1979 Ford Fairmont Recalls, Complaints & Specs
3 safety recalls list the 1979 Ford Fairmont. Check your own VIN below.
3 safety recalls for the 1979 Ford Fairmont
Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.
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Windshield (visibility)
Windshields may have been installed on these vehicles without the application of a butyl primer on the mounting surface of the glazing. The primer is required to ensure adequate retention of the windshield to its opening flange. This constitutes a non-compliance with federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 212, "windshield mounting".
Remedy: Dealer will reinstall the windshield correctly without charge to owner.
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Pedals and linkages (service brakes)
The involved vehicles were produced with brake push-rod to brake pedal retaining pins which were not heat-treated as specified. This could allow the brake pedal to become disengaged from the push-rod.
Remedy: Dealer will replace the suspect brake retaining pin.
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Labels (equipment)
The involved vehicles were built with safety compliance certification labels that contained incorrect gvwr and gawr weight information. The gvwr"s could be overstated by up to 197 lbs., due to an error in the reporting of incremental option weights used to derive the gvwr"s and gawr"s.
Remedy: The owner has the option of affixing the supplied labels himself or bringing the vehicle in to the dealer to have them affixed.
No owner complaints on file
NHTSA has no owner complaints on file for the 1979 Ford Fairmont. 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 Fairmont model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Ford Fairmont model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 1978 Ford Fairmont | 9 | 2 |
| 1979 Ford Fairmont | 3 | 0 |
| 1980 Ford Fairmont | 1 | 0 |
| 1981 Ford Fairmont | 1 | 4 |
| 1982 Ford Fairmont | 1 | 1 |
| 1983 Ford Fairmont | 2 | 3 |
Checking a specific 1979 Ford Fairmont
How do I know if my 1979 Ford Fairmont has an open recall?
Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 3 campaigns currently list the 1979 Ford Fairmont; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.
Is the recall repair free?
Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Ford dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 79V039000).
What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?
A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.
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.