The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR THE INTERIOR LAMPS TO COME ON UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE THE VEHICLES ARE BEING DRIVEN. THIS DOES NOT MEET THE REQUIREMENTS OF FMVSS NO. 101, "CONTROLS AND DISPLAYS."
The risk
THE INTERIOR LAMPS COMING ON UNEXPECTEDLY COULD STARTLE A DRIVER CAUSING A MOMENTARY LOSS OF CONTROL INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE ACCIDENT.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL RUN A DIAGNOSTIC TEST ON THE LAMP CONTROL MODULE AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE IT.
NHTSA's own wording · initiated by MFR
Vehicles covered
| Model | Model years |
|---|---|
| Buick Skylark | 1996 |
| Chevrolet Beretta | 1996 |
| Chevrolet Cavalier | 1996 |
| Oldsmobile Achieva | 1996 |
| Pontiac Grand Am | 1996 |
| Pontiac Sunfire | 1996 |
Components: INTERIOR LIGHTING
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 Skylark | 1996 | 85 | 4 |
| Chevrolet Beretta | 1996 | 72 | 1 |
| Chevrolet Cavalier | 1996 | 503 | 7 |
| Oldsmobile Achieva | 1996 | 87 | 4 |
| Pontiac Grand Am | 1996 | 450 | 4 |
| Pontiac Sunfire | 1996 | 201 | 7 |
Other interior lighting recalls in 1998
4 of the 367 recall campaigns reported to NHTSA in 1998 concerned the interior lighting; GENERAL MOTORS CORP. filed 1,195 campaigns in all.
| 98V264000 29 Oct 1998 | SPARTAN MOTORS, INC. |
| 98V104000 14 May 1998 | CHRYSLER CORPORATION |
| 98V043000 2 Mar 1998 | BLUE BIRD BODY COMPANY |
NHTSA recalls (public domain) · all recalls of 1998