Buick Wheels: Lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs

Buick is recalling about 139 vehicles over a problem with the wheels. Once clamp load is lost, all tire loads are taken by the wheel studs resulting in a fracture of the wheel studs.

Campaign
94V076000
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Reported
16 April 1994
Vehicles
139
Built between
Mar 1993 – Mar 1994
Models
3
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
19 April 1994
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between March 1993 and March 1994. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1994 Buick RoadmasterBuilt March 1993 to March 1994
  • 1994 Cadillac FleetwoodBuilt March 1993 to March 1994
  • 1994 Chevrolet CapriceBuilt March 1993 to March 1994

What the defect is

Paint on the wheel mounting surfaces can act as a shim between the wheel and the rotor/drum. As the vehicle is driven, the wheel imbeds into the paint, loosening the lug nut and causing a loss of clamp load.

What could happen

Once clamp load is lost, all tire loads are taken by the wheel studs resulting in a fracture of the wheel studs. This could cause the wheel to separate from the vehicle and could result in a vehicles crash without prior warning.

What gets fixed

DEALERS WILL CLEAN THE WHEEL MOUNTING SURFACES FOR ALL FOUR WHEELS. ALSO, THE WHEEL STUDS WILL BE INSPECTED FOR DAMAGE AND WILL BE REPLACED AS NECESSARY.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtMarch 1993 to March 1994
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA16 April 1994
  3. Owners notified19 April 1994

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 April 1994.

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: wheels; lug nuts; bolts.vehicle description: passenger cars. Note: if your vehicle is presented to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and the remedy is not provided within a reasonable time and free of charge or the remedy does not correct the defect or noncompliance, please contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, buick at 1-800-521-7300, or cadillac at 1-800-458-8006. Also, please contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-800-424-9393.

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