Model year record

1979 Ford Thunderbird

3 recall campaigns on file for this model year. 1 owner complaint on file.

Recalls

Recall campaignNHTSA 79V117000

Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages

Component
Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Vehicles affected
82,000
Reported to NHTSA
1979-05-15
Owners notified
1979-06-18

Defect description

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.

Manufacturer remedy

DEALER WILL REPLACE THE SUSPECT BRAKE RETAINING PIN.

Recall campaignNHTSA 79V013000

Seats: mid/rear assembly

Component
Seats: mid/rear assembly
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Vehicles affected
4,000
Reported to NHTSA
1979-01-09
Owners notified
1979-03-20

Defect description

THE INVOLVED VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH INCORRECT WELD NUTS THAT ATTACH THE REAR PORTION OF THE FRONT OUTBOARD SEAT TRACK TO THE FLOOR PAN. THE INCORRECT NUTS HAVE AN OVERSIZE DIAMETER AND THREAD, AND UPON FRONT SEAT TRACK ANCHOR BOLT INSTALLATION, THE THREADS MAY HAVE BEEN STRIPPED.

Manufacturer remedy

THE DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPAIR ANY STRIPPED WELD NUTS AND INSTALL LARGER SIZE BOLTS TO ANCHOR THE SEAT TRACK TO THE FLOOR AT NO COST TO OWNER.

Recall campaignNHTSA 78V269000

Steering: gear box: shaft sector

Component
Steering: gear box: shaft sector
Manufacturer
FORD MOTOR COMPANY
Vehicles affected
20,000
Reported to NHTSA
1978-12-21
Owners notified
1978-12-12

Defect description

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.

Manufacturer remedy

THE DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY OR INSTALL A NEW SECTOR SHAFT IN THE STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY.

Owner complaints

A complaint is one person's report to a federal agency. It is not a finding.

ComponentComplaintsMedian mileage
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery1

The 1978 model has roughly the same number of complaints as this one. The 1980 model has about a third as many complaints as this one. These figures reflect raw complaint counts, not failure rates. Higher-selling model years naturally receive more complaints.

Safety recall repairs are provided free of charge by franchised dealers, regardless of vehicle age or mileage. This page displays aggregated data for the model year. To check recall status for a specific vehicle, search its VIN at nhtsa.gov.