Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | ||||||||||||||||
| 98V102000 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | from 04/01/1997 to 10/31/1997 | V (Vehicle) | 149342 | 05/30/1998 | MFR | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 05/15/1998 | 05/18/1998 | 571 | 108 | |||||
| Defect Summary | Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. the owner manuals do not contain the requirement information pertaining to the vehicle headlamp aiming device. this does not comply with requirements of fmvss no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | If the headlamp assemblies are replaced, customers may not be able to properly aim the headlights. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Owners will be mailed an owner manual's insert which contains the appropriate information. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Owner notification is expected to begin during june 1998.owners who do not receive the insert and installation instructions within a reasonable time should contact buick at 1-800-521-7300 or oldsmobile at 1-800-442-6537.also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236). | |||||||||||||||
| 99V356000 | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | from 04/01/1997 to 08/31/1998 | V (Vehicle) | 411880 | 07/20/2000 | MFR | GENERAL MOTORS CORP. | 12/17/1999 | 01/10/2000 | 571 | 108 | |||||
| Defect Summary | Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. these vehicles do not conform to the requirements of fmvss no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment. the vertical head lamp adjusting device may not be calibrated properly. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | Driver visibility may be impaired increasing the risk of a crash. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Owners will be provided with an owner's manual insert containing instructions for optically aiming the headlamps. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Owner notification began july 20, 2000. 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 buick at 1-800-521-7300. also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236). | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||||
| 98060898001 | 08/28/1998 | 601896 | Subject on headlamp aiming owner manual information. *yc | 08/28/1998 | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - FOG LIGHTS | |||||
| 040842010 | 05/01/2004 | 10008493 | Left and/ or right fog lamp may be inoperative. *mj | 08/03/2004 | |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL | |||||
| 9810009 | 03/24/1998 | 601776 | Information on left turn signal inoperative. *yc | 08/24/1998 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | |||
| 11/01/2011 | 181000 | ||
| 1. right side cornering lamp is inoperative despite replacing bulb, socket and even entire right side headlamp housing assembly with all new wiring and bulbs in it (not the turn signal because that works and so do all headlight functions i.e. high/low beam). 2. when above issue started car suddenly started shutting off whenever turn signals where used when passing or trying to enter highway on entrance ramp regardless of if we were speeding up or slowing down. it has also happened at a complete stand still while local mechanic was investigating complaint regarding all the above and he is still not able to find the cause. i am afraid to let my family ride in this vehicle and i am afraid it will cost us a fortune trying to figure out what is causing this unsafe issue! | |||
| 01/05/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick regal. the contact stated the headlights were crooked and not aiming straight. the contact located a recall in regards to the failure under nhtsa campaign id number: 99v356000 (exterior lighting: headlights) but was advised that his vin was not included. the dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the vehicle owners manual which contained a manual insert with instructions for optically aiming the headlamps per the recall notice. the manufacturer was contacted and offered no further assistance. the failure mileage was 130,000. | |||
| 01/05/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 1998 buick regal. the contact stated the headlights were crooked and not aiming straight. the contact located a recall in regards to the failure under nhtsa campaign id number: 99v356000 (exterior lighting: headlights) but was advised that his vin was not included. the dealer was contacted and referred the contact to the vehicle owner | |||
| 01/05/2011 | 130000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 1998 buick regal. the contact stated the headlights are not aiming straight for him to see at night when driving. there was a recall nhtsa campaign id number: 99v356000 component: exterior lighting: headlights. the dealer was not repairing the vehicle but only to provide an owner's manual insert containing instructions for optically aiming the headlamps per the recall notice. the manufacturer was contacted and stated they cannot mail the information and offered no other assistance. the failure mileage was 130,000...mw | |||
| 11/27/2008 | 83000 | 1 | |
| I have a 1998 buick regal gs. i have experienced a problem when activating the turn signals. upon activating a signal in either direction the car's electrical system shut down and stalls the engine. the car is normally in motion and power steering, headlights etc is lost. *tr | |||
| 09/11/1998 | 1 | ||
| Water leaks into back lens (turn signal, lamp, stop and tail lens). | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - BRAKE LIGHTS | |||
| 07/25/2003 | 115000 | 1 | 05/18/2001 |
| Failure of driver's side rear brake light to activate when brake pedal is depressed. passenger side and high mount light work fine. left turn signal (which is the same wire as the brake) also works. after being ticketed for equipment failure, had diagnosed and found that the problem was in the multi function switch in the steering column. this switch controls turn signals, wipers, cruise control, etc. since this occured i have noticed other general motors vehicles with the same or similar problem. this is a safety hazard and i wonder if any investigations have been done on this problem? | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS | |||
| 1 | |||
| Consumer received recall information (99v-356), consumer is not sure about the recall procedure, information was previously supplied that conflicts and is confusing to consumer. *mjs | |||
| 07/27/2000 | 08/01/1998 | ||
| Recall notice was received & understood. but, certificate wasn't helping to correct the problem. headlights on low beam didn't cover visibilty for driving which could be dangerous. high beams worked fine. dealer has tried & no success. *ak | |||
| 03/10/1998 | 03/01/1998 | ||
| When high beam lights are on, if you are in a shallow right turn and another vehicle approaches, you are unable to change to low beams. the headlight lever hits the steering wheel and will not change from high to low beams. | |||
| 05/01/1999 | 09/01/1997 | ||
| Moisture has accumulated on inside of headlight lens. console latch broken, repaired by dealer. wiper arms would not remove snow, linkage disconnected, repaired by dealer, then went off windshield, repaired a total of 3 times. half of digital temperature-radio display went dim, repaired by dealer. digital supercharger boost guage intermitently sticks above zero, dealer could not identify problem. *ak | |||
| 04/10/1998 | |||
| Headlights are not bright enough to view the road clearly due to the design of the headlight lens. please give any further details. *ak | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL | |||
| 04/15/2008 | 75000 | 1 | |
| 1998 buick regal gs, problem evident for the last 10, 000 miles. when using the turn signal stick, car experiences a dead short and engine shuts down while car is rolling. car becomes worse as car is driven for an extended period of time. dealer said he could not reproduce the problem. it is intermittent, but extremely dangerous. on my last ride(4/21/2008), the vehicle consistently experienced a cut off of power and if i had not moved the turn signal stalk to its neutral position, i am sure the car would have stalled while still in motion, reducing and/or eliminating power steering and brake functions. the problem started at about 75,000 miles. have there been other complaints? *tr | |||
| 10/06/2006 | 56000 | 12 | 07/03/2004 |
| The right turn signal continually blows out on my 1998 buick regal. i am concerned that it will start a fire in my engine compartment. *nm | |||
| 08/22/2003 | 1 | ||
| Turn signal comes on and off intermittently when applied. cause of problem undetermined at this time. *ak | |||
| 1 | 10/10/1997 | ||
| Directional signals are too small. | |||
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING - TURN SIGNAL - SWITCH | |||
| 04/17/2008 | 75000 | 1 | |
| I just review your complaint segment. i found no fewer than 8 complaints relative to owners of 1998 buick regals experiencing the very same and dangerous problem with their vehicles. i.e. the car dying when the turn signal stick is actuated. why is there no recall since this is a life threatening situation? there were other complaints about this vehicle dying while in motion. if one of your staff members were injured or killed, would this be a better reason to nudge gm to do a voluntary recall for those affected with this problem? i just want to believe that someone cares. sincerely. joseph wojciechowski *tr | |||
| 05/01/2002 | 115000 | 4 | 11/28/1998 |
| Turn singals dont work, even when replaced. i have the worst time with the drivers side turn signal. it has cost me alot of money to repair, but still doesnt work. *ak | |||
| 05/01/2002 | 5 | 05/01/2001 | |
| While driving, consumer tried to use the signal lever, however it would not work. mechanic replaced the multi function switch. *slc | |||