The defect
THE BOLTS THAT ATTACH THE LOWER REAR CONTROL ARM TO THE FRAME MAY FRACTURE. THE REAR CONTROL ARM SUPPORTS AND POSITIONS THE REAR AXLE. FRACTURE OF THE BOLTS WOULD ALLOW THE CONTROL ARM TO DROP FREE.
The remedy
BOTH REAR CONTROL ARM ATTACHMENT BOLTS WILL BE REPLACED WITHOUT CHARGE.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Buick Century | 1981 |
| Buick Regal | 1981 |
| Chevrolet El Camino | 1981 |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 1981 |
| Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 1981 |
| GMC Caballero | 1981 |
| Oldsmobile Cutlass | 1981 |
| Pontiac Grand Prix | 1981 |
| Pontiac LeMans | 1981 |
Components: SUSPENSION:REAR
Model years in this recall
NHTSA complaints and the number of recall campaigns for each model year this recall covers.
| Model | Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buick Century | 1981 | 1 | 3 |
| Buick Regal | 1981 | 0 | 3 |
| Chevrolet El Camino | 1981 | 0 | 2 |
| Chevrolet Malibu | 1981 | 3 | 2 |
| Chevrolet Monte Carlo | 1981 | 2 | 1 |
| GMC Caballero | 1981 | 0 | 2 |
| Oldsmobile Cutlass | 1981 | 3 | 2 |
| Pontiac Grand Prix | 1981 | 0 | 1 |
| Pontiac LeMans | 1981 | 0 | 1 |
Other suspension recalls in 1981
15 of the 157 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 1981 concerned the suspension; GENERAL MOTORS CORP. filed 1,195 campaigns in all.
| 81V146000 8 Dec 1981 | THOMAS BUILT BUSES, INC. |
| 81V143000 30 Nov 1981 | EZ LOADER BOAT TRLRS, INC |
| 81V138000 10 Nov 1981 | DE LOREAN MOTOR COMPANY |
| 81V136000 6 Nov 1981 | AMERICAN HONDA MOTOR CO. |
| 81V132000 26 Oct 1981 | TOYOTA MOTOR CO., LTD. |
| 81V114000 1 Oct 1981 | BEATRICE FOODS COMPANY |
| 81V108000 15 Sept 1981 | COLEMAN CO., INC. |
| 81V094000 6 Aug 1981 | MACK TRUCKS, INCORPORATED |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 1981