General Motors Corp.: Exterior Lighting › Brake Lights › Switch
General Motors Corp. reported this defect to federal regulators on Feb 5, 1999 and put the number of vehicles at risk at 988,587. The repair is free for as long as the recall stands.
The defect
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PICKUP TRUCKS, CREW CABS, UTILITY TRUCKS AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. THESE VEHICLES WERE BUILT WITH THE POLARITY OF THE WIRING FOR THE ZERO ADJUST BRAKE SWITCH REVERSED FROM WHAT WAS SPECIFIED ON THE SWITCH DRAWING. WITH THE REVERSED POLARITY, THE CONTACTS IN THE BRAKE SWITCH CAN WEAR OUT PREMATURELY. THE BRAKE SWITCH WILL PERFORM NORMALLY UNTIL THE BRAKE SWITCH CONTACTS WEAR OUT, RESULTING IN LOSS OF THE BRAKE LAMPS WITHOUT ANY WARNING TO THE DRIVER.
The risk
THIS WOULD FAIL TO WARN A FOLLOWING DRIVER THAT THE VEHICLE IS BRAKING AND COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.
The remedy
DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE SWITCH AND REVERSE THE WIRING.
10 model years covered
Newest first| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Fires | Crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 Chevrolet C10 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 0 |
| 1994 Chevrolet C20 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 3 |
| 1994 Chevrolet C30 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 Chevrolet C3500 | 18 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 Chevrolet Suburban | 858 | 6 | 10 | 147 |
| 1994 GMC C15 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| 1994 GMC C25 | 2 | 10 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 GMC C35 | 2 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 GMC C3500 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 GMC Suburban | 411 | 6 | 4 | 65 |
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 99V025000.
Full record for the 1994 Chevrolet C10 → · Recalls carrying a do-not-drive advisory → · Where this data comes from →