The problem
Certain sport utility vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission, fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 102, "Transmission shift lever sequence, starter interlock and transmission braking effect." Under certain vehicle starting conditions, the shift lever position indicator located in the instrument panel cluster may not illuminate. If the shift lever position indicator does not illuminate, the driver may not know which gear the vehicle is in.
The risk
The vehicle may move in an unintended direction resulting in possible injury to others outside of the vehicle.
The fix
Dealers will reprogram the instrument panel cluster free of charge. The recall began on february 14, 2005. Owners may contact cadillac at 1-866-982-2339, chevrolet at 1-800-630-2438, and gmc at 1-866-996-9463.
Contacts
Gm recall no. 05023. Customers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.Safercar.Gov.
What to do
- Check your VIN. Enter it at nhtsa.gov/recalls - it shows whether this recall applies to your vehicle and whether the repair has been done.
- Call a dealer. Any authorized Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC dealer will do the repair free, whether or not you bought the vehicle there. Quote campaign 05V055000.
- Ask about parts and a loaner. If parts aren't available yet, ask what to do in the meantime.
- Keep your paperwork. If you paid for this repair before the recall, you may be able to get reimbursed - here's how.