1978 Ford Thunderbird Recalls, Complaints & Specs
3 safety recalls list the 1978 Ford Thunderbird, and owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.
- 1960
- 1965
- 1967
- 1970
- 1971
- 1972
- 1973
- 1974
- 1975
- 1976
- 1977
- 1978
- 1979
- 1980
- 1983
- 1984
- 1985
- 1986
- 1987
- 1988
- 1989
- 1990
- 1991
- 1992
- 1993
- 1994
- 1995
- 1996
- 1997
- 1998
- 1999
- 2002
- 2003
- 2004
- 2005
3 safety recalls for the 1978 Ford Thunderbird
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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Retractor (seat belts)
The involved vehicles are equipped with shoulder harness retractors that may not lock. Should the vehicle experience a sudden deceleration or impact, the front seat occupant may not be restrained by the shoulder harness portion of the three-point seat belt system. Furthermore, the shoulder harness retractors may not allow extraction of…
Remedy: The dealer will replace the seat belt assemblies if necessary, without charge to owner.
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Lugs/nuts/bolts/studs (wheels)
The involved vehicles may have been equipped with cast aluminum wheels with inadequate lug nut counterbore depths. This condition may not provide sufficient lug nut thread engagement. The lug nuts may loosen and fall off, allowing the wheel to separate from the vehicle.
Remedy: Dealer will inspect and, if neessary, will replace the wheels without charge to owner.
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Column shift (power train)
On the involved vehicles, the park actuation support plates are defective due to their susceptibility to cracking due to improper heat treatment during manufacture. As a result, fragments from a broken plate can become lodged in the transmission parking pawl mechanism. This could prevent the transmission parking pawl from engaging when…
Remedy: The dealer will replace the park actuation cam support plates, free of charge, on all affected vehicles.
1 owner complaint filed with NHTSA
Owners of the 1978 Ford Thunderbird have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA. Reports cite 2 injuries and 0 deaths. Complaints peaked in 2000 with 1 filed that year.
Most-reported components
What owners are reporting
“When i turned the key it would not move. The steering wheel was locked, and i could not do anything. The key will not even move at all. *ak”
Owner complaint to NHTSA, November 22, 2000 · Electrical system
Compare Ford Thunderbird model years
Recall and complaint counts for every Ford Thunderbird model year in NHTSA's database.
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 Ford Thunderbird | 0 | 1 |
| 1965 Ford Thunderbird | 0 | 1 |
| 1967 Ford Thunderbird | 4 | 0 |
| 1970 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 1 |
| 1971 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 0 |
| 1972 Ford Thunderbird | 3 | 0 |
| 1973 Ford Thunderbird | 4 | 0 |
| 1974 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 0 |
| 1975 Ford Thunderbird | 4 | 0 |
| 1976 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 0 |
| 1977 Ford Thunderbird | 4 | 1 |
| 1978 Ford Thunderbird | 3 | 1 |
| 1979 Ford Thunderbird | 3 | 1 |
| 1980 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 3 |
| 1983 Ford Thunderbird | 3 | 3 |
| 1984 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 26 |
| 1985 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 14 |
| 1986 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 23 |
| 1987 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 61 |
| 1988 Ford Thunderbird | 2 | 92 |
| 1989 Ford Thunderbird | 4 | 124 |
| 1990 Ford Thunderbird | 3 | 140 |
| 1991 Ford Thunderbird | 3 | 112 |
| 1992 Ford Thunderbird | 3 | 184 |
| 1993 Ford Thunderbird | 3 | 423 |
| 1994 Ford Thunderbird | 0 | 300 |
| 1995 Ford Thunderbird | 0 | 261 |
| 1996 Ford Thunderbird | 2 | 233 |
| 1997 Ford Thunderbird | 0 | 169 |
| 1998 Ford Thunderbird | 0 | 3 |
| 1999 Ford Thunderbird | 0 | 2 |
| 2002 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 93 |
| 2003 Ford Thunderbird | 0 | 33 |
| 2004 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 34 |
| 2005 Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 27 |
Checking a specific 1978 Ford Thunderbird
How do I know if my 1978 Ford Thunderbird 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 1978 Ford Thunderbird; 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 77V185000).
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.