- Vehicles
- 349,331
- Built between
- Mar 1993 – Sep 1994
- Models
- 5
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- NHTSA investigation
- Owners notified
- 6 March 1997
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between March 1993 and September 1994. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1994-1995 Buick RegalBuilt June 1993 to August 1994
- 1995 Chevrolet LuminaBuilt October 1993 to September 1994
- 1995 Chevrolet Monte CarloBuilt October 1993 to September 1994
- 1994-1995 Oldsmobile CutlassBuilt May 1993 to September 1994
- 1994-1995 Pontiac Grand PrixBuilt March 1993 to June 1994
What the defect is
Some of these vehicles have a strained or separated washer/wiper switch power feed wire.
What could happen
This can cause the windshield washer/wiper to work intermittently and could ultimately result in inoperative wipers. If this were to occur in a severe weather situation, driver visibility could be reduced, increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
What gets fixed
DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE OLD DESIGNED WASHER/WIPER SWITCHES WITH A NEWLY DESIGNED SWITCH.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMarch 1993 to September 1994
- Recall reported to NHTSA11 February 1997
- Owners notified6 March 1997
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 11 February 1997.
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
Owner notification:owner notification is expected to begin during march 1997. Notes:owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020, buick at 1-800-521-7300, oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537, or pontiac at 1-800-762-2737.ALSO 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.