Recalls


CampaignManufacturerManufacturing dateType# of units affectedDate Owner notified MfgRecall Initiated byManufacturers of recalled vehicles/productsReport Recieved DateRecord Creation DateRegulation Part NumberFMVSS Number
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS
08E050000K2 MOTOR CORPORATION E (Equipment)192112/17/2008OVSCGENERAL MOTORS CORP.08/11/200808/14/2008571108
Defect SummaryK2 motor is recalling 1,921 aftermarket headlamps of various models sold for use on the above listed vehicles. these headlamps are missing the amber side reflex reflector which fails to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
Consequence SummaryWithout the amber side reflex reflectors, the lighting visibility may be affected, possibly resulting in a vehicle crash.
Corrective SummaryK2 motor will notify owners and offer a full refund. the recall began on decemeber 17, 2008. owners may contact k2 motor at 1-909-839-2992.
NotesThis recall only pertains to aftermarket replacement equipment and has no relation to any original equipment installed on vehicles manufactured by honda, ford, or chrysler llc. customers may contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty: 1-800-424-9153); or go to http://www.safercar.gov.

Bulletins


BulletinBulletin dateReplacement BulletinItem no.SummaryAdded
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS
313601/01/200410010026Daytime running lamps (drl) disable official government vehicles only. *tc11/03/2004
20020202/20/2002629818Customers may experience problems with leaking headlamps or lenses falling off. *tt04/09/2002
18100010/18/2000617646Brief information on vehicles exhibiting leaky headlights. *tt03/21/2001

Consumer Complaints


Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
10/06/2004101/31/1998
 Right/left head lamp assembly fogged up and water beads formed o the inside. *bf *tc
05/27/200303/07/2003
 Headlamps and fog lamps get condensation in them and is removing the reflective coating. i have another vehicle, same year, make and model that has done and is doing the same thing again. i replaced all of the front end lenses (headlamp and foglamp) on this vehicle at a substantial cost. the dealer states that this is common for this vehicle?
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - FOG LIGHTS
06/21/2001207/11/1995
 Water is leaking down into headlights and fog lights. head lights have been replaced twice. lining to seal unit is being destroyed. water damage is causing lights not to reflect. dealer has been contacted, but no response to the problem.*ak consumer states there is a design defect, the light modules are not sealed and moisture gets in and can not escape through small drain holes, resulting in electric connections failing and the reflective material in the module fails, consumer also feels the high humidity in the area exaggerates the problem, oldsmobile refuses to make an adjustment. *slc
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS
11/08/2005111/08/2005
 Dt: the contact stated the headlights fogged up, causing poor visibility. the vehicle was taken to the dealership. and they could take the headlights apart and blow air into them. no repairs have been made due to the expense. *ak
03/08/20041000002
 The headlight lens covers fell off of the vehicle. this was the second occurrence for this problem. dealer recommended that consumer purchase the entire set to rectify the problem.*ak
08/27/200440001
 Consumer stated passenger's side headlight lens popped off. *ak
07/15/20042
 The consumer stated that both of the head lamps fell out. she stateed that one fell out a year ago. now just recently the other fell out. *nm the headlight began to smoke when it was placed on high beams. both incidents required the headlights to be completely replaced. *sc *jb
03/21/19981
 Drivers side headlamd lens cover fell off. *ak
12/23/2003745001
 While driving both plastic headlights lenses fell off. the consumer took the vehicle to the dealer. the technician indicated that this was a common problem with the gmc products. *nlm *sc
08/19/20032
 The glue holding the headlight lens on dries out. right lens fell off in 3/2003. left lens fell off in august 2003. lens is not replaceable and entire assembly must be purchased for $140 from dealer. the bulb will fail almost immediately when exposed to the elements. *la
01/21/200345000
 Both front headlamp lenses have popped off while driving, causing the lamps to burn out. i understand this is a comman problem, a design defect, and replacements ought to be forthcoming.
11/04/2002
 Headlamp covers on 1998 oldsmobile silhouette van fall off causing the bulbs to blow when moisture, such as rain, hits the bulb.
09/03/20021
 The consumer states that the head light cover fell off while driving, which could cause the lights to be inopertive due to mositure build up from exposure. dealer contacted. nlm the consumer states that this is common in the 1997 & 1998 models and has had several requests for the part, and a certified mechanic stating that this is a manufacturer defect/faulty part. *scc
09/27/2002520002
 Consumer states that while driving the passenger side headlight lens cracked allowing water to enter the component, and blowing out the headlight bulb. while visually inspecting headlights, the driver's side lens fell out and the bulb blew. nlm the consumer states that it is hard to see while driving. scc
08/12/2002208/01/2001
 Headlight lens cover fell off. adhesive holding covers has dried and cracked. headlights frequently have moisture problems due to leaks in adhesive holding covers. i have been told this is a common problem with 1997-current general motors mini vans. dealer declined to replace headlight assembly. contacted oldsmobile 1-800-442-6537. oldsmobile customer service offered 50% discount on purchase of replacement parts. i believe product itself is defective. i have found numerous complaints on this website citing this same problem. i do not foresee replacing current headlights as solution to problem. i believe replacement lenses will also fall off when adhesive deteriorates.*ak
06/16/2002109/01/2098
 The lens cover on the headlight dropped off due to inferior glue used. it is a known problem to oldsmobile. the other lens cover is loose and will probably fall off soon if not fixed or replaced.*ak
11/15/20011
 Consumer stated the left headlight cover fell off while driving, the right headlight cover was loose and had to be tightened.*ak.*jb
01/18/2002111/01/1997
 I have had numerous problems with this car since i purchased it. the power sliding side door has benn repaired 2 or 3 times and still works intermittently. the headlights have been repaced once and repaired once and they now have water inside causing the lights to perform poorly. the air bag warning light was repaired at a cost of $80 due to corrosion causing the light to come on. the check engine light comes on if you drive over 100 miles then eventually goes off. now, the major problem is that i have been told by my mechanic that i have a blown head gasket or cracked block which is causing antifreeze to leak into my oil. there is a possibility that the engine needs replaced. i noted numerous instances of blown head gaskets on gm message boards. this seems to be an ongoing problem. i contacted gm and received no offer of help. the request # given to me was 06214553. this is the 7th or 8th gm vehicle i have owned and have never had any problems. this one has been nothing but a problem. does this classify as a lemon? any help would be appreciated.*ak
06/21/2001207/11/1995
 Water is leaking down into headlights and fog lights. head lights have been replaced twice. lining to seal unit is being destroyed. water damage is causing lights not to reflect. dealer has been contacted, but no response to the problem.*ak consumer states there is a design defect, the light modules are not sealed and moisture gets in and can not escape through small drain holes, resulting in electric connections failing and the reflective material in the module fails, consumer also feels the high humidity in the area exaggerates the problem, oldsmobile refuses to make an adjustment. *slc
02/01/2001104/01/2000
 Right front headlight fell out,was replaced by consumer, gmc not willing to cover, even though this is the fourth vehicle that has experienced this problem. *jb
 Adhesive behind headlight lens is prematurely wearing, causing lens cover to fall off. please give any further details. *ak
01/12/2001
 Headlight lens broke off which caused water to get to headlight bulbs and burn them out. this caused visual difficulty, and could resulted in a crash. mechanic said common problem. please provide further information.
 Headlight cover has moisture inside, and will fill up with water. dealer has been contacted. *ak
02/14/2000301/01/1998
 The headlamps on this vehicle and the chevrolet and pontiac equivilants fill with water or get moisture in them. this causes the headlights to short out. both headlights have failed on two occasions and one headlight at present on my vehicle. voss village has said they have seen this problem on numerous occasions. danielle garwin of gm oldsmobile said that gm is aware of the problem, but have not corrected the situation on vehicles they are currently manufacturing. gm dealers want $600.00 to replace the headlights with the same healights that the problem exists in. i am told customers are correcting the problem by drilling a hole in the bottom of the headlights. i maintain that this is a safety hazard as you do not know when this may occur as you are driving in the dark. gm is not concerned with the safety issue they only want to know if your car is under warranty. they obviously have no plans to change the poor design (which it is called by a service person at white allen chevrolet). mr. steve smargon of gm olds division stated to me that the headlamps leak because they were not tight enough. i feel several employees of gm or gm dealershp are definitely aware of the problem, but will not change design or fix for a vehicle out of warranty. i guess someone must die to get their attention. thank you for your attention to this matter. *ak
08/18/1999103/01/1998
 Head lights filled with condensation and makes night driving difficult. *yc
08/18/1999103/01/1998
 Head lights filled with condensation and makes night driving difficult
1
 Headlights are too dim on low beams.
110/10/1997
 Head lights do not light up road efficiently.
10/10/1997
 Headlights not adequate for rural driving.
10/10/1997
 Headlights are inadequate for rural driving. dealer has tried to adjusting without any improvement.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - CONCEALMENT DEVICES
08/05/20041
 While driving, the headlights were dim. this caused poor visibility. also, dirty water was leaking into the headlight lens. the consumer contacted the dealer. the mechanic told the consumer to bring the vehicle in for inspection to determine the cause of the problem. *ak dirty water caused the headlights to become dim. *sc *jb
07/15/20042
 The consumer stated that both of the head lamps fell out. she stateed that one fell out a year ago. now just recently the other fell out. *nm the headlight began to smoke when it was placed on high beams. both incidents required the headlights to be completely replaced. *sc *jb
10/01/2003445001
 Right front headlight lens is gone. this resulted in the headlight shattering due to no protection on the light bulb. *jb
02/28/2003103/07/2003
 I have two 1998 olds silhouette's and both have moisture build up in them. i have replaced the two lens housing on one of the vehicles only to have the moisture build up again. this was done after a bulb went out due to the moisture. on the second vehicle i brought this to the attention of the dealer and they stated it was a common problem on this vehicle and was not a safety hazard. now i am thinking of contacting my attorney to look into this matter. i don't want to wait for an accident to occur or a death to result from such a defect. i feel this is a safety hazard because when i take the vehicle in for the annual state safety inspection they always check the head light condition. so headlight condition is a safety concern. just like the tire incident with ford...does oldsmobile/gm want numerous law suits over this major problem...i think not!*jb
EXTERIOR LIGHTING - HEADLIGHTS - SWITCH
06/21/2001207/11/1995
 Water is leaking down into headlights and fog lights. head lights have been replaced twice. lining to seal unit is being destroyed. water damage is causing lights not to reflect. dealer has been contacted, but no response to the problem.*ak consumer states there is a design defect, the light modules are not sealed and moisture gets in and can not escape through small drain holes, resulting in electric connections failing and the reflective material in the module fails, consumer also feels the high humidity in the area exaggerates the problem, oldsmobile refuses to make an adjustment. *slc