RoadVitals

1978 General Engine 6DOW

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
3
Latest Jun 8, 2004
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
0
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1978 General Engine 6DOW, most frequently naming the other / unspecified and engine categories.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Other / unspecified360.0%
  • Engine240.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

No recalls in our database for this model year

That does not guarantee a specific vehicle is unaffected — recalls are issued against VINs, and new campaigns are announced regularly. Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov.

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

EngineOther / unspecified
Filed Jun 8, 2004

MY 2000 MALIBU WHICH CURRENTLY HAS 50,000 MILES ON IT STARTED LOSING COOLANT AT ABOUT 48,000 MILES. I HAVE SPENT CLOSE TO $1,000 DOLLARS TRYING TO GET IT TO STOP LOSING FLUIDS. THE LAST REPAIR WAS A NEW GASKET SET PER SERVICE BULLITIN #03-06-01-010 DATED MARCH OF 2003. IS THERE ANY OTHER COURSE OF ACTION THAT I CAN TAKE. I CANNOT AFFORD ANY MORE EXPENSES ON IT. ALSO THE TURN SIGNALS SEEM TO FAIL WHEN MY CAR HEATER DOES NOT HEAT UP, THEY COME BACK IF I TURN MY EMERGENCY FLASERS ON AND THEN OFF. *AK

NHTSA ID
10075019
Incident
Jan 5, 2004
Other / unspecified
Filed Jun 7, 2004

THERE WAS A KNOCKING AND LOSS OF POWER IN THE MOTOR. I TOOK IT TO QUALITY CARE TO HAVE IT FIXED THEY TOLD ME IT NEEDS A NEW MOTOR. I GAVE THEM THE JOB. THEY INSTALLED A NEW [USED] ONE WHICH BLEW UP IN 2 DAYS. I TOOK IT BACK AND THEY PUT ANOTHER ONE IN. WHEN I GOT IT BACK THE BOLT HOLDING THE SPEEDOMTER CABEL WAS BROKE AND WAS LEAKING FLUID. AT THAT TIME I DIDN'T KNOW THE BOLT WAS BROKE. THEY TOLD ME NOT TO WORRY IT JUST SPILLED FLUID ON THE MOTOR. IT KEPT LEAKING SO I HAD MY HUSBAND LOOK AND HE SAW THE BROKING BOLT THAT HOLDS THE CABLE DOWN ALL THEY HAD HOLDING THE CLAMP DOWN WAS A TIE DOWN [GARBAGE TIE] THATS WHY IT WONT STOP LEAKING. WHEN MY HUSBAND POINTED IT OUT TO THEM THEY SAID IT BROKE WHEN THEY TOOK THE MOTOR OUT. HE ASKED WHY DID YOU LIE TO MY WIFE? YOU BROKE IT YOU SHOULD FIX IT. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION THERE WERE MISSING BOLTS; AIRCONDITON WASN'T CHARGED AND BOLTS WERE MISSING ON THE SPLASH SHIELD BUT THEY DID USE THE SAME TIES THEY USED ON THE SPEED CABLE. THEY DID A SUBSTANDER JOB. USED PLASTIC TIES INSTEAD OF BOLTS. REFUSE TO FIX WHAT THEY BROKE AND IF IT IS NOT FIXED IT COULD CAUSE A BAD ACCIDENT.*AK

NHTSA ID
10074924
Incident
May 10, 2004
EngineOther / unspecified
Filed Mar 16, 2004

RECENTLY A NUMBER OF GM CAR/VANS HAVE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE 3100 ENGINE. A GREAT NUMBER OF THEM HAVE A "LOW COOLANT" INDICATION WITH THE RESULT BEING A NEW INTAKE MANIFOLD WITH A COST OF $700 TO $1000. IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH THIS ENGINE. *JB

NHTSA ID
10062361
Incident
Feb 9, 2004
Mileage
76,500 mi

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

General Engine 6DOW by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
1984600—
1978Viewing300—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.