NHTSA Complaint #703896 — 1996 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS

BOTH REAR DOOR LOCKS FAIL RANDOMLY. THEY MAY WORK FOR SEVERAL WEEKS. WHEN DISSASSEMBLED, THERE IS NOTHING MECHANICALLY THAT HAS FAILED. ON THE FIRST OCASSION, THE ROD FROM THE LEFT REAR DOOR LOCK LEVER HAD FALLEN FROM THE BELLCRANK. THAT WAS SEVERAL MONTHS AGO. THIS TIME HOWEVER, THAT WAS CHECKED AND IT WAS IN ITS PROPER LOCATION. WHEN THE DOOR LOCKS MALFUNCTION, THERE IS NO WAY TO OPEN THE DOORS EITHER FROM THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPS, THE LOCKS BEGIN TO WORK AND THE DOORS CAN BE OPENED. WHEN THE LOCKS MOVE, THEY DO MOVE THROUGH THEIR NORMAL MOVEMENT RANGE, IN OTHER WORDS THEY MOVE THE CORRECT BELLCRANK THE PROPER AMOUNT OF TRAVEL. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN AS SMALL CHILDREN ARE IN THE BACK SEAT, THE FAILURE MODE IS PURELY RANDOM, AND IN CASE OF FIRE THERE WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY NO WAY TO OPEN THE REAR DOORS.