CAMPAIGN: BALL JOINT COTTER- PINS IMPROPERLY CRIMPED. Chevrolet Blazer

Model and Year: 1987 S 10507 POST OFFICE VEHICLES

TO: OFFICE OF FLEET MANAGEMENT

U.S. POSTAL SERVICE

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 nearest Chevrolet Branch Office if their dealer does not remedy the condition within five (5) 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.

The U.S. Post Office has been contacted and will be perfoming necessary inspections/corrections at U.S. Post Office Repair Centers.

DEFECT INVOLVED

General Motors has detemined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in some 1987 Chevrolet S 10507 Post Office vehicles. These vehicles may have improperly crimped cotter pins in the upper and lower ball joints. The heads of the cotter pins may have been crimped instead of the end. As a result, very little of the end would have been bent which could allow the cotter pin to come out of the stud. If the loss of the cotter pin went unnoticed, the ball joint nut could loosen and eventually result in separation of the ball joint from the steering knuckle. This could result in a possible loss of steering control which could lead to a vehicle crash without prior warning.

To prevent this condition from occurring it will be necessary to inspect for improperly crimped or missing ball joint stud nut cotter pins and replace as necessary. Additionally, if the cotter pin is missing and the ball joint stud nut is found loose, but the ball joint has not moved in the knuckle, the ball joint nut will be torqued and the cotter pin replaced. However, if the ball joint stud has moved in the knuckle, the knuckle must also be replaced.

VEHICLES INVOLVED

Involved are certain 1987 Chevrolet S 10507 Post Office vehicles built within the following VIN breakpoints:

PLANT FROM THROUGH ----- ---- ------- Moraine H2300001 H2302031

OWNER NOTIFICATION

The U.S. Post Office will be notified of this campaign on their vehicles by Chevrolet Motor Division (see copy of letter included with this bulletin).

PARTS INFORMATION

Parts required to complete this campaign are to be obtained from General Motors Service Parts Operations (GMSPO). To ensure these parts will be obtained as soon as possible, they should be ordered from GMSPO on a "C.I.O." with no special instruction code, but on an advise code (2).

PART NUMBER DESCRIPTION QUANTITY/VEHICLE ----------- ----------- ---------------- 11076681 Cotter Pin As required 14012601* Steering Knuckle, LH As required 14012602* Steering Knuckle, RH As required

* It is estimated that less than 1% of the vehicles involved will require knuckle replacement.

SERVICE PROCEDURE

1. Raise and support vehicle.

2. Inspect cotter pin in the upper and lower nut on the ball joint assembly, Figure 2. The cotter pin installation should look like the one in Figure 3. If all four (4) cotter pins have been installed and crimped as shown, no further action is required, proceed to step 6. If cotter pin installation does not resemble Figure 3, proceed to Step 3.

3. If cotter pin does not look like the "mandatory cotter pin installation" shown in Figure 3, replace cotter pin with a new one. Install as shown. Make sure torque on nut is as specified in Figure 1 (lower ball joint stud nut 95-130 Nm [70-90 lb-ft] and upper ball joint stud nut 70-95 Nm [52-70 lb-ft ] ).

If cotter pin is missing from the ball joint stud nut, check to see if steering knuckle is still seated on ball joint stud. If it is, torque nut as specified in Figure 2 (lower ball joint stud nut 95-130 Nm [70-90 lb-ft] and upper ball joint stud nut 70-95 Nm [52-70 lb-ft]) and insert a new cotter pin as shown in Figure 3. If steering knuckle has moved in relation to ball joint, replace steering knuckle. Refer to the 1987 S-10 Light Duty Truck Service Manual (ST-369-87), page 3C-17 for removal and installation instructions. Install new cotter pins as shown in Figure 3.

4. Inspect other side of vehicle if not previously checked.

5. Lower vehicle.

6. Install Campaign identification Label.

CAMPAIGN IDENTIFICATION LABEL (Figure 1)

Each vehicle corrected in accordance with the instructions outlined in this Product Campaign Bulletin will require a "Campaign Identification Label." Each label provides a space to include the five'(5) digit dealer code of the dealer performing the campaign service. This information may be inserted with a typewriter or ballpoint pen.

Each "Campaign Identification Label" is to be located on the radiator core support in an area which will be visible when the vehicle is brought in for periodic servicing by the owner.

Apply "Campaign Identification Label" only on a clean dry surface.

CLAIM INFORMATION

Submit a Product Campaign Claim with the information indicated below:

* FAILED PARTS LABOR LAB OTH REPAIR PERFORMED PC PART NO. ALLOW FC OP HRS HRS ---------------- -- -------- ----- -- ----- --- ---

Inspect, No Further ** 00 V4320 0.2 0.1 Action Required

Inspect, Replace One 1 11076681 ** 00 V4321 0.3 0.1 Cotter Pin

Inspect, Replace Two 2 11076681 ** 00 V4322 0.3 0.1 Cotter Pins

Inspect, Replace 3 11076681 ** 00 V4323 0.4 0.1 Three Cotter Pins

Inspect, Replace 4 11076681 ** 00 V4324 0.5 0.1 Four Cotter Pins

Replace One 2 14012601 ** 00 V4325 1.5 0.1 Steering Knuckle Assembly and One Cotter Pin

Replace Two 3 14012601 ** 00 V4326 2.5 0.1 Steering Knuckle Assemblies and One Cotter Pin

Replace One 3 14012601 ** 00 V4327 1.5 0.1 Steering Knuckle Assembly and Two Cotter Pins

Replace Two 4 14012601 ** 00 V4328 2.5 0.1 Steering Knuckle Assemblies and Two Cotter Pins

Replace One 4 14012601 ** 00 V4329 1.6 0.1 Steering Knuckle Assembly and Three Cotter Pins

Replace Two 5 14012601 ** 00 V4330 2.6 0.1 Steering Knuckle Assemblies and Three Cotter Pins

Replace One 5 14012601 ** 00 V4331 1.7 0.1 Steering Knuckle Assembly and Four Cotter Pins

Replace Two 6 14012601 ** 00 V4332 2.7 0.1 Steering Knuckle Assemblies and Four Cotter Pins

* Campaign Administrative Allowance

**The "Parts Allowance" should be the sum total of the current GMSPO Dealer Net price plus 30% of all parts required for the repair.

Dealers will automatically receive the correct labor and material allowance based on the labor operation performed.

Refer to the Chevrolet Claims Processing Manual for details on Product Campaign Claim submission.

Mr. Jerry Kerr U.S. Postal Service Office of Fleet Management Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. Kerr:

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 determined that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in some 1987 Chevrolet S 10507 Post Office vehicles. These vehicles may have improperly crimped cotter pins in the upper and lower ball joints. The heads of the cotter pins may have been crimped instead of the end. As a result, very little of the end would have been bent which could allow the cotter pin to come out of the stud. If the loss of the cotter pin went unnoticed, the ball joint nut could loosen and eventually result in separation of the ball joint from the steering knuckle. This could result in a possible loss of steering control which could lead to a vehicle crash without prior warning.

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

Instructions for this inspection/correction are included in Chevrolet bulletin 87Cl4 (copy attached). Parts are currently available. The labor time necessary to perform this inspection/correction varies from 15 minutes to 2 hours and 45 minutes, depending on the amount of service required.

It is the understanding of Chevrolet that inspections/corrections on involved units will be perfomed at U.S. Post Office Repair Centers. If 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 800-424-9393 (Washington, D.C. residents use 426-0123).

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.

Chevrolet Motor Division GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION

Object Number: 95322 Size: SH

Object Number: 75774 Size: FS

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.