Bulletin No.: 18-NA-099

Service Bulletin

Date: June, 2024

INFORMATION
Subject:

Working with General Motors (GM) on a Product Assistance Claim (PAC)
(U.S. Only)

Attention:

GM of Canada is not authorized to utilize this service bulletin.

Brand:

Model:

Model Year:
from

VIN:
to

from

Engine:

Transmission:

to

BrightDrop
Buick

All Passenger Cars and
Light/Medium
Duty Trucks

2025 and Prior

Involved Region or Country

United States

Cadillac
Chevrolet

—

—

GMC

Important: Service agents must comply with all
International, Federal, State, Provincial, and/or
Local laws applicable to the activities it performs
under this bulletin, including but not limited to
handling, deploying, preparing, classifying,
packaging, marking, labeling, and shipping
dangerous goods. In the event of a conflict
between the procedures set forth in this bulletin
and the laws that apply to your dealership, you
must follow those applicable laws.
Important: This technical service bulletin (TSB) can
only be completed by certified repair facilities who have
met all specific training, tool and equipment requirements pertaining to the vehicle Brand and Model
serviced. Repairs must be performed by a technician
who has successfully completed the required training.
This bulletin has been developed for use on a Product
Assistance Claim (PAC), which is formerly known as a
Product Allegation Resolution (PAR) or 1241 claim.

Product Assistance Claim (PAC) Definition
When an incident results in any of the following and the
customer is alleging the situation to be caused by a GM
product defect:
• fire/smoke/melt damage
• accident
• vehicle damage
• property damage inside the vehicle

Copyright 2024 General Motors. All Rights Reserved.

• personal injury
• unwanted Airbag Deployment with or without
collision
• when airbags did not deploy in a collision
• including deployments that occur when the
vehicle is being serviced or repaired by a GM
Dealership.

PAC Case Summary
Typically, the review process can take between 20–30
days. PAC will request dealer involvement and urgent/
timely responses in gathering information due to
potential liability and/or responsiveness to legal
requests.
PAC claims require a complete and thorough review of
all available information as part of the investigation
process to determine if there is any indication of a GM
warrantable concern or if an opportunity for goodwill is
present. Accident damage, signs of neglect or abuse,
vehicle modifications and other outside influences must
be identified and their relevancy to the case identified.
Information provided by the dealer and inspection
results are not the sole basis for decisions made on
any PAC case.
Important: The vehicle condition must not be altered,
repaired, or disassembled, and any alleged defective
part(s) should not be discarded until you are given
direction by PAC.

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June, 2024

Information gathered during the investigation and
resolution decisions are internal GM decisions which
are confidential and proprietary to GM. The PAC team
will be responsible for all customer updates and
communication. If approached by a customer seeking
information on their case, please DO NOT provide
information to the customer and refer them to their
involved PAC contact.
Refer to section 4.2 of the GM Service Policies &
Procedures Manual for additional details.

Reporting a Product Assistance Claim
When an incident results in property damage and/or
personal injury, alleged to be caused by a product
defect, the customer and/or dealer should contact GM
Customer Assistance Center by phone.
• Customer # is 800-231-1841.
• Dealer direct access # into the PAC team is
866-446-6963. Dealers should also notify Senior
Dealer leadership, their GM District Service
Manager and document incident claim on RO.
Dealer requested reporting information:
• Details of customer product allegation they are
seeking GM responsibility.
• Current RO
• Vehicle history if applicable (include RO)
• Description of current vehicle condition, damages
or known concerns as related to the claim.
• Vehicle Wide DTC report with Module Information
from GM Diagnostic tool
• Freeze Frame Failure Records (if available)
• PAC may need the Following Vehicle Photos:
• Driver (Left) side exterior
• Passenger (Right) side exterior
• Front exterior
• Rear exterior
• Image of areas of concern and/or affected areas
• Vehicle Certification Label with VIN visible
• Current Odometer / mileage
• Any additional applicable photos you may think
relevant to the allegation.
Note: The dealer will be compensated for time spent
assisting GM as appropriate based on the fulfillment of
any PAC request and/or inspection documentation and
photos provided.
AT THIS TIME PAC team will review the information to
determine if the situation will require further PAC
involvement or need to be forwarded to GM’s Central
Claims (ESIS) team. You will be notified of next steps
from PAC or provided an ESIS case number (9 or 10
digits) and ESIS contact information.

Bulletin No.: 18-NA-099

Additional Dealer Involvement (If applicable)
During the review process, if technical assistance
(TAC) is needed or technical questions arise, PAC has
internal resources to support. TAC will not be able to
provide the dealer with diagnostic assistance or repair
direction related to this allegation until the situation is
resolved. Contact your PAC Specialist for information
on how to receive technical support.
A PAC Specialist will contact the Service Manager at
the servicing or selling dealer (if possible) to explain the
PAC process and request assistance with the gathering
of facts related to the allegation.
Reminder: Allegation claims are handled solely on the
facts of that case. PAC requests can differ on a caseby-case basis. During a case review, PAC may request
the following from the dealership:
• Sales documents – including non-GM components installed on a vehicle and/or disclosure
forms.
• Historical Repair Orders – and customer communications related to the allegation.
• If approved by PAC, Assistance with Providing
Courtesy Transportation or Rental Vehicle.
• Prioritizing, Scheduling, and facilitating inspections.
• Performing a Preliminary Inspection – includes
DTCs and photos related to vehicle condition and
customer concerns.
• Repair Estimates – When requested, the dealer
should provide a detailed repair estimate for body
and mechanical repairs only if related to the claim.
All parts availability must be confirmed and
itemized at the Dealer’s GM warranty rates.
• Dealer Inspection/Diagnosis – If requested,
complete the dealer inspection form provided to
you by your PAC Specialist. Please complete all
sections of the form, clearly documenting your
findings and providing the associated vehicle
photo(s) as appropriate. The detail and quality of
the completed inspection report and related photos
will help support our final position and the
inspection hours submitted. Return the completed
inspection form and photos via email within 72
business hours (if possible). If you identify information that may affect the case, please include
that on the report.
Note: Inspections that will have labor operations that
exceed 4hrs require you to obtain prior approval from
PAC.
Note: **** no repairs or alterations until directed or
situation is resolved *****
• Hosting a 3rd Party inspection – Inspection
needs to be completed at the Dealership’s Service
department as technician support and access to a
vehicle lift is necessary.

Bulletin No.: 18-NA-099

June, 2024

Page 3

Post Inspection

If a PAC Repurchase is Authorized

After PAC has completed the investigation, a technical
review by General Motors will be performed to
determine the final case resolution. The PAC Advisor
will inform the Service Agent’s Service Management of
the outcome. The dealership should not discuss the
outcome with the customer. PAC will notify customer of
outcome of the case and rental return requirements
specific to the case outcome (if applicable.)

Dealer will be requested to host a GM vehicle
repurchase as applicable by the terms of the
agreement between the customer and General Motors.

PAC Rental Vehicle Policy
If requested by the customer, PAC may offer rental
transportation while PAC investigation is being
performed, with the assistance of the dealership to help
coordinate the rental vehicle.
Approval for the rental must be provided by the
PAC Specialist. The rental length will also be provided
by the PAC advisor. If additional rental days are needed
beyond the agreed upon number, the Service Agent’s
Service Management must get approval from the
assigned PAC Specialist. Failure to get approval, for
additional days, will result in the Service Agent and/or
customer paying for the expense.
All the guidelines stated in the latest version of
Corporate Bulletin 07-00-89-037: Courtesy Transportation and Roadside Assistance Programs also apply
for these claims, with the EXCEPTION of the Rental
Term (Length). Transportation can be provided
regardless of vehicle age or mileage.
For rental reimbursement, refer to the correct process,
outlined in the Dealer Transaction Submission Process
section below.
Important: Any courtesy transportation requests on an
ESIS (Central Claims) case must be pre-approved by
ESIS. Dealers do not have authorization to provide
courtesy transportation on product allegation cases that
are being handled by ESIS. If the customer is
already in courtesy transportation, prior to the ESIS
case opening, the agreement must be voided and ESIS
will communicate the availability of any additional rental
agreements, if appropriate.

Post Resolution of PAC Denial
Reassemble the vehicle to the original “as-presented”
condition prior to beginning of The Product Assistance
Claim and have the customer retrieve their vehicle.

If a PAC Repair is Authorized
When repairs are approved, a Pre-Repair Authorization
will be created based off the repair estimate provided
by the dealership. During the repair process, if the
repair costs raise over 10% of the Repair Estimate,
contact PAC for approval. Once repairs are complete, a
final Repair Order must be provided to PAC before
submitting the transaction in Global Warranty.
Additional details are outlined in the Dealer Transaction
Submission Process section below.

Dealer Transaction Submission Process
Once a final decision has been provided by PAC and, if
applicable, the associated work has been completed, a
final Repair Order must be generated. The Repair
Order should include the following Labor Operation
Codes that apply:
• 0600016 - Inspection time
• 0600146 - Rental fees
• 0600006 - Authorized repairs
• 0600018 - Personal property damages
Before submitting the RO in Global Warranty
Management (GWM), the final RO must be emailed to
the PAC Specialist for review. After review, they finalize
the Pre-Repair Authorization in GWM.
The PAC Specialist will then provide the Pre-Authorization Number to the dealer for each labor code. It is
important to enter the information in GWM as it
appears in the email sent by PAC.
Note: A transaction cannot be submitted in GWM
without a Pre-Repair Authorization Number.
Select "GM Pre-Repair Authorization" when submitting
each approved transaction. Do not select "GM Authorization.” The system will then prompt the Service Agent
to enter the Pre-Repair Authorization Number provided
by PAC.
Inspection Time:
For inspections only, submit the labor expenses under
labor code 0600016. Any labor time authorized above
2 hours must be submitted as Other Labor Hours in the
OLH field. The PRA will identify the total approved
labor time.
Vehicle Repair:
Submit the expenses under the labor code 0600006
and complete the respective fields as displayed in the
Pre-Repair Authorization email from PAC.
Reimbursement for a Rental Vehicle:
If a rental vehicle was approved by PAC, document the
rental expense as a separate line item on the final
repair order. The PAC Specialist will create a separate
Pre-Repair Authorization for the rental. Submit the
expense in GWM using the labor code 0600146 and
enter the approved amount in the Net Item/Car rental
field. The Pre-Repair Authorization number must be
entered when submitting the transaction.

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June, 2024

If a customer’s product allegation case was escalated
to GM Central Claims (ESIS) and the customer was in
a rental, ESIS will issue payment directly to the Service
Agent when the case is resolved and for the agreed
upon rental allowance. Do not submit rental through
GWM in these cases.

Bulletin No.: 18-NA-099

Please contact the Dealer Business Center at
888-414-6322 with any additional questions or
concerns

Version

10

Modified

Released April 4, 2018
Revised August 20, 2018 – Added the 2019 Model Year, updated the Rental fees labor
operation under Dealer Payment and the contact information at the end of the bulletin.
Revised November 5, 2018 – Included Medium Duty models and expanded the parameters around the Rental Policy and how to process transaction submissions.
Revised February 14, 2020 – Added the 2020 Model Year and updated the GM Service
Policies & Procedures Manual reference under Reporting a Product Assistance Claim.
Revised August 05, 2020 – Added U.S Only to Subject, added an Involved Region or
Country table, updates to the Rental Vehicle Policy for PAC and ESIS. Additional details
added to the Dealer Transaction Submission Process section to help dealers submit
transactions in Global Warranty Management.
Revised March 30, 2021 – Added the 2021 and 2022 Model Years.
Revised March 22, 2022 – Corrected reference to Section 4.2 of the GM Service Policies
& Procedures Manual for Additional Details.
Revised May 16, 2022 – Added the 2023 Model Year and updated information throughout
the bulletin.
Revised January 16, 2024 – Added the 2024 Model Year, the first Important statement
and updated information throughout the bulletin.
Revised June 17, 2024 – Added BrightDrop Models, the 2025 Model Year and second
Important statement.

Additional SI Keywords: 1241, accel, accelerate, accelerated, acceleration, accident, airbag, allegation,
alleged, alleges, assistance, attorney, away, belt, blew,
blow, brake, brakes, break, broken, burn, burnt, case,
claim, claims, collided, collision, crash, crashed, curb,
cut, damage, damaged, damages, deployed, deploy,
deployment, did, ESIS, event, explode, exploded,
exploding, explosion, failed, failure, fire, flame, flipped,
flood, flooded, gouge, gouged, hit, hurt, impact,
inadvertent, injuries, injury, law, lawsuit, lawyer, legal,
liability, locked, loss, medical, melt, melted, non, not,
out, over, PAC, PAR, park, personal, property, policy,
product, pretensioner, roll, rolled, rupture, scrapped,
seat, separated, seatbelt, shards, shrapnel, SIR, slid,
smoke, smoking, steer, steering, strike, struck, suit,
thermal, tire, trapped, unintended, unwanted, up, wheel

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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