General Motors Corp.: Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Nov 1, 2004 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 871,473. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES, VIBRATION AND HEAT MAY CAUSE THE TAIL LAMP/STOP LAMP BULB TO LOOSEN IN ITS SOCKET. IF THIS OCCURS, THE BULB MAY FLICKER AND EVENTUALLY BECOME INOPERATIVE.
The risk
AN INOPERATIVE BRAKE LAMP WILL NOT CONVEY THE DRIVER'S INTENTION OF STOPPING TO DRIVERS IN FOLLOWING VEHICLES, AND AN INOPERATIVE REAR TURN SIGNAL LAMP WILL NOT CONVEY THE DRIVER'S INTENTION TO TURN TO DRIVERS IN FOLLOWING VEHICLES. BOTH OF THESE FAILURES CAN INCREASE THE RISK OF A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TAIL LAMP/STOP LAMP ASSEMBLIES, AND IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THEM. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 22, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT CHEVROLET AT 1-800-630-2438, OLDSMOBILE AT 1-800-630-6537, BUICK AT 1-866-608-8080, OR GMC AT 1-866-996-9463.
13 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 Buick Rainier | 158 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer | 1,081 | 2 | 31 | 56 |
| 2004 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT | 261 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 2004 GMC Envoy XL | 187 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| 2004 Oldsmobile Bravada | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer | 901 | 8 | 14 | 68 |
| 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT | 313 | 3 | 6 | 7 |
| 2003 GMC Envoy XL | 228 | 3 | 3 | 11 |
| 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada | 27 | 7 | 1 | 3 |
| 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer | 1,149 | 13 | 35 | 103 |
| 2002 Chevrolet Trailblazer EXT | 100 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| 2002 GMC Envoy XL | 70 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada | 238 | 10 | 7 | 18 |
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 04V527000.
Full record for the 2004 Buick Rainier → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →