The defect
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE "SALT BELT" STATES: ALASKA, COLORADO, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IDAHO, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MONTANA, NEBRASKA, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, NORTH DAKOTA, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, SOUTH DAKOTA, UTAH, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND WYOMING. IF A BUILDUP OF SNOW OR ICE RESTRICTS THE MOVEMENT OF THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER ARM, THE PIVOT HOUSING CAN CRACK AND THE WIPERS WILL NOT OPERATE.
The risk
REDUCED VISIBILITY IN INCLEMENT WEATHER COULD LEAD TO A VEHICLE CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD WIPER PIVOT HOUSING. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN AUGUST 14, 2001. 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 OR OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-442-6537.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by ODI
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Chevrolet Malibu | 1997, 1998 |
| Oldsmobile Cutlass | 1997, 1998 |
Components: VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chevrolet Malibu | 1997 | 443 | 4 |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 1998 | 976 | 3 |
| Oldsmobile Cutlass | 1997 | 96 | 2 |
| Oldsmobile Cutlass | 1998 | 155 | 2 |
Other visibility recalls in 2001
16 of the 461 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 2001 concerned the visibility; GENERAL MOTORS CORP. filed 1,195 campaigns in all.
| 01V368000 5 Dec 2001 | FLEETWOOD FOLDING TRAILER |
| 01V358000 23 Nov 2001 | COUNTRY COACH INC |
| 01V241000 20 Nov 2001 | AMERICAN TRANSPORTATION CORP. |
| 01V305000 26 Sept 2001 | PACCAR, INCORPORATED |
| 01V261000 15 Aug 2001 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 01V258000 8 Aug 2001 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY |
| 01V202000 18 Jun 2001 | VOLKSWAGEN OF AMERICA,INC |
| 01V177000 29 May 2001 | AMERICAN TRANSPORTATION CORP. |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 2001