General Motors Corp.: Exterior Lighting
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Jun 10, 2003 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 50,225. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
CERTAIN VANS HAVE A CONDITION IN WHICH WATER MAY ENTER AND CORRODE THE REAR LICENSE PLATE LAMP SOCKET. IF THE LAMP SOCKET WERE TO CORRODE, THE REAR LICENSE PLATE LAMP MAY OPERATE INTERMITTENTLY OR NOT AT ALL, AND THE LEFT REAR TAIL LAMP MAY BECOME INOPERATIVE. THE TEMPERATURE OF THE LICENSE PLATE LAMP SOCKET COULD INCREASE TO THE POINT THAT IT MAY BEGIN TO SOFTEN AND MELT.
The risk
IF THE SOCKET ASSEMBLY WERE TO REACH THE POINT OF MELTING, THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE MAY NOTICE AN ODOR AND SMOKE AT THE REAR DOORS OF THE VEHICLE. IF THIS ODOR AND SMOKE WERE IGNORED, THE PLASTIC COULD IGNITE AND A FIRE COULD OCCUR.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSTALL A NEW SEALED REAR LICENSE PLATE LAMP SOCKET ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JULY 21, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-222-1020 OR GMC AT 1-800-462-8782.
2 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 Chevrolet Express | 59 | 11 | 7 | 2 |
| 2003 GMC Savana | 22 | 11 | 1 | 2 |
What this page is, and what to do next
A recall is not an opinion. It is a Part 573 report a manufacturer is required by federal law to file once it decides a defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety, and it commits them to repairing the vehicle at no cost to the owner. The three passages above are the manufacturer’s own wording as published by NHTSA.
This page describes the campaign. It cannot tell you whether one particular car has already been through the shop — that is tracked by VIN, and only the manufacturer knows it. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a franchised dealer, quoting campaign number 03V217000.
Full record for the 2003 Chevrolet Express → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →