Buick Engine and Engine Cooling: Fan

Buick is recalling about 333,619 vehicles over a problem with the engine and engine cooling.

Campaign
78V139000
Manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Reported
13 June 1978
Vehicles
333,619
Built between
Aug 1977 – Jan 1978
Models
20
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
19 June 1978
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between August 1977 and January 1978. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1978 Buick CenturyBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Buick ElectraBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Buick Estate WagonBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Buick LesabreBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Buick RegalBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Buick RivieraBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Buick SkylarkBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Chevrolet EL CaminoBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Chevrolet MalibuBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Chevrolet Monte CarloBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Oldsmobile 88Built August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Oldsmobile CutlassBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Oldsmobile OmegaBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Pontiac BonnevilleBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Pontiac CatalinaBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Pontiac FirebirdBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Pontiac Grand AMBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Pontiac Grand PrixBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Pontiac LemansBuilt August 1977 to January 1978
  • 1978 Pontiac PhoenixBuilt August 1977 to January 1978

What the defect is

The hub portion of the fan blade assembly could crack due to high stress levels generated during engine operating conditions. Eventually, the blade could break apart at the hub and blade pieces could be propelled into the engine. If the hood is open while the engine is running, the fragments would be free to fly from the vehicle.

What gets fixed

DEALER WILL REPLACE THE FAN BLADE ASSEMBLY WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtAugust 1977 to January 1978
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA13 June 1978
  3. Owners notified19 June 1978

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 13 June 1978.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
GENERAL MOTORS CORP.
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Vehicle description: passenger vehicles.system: engine cooling; fan blade assembly.consequences of defect: fan failure could result in damage to components in theengine area, or personal injury to bystanders if the hood is open at the time.note: the vehicle should not be serviced with the hood open and the enginerunning until the defect is corrected.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand