Bulletin No.:

Service Bulletin

Date:

15-NA-017
March, 2023

WARRANTY ADMINISTRATION
Subject:

Brand:
Buick
Cadillac
Chevrolet
GMC

Warranty Administration – Causal Part Requirements for Transactions Submitted to
GM for Payment (U.S. Only)
Model:
GM
Passenger
Cars and
Trucks

Model Year:

VIN:

from

to

from

to

2008

2023

—

—

Involved Region or Country

United States

GM Engineering and Quality resources uses the
information provided in a warranty transaction to
evaluate the quality of our product and to choose how
to properly allocate resources to improve quality. It is
important that GM be able to understand the vehicle
issues and repairs so the needs can be prioritized
appropriately. With clear and complete warranty
information, the correct resources can be assigned to
the most important issues to ensure the problems do
not continue. The causal part information entered on
warranty transactions are an important part of that
process.

Causal Part Identification on the
Transaction
The causal part is defined as the part that caused the
need for the repair. If any parts are billed out on a
transaction, the dealership is required to identify a
causal part. Misidentification of the causal part on the
warranty transaction can hinder the resolution of the
product concern by General Motors.

Copyright 2023 General Motors LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Engine:

Transmission:

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—

Page 2

March, 2023

Bulletin No.: 15-NA-017

4281980

The dealership should select the “Causal Part” indicator
next to the specific part number of the causal part
submitted.
DO NOT select the Causal Part indicator of the first part
entered, the most expensive part, or the only part listed
on a transaction if that part was not the part which
caused the need for the repair. Only select the indicator
next to a part if the failure of that part caused the need
for the repair.
If the part which caused the need for the repair is not
one of the parts that are billed out on the job card and
submitted on the transaction, the dealership should
identify the GM part number of the causal part and
enter it in the Causal Part Number field:

4282006

Entering in the “Causal Part Number” in this field will
not bill the part out on the transaction. If no part number
is available for the specific part which caused the
failure, a description can be entered in the free flow text
field.

Examples
• It is very important that GM be able to tell the
difference between a decal or emblem that is
replaced because it had to be removed to
complete a paint repair, and a situation where a
defective decal or emblem was replaced which
resulted in the need for a paint repair. In the

Bulletin No.: 15-NA-017

March, 2023

Page 3

scenario where a decal/emblem is replaced as a
result of paint repairs due to a defect in the paint,
the decal/emblem should not be identified as a
causal part. Rather, the dealership should identify
the part number of the panel which was repainted
and enter that in the “Causal Part Number” field. If
multiple panels are repainted, the dealership may
use their best judgment to enter in the panel part
number with the highest severity of paint defect.
• The dealer performs a corrosion repair to the rear
quarter panel of a vehicle, which includes
replacing an emblem on the affected area.
• Do this: Submit the rear quarter panel part
number as the causal part. The corroded
quarter panel caused the need for repair.
• Don’t do this: Submit the emblem as the
causal part. The emblem did not cause the
corrosion concern.
• An out of position sun roof seal causes water
damage to the headliner. It is important to know
that the seal, even if not replaced, was the reason
the headliner was replaced. In this example, the
part number for the sun roof seal would be entered
in the “Causal Part Number” field. The causal part
indicators next to the part(s) claimed on the
transaction would be left blank.
Important: Make sure that the labor operation
selected corresponds with the causal part. When the
causal part identified on a transaction does not match
the labor operation used in the transaction, an error
code 68 (Causal Part # is not a Compatible Part for
Labor Code xxxxxxx) will display in Global Warranty
Management.
When there are no parts replaced and submitted on the
transaction, the cause of the failure should be identified
in the free-flow “Cause” comments field in the three C’s
(Complaint/Cause/Correction) portion of the
transaction.
Thank you for your attention to providing correct causal
part information to General Motors. If you have
questions regarding this information, please consult
your Warranty Support Center specialist or the Dealer
Business Center.
Version

3

Modified

Released October 06, 2015
Revised January 26, 2017 – Included the causal part information under Examples.
Revised February 27, 2023 – Added U.S Only to Subject, 2019-2023 Model Years, an
Involved Region or Country table, changed the Note to an Important statement and
updated the last sentence of the bulletin.

GM bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, NOT a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform these
technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper
service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do a
job properly and safely. If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your
vehicle will have that condition. See your GM dealer for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the
information.

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