Vehicle recall 77V144000 · September 14, 1977

1976 American Motors Matador

Engine cooling fans installed on the involved vehicles may be subject to blade separation due to vibrations generated during normal operation.

Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.

Summary: Engine cooling fans installed on the involved vehicles may be subject to blade separation due to vibrations generated during normal operation.
Remedy: Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the fan with one of a different design.
Notes: Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with air conditioning or witha heavy-duty or maximum cooling system.system.system: engine and engine cooling; cooling fan blades.consequences of defect: blade separation may cause damage to other enginecomponents and, if the hood is open and the engine is running, fan bladefragments may fly out from the engine and cause serious personal injury tonearby persons.note: vehicle should not be serviced with the hood open and the engine runninguntil the problem has been corrected.

Recall details

NHTSA campaign: 77V144000
Reported to NHTSA: September 14, 1977
Filed by: CHRYSLER CORPORATION
Owner notification: November 9, 1977
Vehicles potentially affected: 26,559
Initiated by: NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation
Components: Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Fan

Recall 77V144000 on nhtsa.gov, with the manufacturer’s documents

Vehicles covered

As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.

American Motors Matador (1976): 1976

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