1979 Ford Club Wagon Recalls, Complaints & Specs

7 safety recalls list the 1979 Ford Club Wagon. Check your own VIN below.

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• 1978
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7 safety recalls for the 1979 Ford Club Wagon

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Wheels

   NHTSA 79V185000 Reported August 7, 1979 22,500 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The wheel assembly may contain substandard welds in the area where the disc is attached to the rim. As a result, cracks can form in the wheel assembly, causing air loss and an underinflated tire.

   Remedy: Dealer will inspect and replace any defective wheels without charge to owner.

2. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)

   NHTSA 79V152000 Reported June 19, 1979 75,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The incorrectly installed left front brake hoses may allow for contact between the front brake hoses and the front tires when the front wheels are in full right or left turn positions. If contact is made, the hose could wear and allow brake fluid to leak out.

   Remedy: The dealer will inspect front brake hoses and replace those lacking the proper clearance with current production hoses, without charge to owner.

3. Underbody shields (structure)

   NHTSA 79V153000 Reported June 19, 1979 12,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Certain vehicles may not contain the specified body mounted heat shields. This could cause high floor pan temperatures when the engine is idled for extended periods of time. Fouled spark plugs or other engine conditions could further increase exhaust temperatures.

   Remedy: The dealer will install the necessary frame mounted heat shield, if missing.

4. Shaft sector (steering)

   NHTSA 78V269000 Reported December 21, 1978 20,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The steering gears on the involved vehicles may have been built with improperly manufactured sector shafts from which the threaded portions of the shafts may fracture and separate. Should the sector shaft fracture, the pitman arm may disengage from the splined portion of the sector shaft.

   Remedy: The dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the steering gear assembly or install a new sector shaft in the steering gear assembly.

5. Automatic transmission (power train)

   NHTSA 78V256000 Reported November 27, 1978 7,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The involved vehicles were equipped with automatic transmissions in which the parking pawl was not heat-treated. During normal vehicle operation, a parking pawl that has not been heat-treated could become deformed or worn to the point that the transmission will not lock in "park". As a result, the vehicle could roll free if the driver…

   Remedy: Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the parking pawl with one that has been heat-treated.

6. Seat belts: rear/other

   NHTSA 78V214000 Reported October 5, 1978 874 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   On the involved vehicles, the potential exists for the outboard seat belts to become trapped in the seat-bed pivoting mechanism. Should the belt become trapped in the mechanism when the seat is converted to a bed, the belt may become cut or frayed.

   Remedy: The dealer will install seat belt shields on the folding seat/bed pivoting mechanism and replace the outboard seat belt assemblies if damaged, free of charge.

7. Automatic transmission (power train)

   NHTSA 78V201000 Reported September 15, 1978 22,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   These transmissions may contain improperly manufactured parking pawl actuating rods. Consequently, the unhardened cam surface of these rods can allow the rod to deform during use with resultant increase in shift efforts and difficulty in releasing the parking pawl and engaging the parking gear.

   Remedy: Dealer will replace the transmission parking pawl actuating rod without charge to owner.

No owner complaints on file

NHTSA has no owner complaints on file for the 1979 Ford Club Wagon. For context, the average model year in NHTSA's database has dozens; a zero can mean a reliable vehicle, a rare one, or both.

Compare Ford Club Wagon model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Ford Club Wagon model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 1979 Ford Club Wagon

Other Ford models

• F-15037,961 complaints
• Explorer34,566 complaints
• Escape27,430 complaints
• Fusion22,405 complaints
• Focus22,096 complaints
• Taurus18,159 complaints
• Windstar14,158 complaints
• Edge14,065 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.