- Vehicles
- 476,422
- Built between
- Jan 1989 – Jan 1990
- Models
- 4
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 8 November 1990
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between January 1989 and January 1990. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1989-1990 Buick RegalBuilt January 1989 to January 1990
- 1990 Chevrolet LuminaBuilt January 1989 to January 1990
- 1989-1990 Oldsmobile CutlassBuilt January 1989 to January 1990
- 1989-1990 Pontiac Grand PrixBuilt January 1989 to January 1990
What the defect is
Brake stoplamps may not illuminate or, in some cases, stoplamps will not stay illuminated all the time when brakes are applied due to a faulty stoplamp switch. Also in vehicles equipped with cruise control, a faulty stoplamp switch can result in resumption of the cruise control function upon release of the brake pedal.
What could happen
A trailing vehicle may not recognize a braking actionin time to respond appropriately. Also, cruise control will reengage uponrelease of the brake pedal and resume the set speed. In either case, it couldresult in a crash without prior warning.
What gets fixed
INSTALL AN IMPROVED DESIGN STOPLAMP SWITCH.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtJanuary 1989 to January 1990
- Recall reported to NHTSA16 October 1990
- Owners notified8 November 1990
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 16 October 1990.
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
- ODI
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: brake stoplamp switch.vehicle description: passenger cars.note: also see NHTSA recall 92V086000.
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.