Buick Power Train: Column Shift

Buick is recalling about 11,936 vehicles over a problem with the power train. The valve link could separate resulting in a gearselection different from what the driver selects.

Campaign
87V168000
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Reported
26 October 1987
Vehicles
11,936
Built between
Jun 1987 – Jul 1987
Models
10
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
25 November 1987
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between June 1987 and July 1987. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1987 Buick EstateBuilt June 1987 to July 1987
  • 1987 Buick RegalBuilt June 1987 to July 1987
  • 1987 Cadillac FleetwoodBuilt June 1987 to July 1987
  • 1987 Chevrolet CapriceBuilt June 1987 to July 1987
  • 1987 Chevrolet EL CaminoBuilt June 1987 to July 1987
  • 1987 Chevrolet Monte CarloBuilt June 1987 to July 1987
  • 1987 GMC CaballeroBuilt June 1987 to July 1987
  • 1987 Oldsmobile Custom CruiserBuilt June 1987 to July 1987
  • 1987 Oldsmobile CutlassBuilt June 1987 to July 1987
  • 1987 Pontiac ParisienneBuilt June 1987 to July 1987

What the defect is

Manual valve link in the transmission may have been improperly formed.

What could happen

The valve link could separate resulting in a gearselection different from what the driver selects. Also, car could be startedwith transmission in gear allowing vehicle to move in an unanticipateddirection.

What gets fixed

REPLACE THE MANUAL VALVE DETENT LEVER LINK.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtJune 1987 to July 1987
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA26 October 1987
  3. Owners notified25 November 1987

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 26 October 1987.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

System: transmissionvehicle description: passenger cars and wagons with 200 4R transmissions.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand