Vehicle recall 03V217000 · June 10, 2003
Chevrolet Express and GMC Savana
Certain vans have a condition in which water may enter and corrode the rear license plate lamp socket.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- Certain vans have a condition in which water may enter and corrode the rear license plate lamp socket. If the lamp socket were to corrode, the rear license plate lamp may operate intermittently or not at all, and the left rear tail lamp may become inoperative. The temperature of the license plate lamp socket could increase to the point that it may begin to soften and melt.
- Consequence
- If the socket assembly were to reach the point of melting, the occupants of the vehicle may notice an odor and smoke at the rear doors of the vehicle. If this odor and smoke were ignored, the plastic could ignite and a fire could occur.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a new sealed rear license plate lamp socket assembly. Owner notification began July 21, 2003. Owners should contact Chevrolet at 1-800-222-1020 or GMC at 1-800-462-8782.
- Notes
- GM recall no. 03031.CUSTOMERS can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 03V217000
- Reported to NHTSA
- June 10, 2003
- Filed by
- GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
- Manufacturer campaign
- 03031
- Owner notification
- July 21, 2003
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 50,225
- Initiated by
- the manufacturer
- Components
- Exterior lighting
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Chevrolet Express (2003): 2003
- GMC Savana (2003): 2003
Has your Chevrolet been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. A Chevrolet dealer can also check your VIN. Recall repairs are free.