RoadVitals

1978 Pontiac Firebird Owner Complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full

Data refreshed

Complaints on fileComplaints 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 Sep 14, 2005
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
Filed in the last 12 monthsReports filed with NHTSA in the trailing 365 days. Recent volume reflects attention and vehicle age as much as anything else.
0
Reports on file since Mar 31, 2003

What this page shows

Our database holds 3 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1978 Pontiac Firebird. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.

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

Complaints, most recent first

Showing 1–3 of 3

Electrical
Filed Sep 14, 2005

WAS THERE A RECALL ON PONTIAC FIREBIRDS FOR HOT STARTING PROBLEMS BECAUSE THE STARTER AND SOLENOID BEING MOUNTED ON THE ENGINE BLOCK, CLOSE TOO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD? IT OCCURS WHEN THE HEAT FROM THE ENGINE BLOCK AND EXHAUST MANIFOLD EFFECT THE STARTER SOLENOID SO THAT NO CHARGE GETS THROUGH TO THE STARTER. AS A RESULT, THE CAR WILL NOT START UNTIL THE SOLENOID COOLS DOWN. WHY CAN'T THE SOLENOID BE MOUNTED ELSEWHERE? I BELIEVE THAT GM NEVER ADDRESSED THE HOT STARTING PROBLEM IT IS A DANGER, ESPECIALLY IF ONE BREAKS DOWN ON A BUSY HIGHWAY WITH INADEQUATE SHOULDERS OR CANNOT GET TO A SHOULDER. BEING UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE COULD CREATE A TRAFFIC HAZARD. ADDITIONALLY IN EMERGENCIES (MEDICAL OR NATURAL DISASTER), ONE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO MOVE THE EFFECTED VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. SINCERELY, JOHN OLIVA. *JB

NHTSA ID
10136425
Incident
Sep 10, 2005
Mileage
202,175 mi
Electrical
Filed Sep 12, 2005

MY ORIGINAL 1978 PONTIAC FB FORUM ON OCCASION HAS HOT STARTING PROBLEMS (MEANING THE VEHICLE WILL NOT START UNTIL THE STARTER SOLENOID COOLS DOWN). THIS HEAT RELATED PROBLEM IS CAUSED BY THE STARTER SOLENOID BEING TO CLOSE TO THE HOT EXHAUST MANIFOLD. MY CONCERN IS IF THE VEHICLE BREAKS DOWN ON THE ROAD WITHOUT A SHOULDER AND CAN'T START, IT MIGHT OBSTRUCT TRAFFIC AND BE A POSSIBLE HAZARD, MOREOVER IF IT CAN'T START DUE TO HEATING PROBLEM DURING ANOTHER TYPE OF EMERGENCY SUCH AS A FLOOD OR TSUNAMI IT COULD BE DISASTROUS. WHY DOESN'T GM FIX THIS PROBLEM ON ALL AUTO'S EFFECTED WITH HOT STARTING PROBLEMS, BY MOVING THE SOLENOID OFF THE STARTER TO A LOCATION WHERE IT WILL NOT RECEIVE HEAT.? LUCKILY, MY PROBLEM OCCURRED IN A PARKING LOT AFTER SHOPPING. THANK YOU, SINCERELY, JOHN OLIVA 09/11/2005. *JB

NHTSA ID
10136158
Incident
Sep 10, 2005
Mileage
202,179 mi
Tires & wheels
Filed Mar 31, 2003

THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRES RIPPED AND BUBBLED UP. *JB

NHTSA ID
10014734
Incident
Mar 30, 2003
Mileage
23,000 mi

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.

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .