NHTSA Complaint #746808 — 1999 GMC SUBURBAN

THE LAMPHOLDER ASSEMBLY HAS PRINTED-WIRING SHEET TO ROUTE CURRENT TO BULB SOCKETS. DURING MANUFACTURE, THIS CIRCUIT LAYER IS MOUNTED TO THE STRUCTURE OF THE LAMP HOLDER ASSEMBLY WITH A PLASTIC RIVETING PROCESS. A (PLASTIC AND THUS NON-CONDUCTING) RIVET PASSES *THROUGH* A CONDUCTOR COMMON TO THE BRAKE AND TURN LAMPS, NEARLY SEVERING THE CONDUCTOR. EVENTUALLY THE SMALL THREAD OF REMAINING CONDUCTOR FAILS ENTIRELY, RESULTING IN A LACK OF SAFETY SIGNALLING THAT CAN NOT BE REPAIRED BY BULB REPLACEMENT. ** EVENTUALLY, ALL ASSEMBLIES WITH THIS DEFECT WILL FAIL, AS THE CURRENT REQUIRED TO LIGHT THE BRAKE AND TURN LAMPS FAR EXCEEDS THE CAPACITY OF THE HAIR-THIN THREAD OF COPPER THAT SURVIVES THE HOLE PUNCHED FOR THE RIVET ** THIS APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN DEFECT. THE FAILURE POINT IS ALSO ONE OF THE TEST POINT AREAS ON THE ASSEMBLY. THERE APPEARS TO BE NO ENGINEERING REASON WHY THE RIVET MUST BE IN THIS LOCATION, AND I SUSPECT THAT A CAD ERROR CAUSED A RIVET LOCATION AND A TEST POINT LOCATION TO BE ERRONEOUSLY COMBINED. THE SURFACE INSULATION MATERIAL IS NOT PRESENT AT THE TEST POINTS TO ALLOW TESTING EITHER BY AUTOMATED EQUIPMENT OR SERVICE TECHNICIANS. THE ASSEMBLY DESIGN HAD TO COORDINATE THREE FUNCTIONAL LAYERS -- THE TEST-POINT HOLES, THE PRINTED WIRING LAYER, AND THE RIVET-STUDS WHICH PASS THROUGH FROM THE PLASTIC STRUCTURE OF THE ASSEMBLY. I BELIEVE THAT A CAD ERROR CAUSED A RIVET STUD (AND ITS ASSOCIATED THRU-HOLE) TO BE ERRONEOUSLY CO-LOCATED WITH A TEST POINT. THIS ONE-LINE-AT-A-TIME TEXT ENTRY FIELD IS LUDICROUS. YOU ASK FOR A DETAILED DESCRIPTION, AND THEN MAKE IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO DO SO.