Product Safety Recall A182202370 Lower Control Arm Weld – 2017-2019 Chevrolet Trax

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Product Safety Recall
A182202370 Lower Control Arm Weld

Release Date:    September 2019                                                    Revision:    06

Revision Description: This bulletin has been updated to raise Floor Plan and WCAP limits to 180 days.  The customer letter was also exchanged.  Please discard all copies of bulletin A18220237005.

Involved vehicles are marked “open” on the Investigate Vehicle History screen in GM Global Warranty Management system.  This site should always be checked to confirm vehicle involvement prior to beginning any required inspections and/or repairs.   

Condition

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 20172019 model year Chevrolet Trax and 2017-2020 Chevrolet Tracker vehicles.  In some of these vehicles, a joint in one or both front lower-control arms may have been improperly welded. Over time and in rare cases, an improperly welded joint can fatigue and break, causing the lower-control arm to partially separate from the vehicle.

Correction

All lower control arms will be inspected using a gauge tool to determine if they meet manufacturing specifications.  Please note, this is for the Trax only in the USA and Canada.  Dealers will replace lower control arms that do not pass the gauge inspection.

Parts

Quantity	Part Name	Part No.
1	ARM ASM – Front Lower Control, LH (FE2 Suspension)	95328052
1	ARM ASM – Front Lower Control, RH (FE2 Suspension)	95328053
1	ARM ASM – Front Lower Control, LH (FE4 Suspension)	94540671
1	ARM ASM – Front Lower Control, RH (FE4 Suspension)	94540672
2 (Per Side)	Front Lower Control Arm Bushing Bolt	11569601
1 (reusable)	Control Arm Inspection Gauge	CH-52980-1

Note: Beginning the week of May 20, 2019, dealers were shipped via UPS from Bosch, a CH-52980-1 Control Arm Inspection Gauge Tool for use in this recall.  This tool has been furnished at no charge.  In the event additional quantities are required, please access the GM Special Service Tools site through GlobalConnect.  The tool is not to be ordered from CCA.

Note: Use the VIN and the GM Electronic Parts Catalog (EPC) to determine which Front Lower Control Arm to order.

Parts required to complete this recall are to be obtained from General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales

(GMCC&A).  Please refer to your “involved vehicles listing” before ordering parts.  Order parts on a CSO = Customer Special Order only. DRO’s may be cancelled.  All orders may be reviewed prior to being filled.  Parts may have quantity limiters in effect.

Important: Due to limited initial parts availability, dealers are encouraged not to order these parts for use as shelf stock.  In addition, dealers are encouraged to perform the inspection prior to ordering parts to ensure you order the correct part needed as only 35% of lower control arms are expected to need replacing.

Reminder: Parts may be removed from RIM management.  Dealers should review the affected parts to confirm RIM managed status.

Warranty Information

*     Includes inspection time.

**  For USA and Canada: Submit the dollar amount reimbursed to the customer in Net/Reimbursement. Submit $20.00 administrative allowance in Net/Admin Allowance.

For Export: Submit the dollar amount reimbursed to the customer in Net/Reimbursement.

***  Submit $10.00 administrative allowance in Net/Admin Allowance.

Floor Plan Reimbursement – NEW INVENTORY ONLY

**** USA & Canada Only – For vehicles eligible for floor plan reimbursement, the amount should be submitted in Net

Item/Miscellaneous.  This amount should represent the product of the vehicle’s average daily interest rate (see table below) multiplied by the actual number of days the vehicle was in dealer inventory and not available for sale.  This reimbursement is limited to the number of days from the date of the stop delivery message (April 18, 2019) to the date the repair is completed and the vehicle is ready for sale (not to exceed 180 days):

Working Capital Assistance Program (WCAP) Reimbursement – USED INVENTORY ONLY

Note: US Only – To avoid having to “H” route the WCAP transaction for approval, it must be submitted prior to the repair transaction.

Important: The WCAP ZSET transaction labor code, 9800025, provided in the dealer message sent on (May 02, 2019), must have been submitted prior to the submittal of the ZFAT transaction labor code or the claim will reject.

***** US Dealers Only – For vehicles eligible under the Working Capital Assistance Program, the amount should be submitted in Net Item/Miscellaneous. This amount has been calculated to a daily value for the days that the vehicle was in used dealer inventory and not available for sale.  This reimbursement is limited to the number of days from the date of the stop sale/stop delivery order (April 18, 2019) to the date the inspection or repair closed the recall bulletin. (not to exceed 180 days).

  Canada Dealers Only – For Canada, please continue to follow the process outlined in the Used Virtual Coupon Program Dealer message published on May 2, 2019. (see GCCA-5-1397).

Service Procedure

1. Lift the vehicle. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle in SI.
2. Locate your inspection gauge and identify sides 1 and 2 as shown below.

5339525

Photograph of the Inspection Gauge. Use the gauge to measure two weld gaps on the lower control arm. Use the number one (1) side of the gauge to measure the weld gap in step 4 and the number two (2) side of the gauge to measure the weld gap in step 5.

5339552

5330411

Photograph of Gap 1 (between the welds, red) and Gap 2 (between the control arm body and bushing barrel, purple).

Note: The area indicated above by (1) and (2) should be thoroughly cleaned using a wire brush or rag and brake cleaner if the technician determines that there is too much rust, dirt, or other debris to make an accurate measurement. There is an add time in the labor chart if you determine that the vehicle you are inspecting needs additional cleaning prior to inspection.

3. Inspect the welds on the rearward side of the driver’s side front control arm bushing barrel using the provided gauge.

5339559

4. Inspect the Gap (1) in the weld using the number one (1) side of the gauge. With the gauge oriented as shown, slide the top of the tool along the barrel of the bushing until it contacts the upper weld. Then, pivot the bottom of the gauge in while holding the top against the upper weld until the bottom of the tool is also contacting the bushing barrel or weld.
   • If the inspection gauge does not fit in the gap between the welds (check mark), the control arm is good.
   • If the inspection gauge does fit in the gap between the welds (X), the control arm is bad and must be replaced.
5. Inspect the gap (2) between the control arm bushing barrel and the control arm using the rear number two (2) of the inspection gauge.
   • If the 2nd side of the gauge does NOT fit between the bushing barrel and the control arm (check mark), the control arm is good.
   • If the 2nd side of the gauge does fit in the gap between the bushing barrel and control arm (X), the control arm is bad and must be replaced.
   • Repeat the process again starting at step 3 on the passenger’s side control arm.
   • If all control arms passed the gauge inspection, no further action is required on that vehicle. Proceed to step 7.

Note: Both front lower control arms must be inspected and evaluated separately for replacement. Only lower control arms that have failed inspection should be replaced. Do not replace both lower control arms if only one failed the gauge inspection.

6. Replace any front control arms that failed inspection. Refer to Lower Control Arm Replacement in SI.
7. Lower the vehicle. Refer to Lifting and Jacking the Vehicle in SI.

Dealer Responsibility – For USA & Export (USA States, Territories, and Possessions)

It is a violation of Federal law for a dealer to deliver a new motor vehicle or any new or used item of motor vehicle equipment (including a tire) covered by this notification under a sale or lease until the defect or noncompliance is remedied.

The US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act provides that each vehicle that is subject to a recall of this type must be adequately repaired within a reasonable time after the customer has tendered it for repair.  A failure to repair within sixty days after tender of a vehicle is prima facie evidence of failure to repair within a reasonable time.  If the condition is not adequately repaired within a reasonable time, the customer may be entitled to an identical or reasonably equivalent vehicle at no charge or to a refund of the purchase price less a reasonable allowance for depreciation.  To avoid having to provide these burdensome remedies, every effort must be made to promptly schedule an appointment with each customer and to repair their vehicle as soon as possible.  In the recall notification letters, customers are told how to contact the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration if the recall is not completed within a reasonable time.

Dealer Responsibility – All

All new, used, GM Certified Used, courtesy transportation vehicles, dealer shuttle vehicles, etc. in dealers’ possession and subject to this recall must be held and inspected/repaired per the service procedure of this bulletin before customers take possession of these vehicles.  Involved vehicles must be held and not delivered to customers, dealer-traded, released to auction, used for demonstration, or any other purpose.

All GM Certified Used vehicles currently in the dealers’ inventory within the Certified Pre-Owned Inventory System (CPOIS) will be de-certified and must be held and remedied per the service procedure in this bulletin.  Upon submitting an accepted/paid warranty transaction in the Global Warranty Management (GWM) system, the vehicle can be re-certified for sale within the CPOIS system, or once again be used in the CTP program.

Dealers are to service all vehicles subject to this recall at no charge to customers, regardless of mileage, age of vehicle, or ownership, from this time forward.

Customers who have recently purchased vehicles sold from your vehicle inventory, and for which there is no customer information indicated on the dealer listing, are to be contacted by the dealer.  Arrangements are to be made to make the required correction according to the instructions contained in this bulletin.  A copy of the customer letter is provided in this bulletin for your use in contacting customers.  Recall follow-up cards should not be used for this purpose, since the customer may not as yet have received the notification letter.

In summary, whenever a vehicle subject to this recall enters your vehicle inventory, or is in your dealership for service in the future, you must take the steps necessary to be sure the recall correction has been made before selling or releasing the vehicle.

Dealer Reports

For dealers with involved vehicles, a listing with involved vehicles has been prepared and will be provided to U.S. and Canadian dealers through the GM GlobalConnect Recall Reports, or sent directly to export dealers.  The listing may contain customer names and addresses obtained from Motor Vehicle Registration Records.  The use of such motor vehicle registration data for any purpose other than follow-up necessary to complete this recall is a violation of law in several states/provinces/countries.  Accordingly, you are urged to limit the use of this report to the follow-up necessary to complete this recall.

Courtesy Transportation – For USA & Canada

Courtesy transportation is available for customers whose vehicles are involved in a product program and still within the warranty coverage period. See General Motors Service Policies and Procedures Manual, Sections 1.4 and 6.1.10, for courtesy transportation program details.

Customer Notification

USA & Canada – General Motors will notify customers of this recall on their vehicle (see copy of customer letter included with this bulletin).

Export – Letters will be sent to known owners of record located within areas covered by the US National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.  For owners outside these areas, dealers should notify customers using the attached sample letter.

Customer Reimbursement

Customer requests for reimbursement of previously paid repairs to correct the condition described in this bulletin are to be submitted to the dealer prior to or by June 30, 2020.  See General Motors Service Policies and Procedures Manual, Section 6.1.11 – Product Field Action Customer Reimbursement Procedure (USA & Canada) or local Policies and Procedures, for details.

IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL

October 2019

This notice applies to your vehicle, VIN: _____________________________________ Dear General Motors Customer:

This notice is sent to you in accordance with the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act.

General Motors has decided that a defect which relates to motor vehicle safety exists in certain 2017-2019 model year Chevrolet Trax and Tracker vehicles.  As a result, GM is conducting a safety recall.  We apologize for this inconvenience.  However, we are concerned about your safety and continued satisfaction with our products.

If after contacting your dealer and the Customer Assistance Center, you are still not satisfied we have done our best to remedy this condition without charge and within a reasonable time, you may wish to write the Administrator, National

Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590, or call the toll-free Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1.888.327.4236 (TTY 1.800.424.9153), or go to https://www.safercar.gov.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Campaign ID Number for this recall is 19V312.

Federal regulation requires that any vehicle lessor receiving this recall notice must forward a copy of this notice to the lessee within ten days.

Maryann L. Combs

Vice President

Global Vehicle Safety

Enclosure

GM Recall: A182202370

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