended direction, resulting in possible injury to others outside of the vehicle.

Dealers are to reprogram the instrument panel cluster

Involved are certain 2005 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe; and GMC Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission and built within these VIN breakpoints:

Important: Dealers should confirm vehicle eligibility through GMVIS (GM Vehicle Inquiry System) before beginning recall repairs. [Not all vehicles within the above breakpoints may be involved.]

For US

For dealers with involved vehicles, a Campaign Initiation Detail Report containing the complete Vehicle Identification Number, customer name and address data has been prepared and will be loaded to the GM DealerWorld, Recall Information website. Dealers that have no involved vehicles currently assigned, will not have a report available in GM DealerWorld.

For Canada

For dealers with involved vehicles, a Campaign Initiation Detail Report containing the complete Vehicle Identification Number, customer name and address data has been prepared, and is being furnished to involved dealers. Dealers that have no involved vehicles currently assigned, will not receive a Campaign Initiation Detail Report.

For Export

For dealers with involved vehicles, a Campaign Initiation Detail Report containing the complete Vehicle Identification Number, customer name and address data has been prepared, and is being furnished to involved dealers. Dealers that have no involved vehicles currently assigned, will not receive a report with the recall bulletin.

The Campaign Initiation Detail Report may contain customer names and addresses obtained from Motor Vehicle Registration Records. The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any purpose other than follow-up necessary to complete this recall is a violation of law in several states/provinces/countries. Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this report to the follow-up necessary to complete this recall.

No parts are required for this recall.

Important: The service calibration is included in the Techline Information System (TIS) data version 2.25, broadcast to dealers via GM Access on February 10, 2005; and on TIS CD-ROM version 3, scheduled for mailing to dealers on March 4, 2005.

1. Prep the vehicle for instrument panel cluster (IPC) reprogramming.
2. Program the IPC using TIS data version 2.25.

Dealers in possession of vehicles included in the Stop Delivery are eligible for reimbursement of floor plan expense upon completion of this recall. This reimbursement is limited to the number of days from the Stop Delivery message to receipt of the recall parts and/or repair procedures. Floor plan reimbursement beyond these dates is not allowed. The amount of reimbursement should be charged as a net amount expense using the recall labor operation provided.

The General Motors Courtesy Transportation Program is intended to minimize customer inconvenience when a vehicle requires a repair that is covered by the New Vehicle Limited Warranty. The availability of courtesy transportation to customers whose vehicles are within the warranty coverage period and involved in a product recall is very important in maintaining customer satisfaction. Dealers are to ensure that these customers understand that shuttle service or some other form of courtesy transportation is available and will be provided at no charge. Dealers should refer to the General Motors Service Policies and Procedures Manual for courtesy transportation guidelines.

Submit a Product Recall Claim with the information indicated below:

Note: Canadian dealers should refer to the Canadian distribution of the bulletin for detailed claim information.

Refer to the General Motors WINS Claim Processing Manual for details on Product Recall Claim Submission.

General Motors will notify customers of this recall on their vehicle (see copy of customer letter included with this bulletin).

Letters will be sent to known owners of record located within areas covered by the US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act. For owners outside these areas, dealers should notify customers using the attached sample letter.

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle that is subject to a recall of this type must be adequately repaired within a reasonable time after the customer has tendered it for repair. A failure to repair within sixty 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 customer 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 these burdensome remedies, every effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each customer and to repair their vehicle as soon as possible. In the recall notification letters, customers are told how to contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the recall is not completed within a reasonable time.

This bulletin is notice to you that the new motor vehicles included in this recall may not comply with the standard identified above. Under Title 49, Section 30112 of the United States Code, it is illegal for a dealer to sell a new motor vehicle which the dealer knows does not comply with an applicable Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard. As a consequence, if you sell any of these motor vehicles without first performing the recall correction, your dealership may be subject to a civil penalty for each such sale.

All unsold new vehicles in dealers' possession and subject to this recall MUST be held and inspected/repaired per the service procedure of this recall bulletin BEFORE customers take possession of these vehicles.

Dealers are to service all vehicles subject to this recall at no charge to customers, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.

Customers who have recently purchased vehicles sold from your vehicle inventory, and for which there is no customer information indicated on the dealer listing, are to be contacted by the dealer. Arrangements are to be made to make the required correction according to the instructions contained in this bulletin. This could be done by mailing to such customers a copy of the customer letter accompanying this bulletin. Recall follow-up cards should not be used for this purpose, since the customer may not as yet have received the notification letter.

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

Dear General Motors Customer:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the requirements of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

General Motors has decided that certain 2005 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT; Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe; and GMC Sierra, Yukon, Yukon XL vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission fail to conform to Federal/Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 102 requirements for location, identification, and illumination of displays. Under certain vehicle starting conditions, the shift lever position indicator located in the instrument panel cluster may not illuminate. In subsequent vehicle start-ups, this condition may or may not occur again. If the shift lever position indicator does not illuminate, the driver may not know which gear the vehicle is in and the vehicle may move in an unintended direction, resulting in possible injury to others outside of the vehicle.

Your GM dealer will reprogram the instrument panel cluster. This service will be performed for you at no charge .

This service correction will take approximately 25 minutes. However, due to service scheduling requirements, your dealer may need your vehicle for a longer period of time.

To limit any possible inconvenience, we recommend that you contact your dealer as soon as possible to schedule an appointment for this repair. Should your dealer be unable to schedule a service date within a reasonable time, you should contact the appropriate Customer Assistance Center at the listed number below. The Customer Assistance Center’s hours of operation are from 8:00 AM to 11:00 PM, EST, Monday through Friday.

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 SW, Washington, DC 20590 or call 1-888-327-4236.

The enclosed customer reply form identifies your vehicle. Presentation of this form 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 form and mailing it back to us.

If your vehicle is within the New Vehicle Limited Warranty your dealer may provide you with shuttle service or some other form of courtesy transportation while your vehicle is at the dealership for this repair. Please refer to your Owner’s Manual and your dealer for details on Courtesy Transportation.

This free online service offers vehicle and ownership related information and tools tailored to your specific vehicle. To get the most personalized information for your vehicle, visit www.mygmlink.com , and enter your vehicle's 17-character vehicle identification number (VIN) shown on the enclosed customer reply form.

Federal regulation requires that any vehicle lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within ten days.

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.

General Motors Corporation

Enclosure

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