RoadVitals

1979 Ford Ford

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
1
Latest Oct 18, 2001
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
1
Latest Jan 12, 1981
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
0

Overview

Our database contains 1 NHTSA owner-reported complaint for the 1979 Ford Ford, most frequently naming the tires & wheels category. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 3 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

  • Tires & wheels1100.0%

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

1 campaign cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov
81V008000

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)

Jan 12, 1981
21,000,000 units potentially affected
The defect: THIS IS A MANUFACTURER"S NOTICE TO ADVISE OWNERS OF PROPER VEHICLE OPERATION. THE PARKING GEAR MAY NOT BE SECURELY ENGAGED AFTER THE OPERATOR HAS ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT TO PARK. THE VEHICLE MAY APPEAR TO BE IN PARK THOUGH ACTUALLY IN REVERSE. THIS COULD ALLOW THE VEHICLE TO MOVE UNEXPECTEDLY.
The remedy: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A SELF-STICKING LABEL CONTAINING IMPORTANT SAFETY PRECAUTIONS AS A DAILY REMINDER OF THE SERIOUS HAZARDS OF UNEXPECTED VEHICLE MOTION. IT SHOULD BE PLACED INSIDE THE VEHICLE IN AN EASILY SEEN LOCATION.
FORD MOTOR COMPANYView on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Tires & wheels
Filed Oct 18, 2001

I FIRST BOUGHT A SET OF THESE TIRES IN 1996. THE RIDE WAS ROUGH FROM THE BEGINNING, AND I COMPLAINED. THE DEALER TOLD ME THEY WERE "OUT OF ROUND BUT WITHIN GOODYEAR SPECS". I CONTINUED TO DRIVE WITH A NOTICEABLE VIBRATION BECAUSE THEY WOULD NOT REPLACE THE TIRES AND I COULD NOT AFFORD TO REPLACE THEM. IN THE FALL OF '98,ONE OF THE IRES DELAMINATED WHILE DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEED. I PUT ON MY SPARE AND CONTINUED. I COULD NOT FIND A REPLACEMENT LOCALLY, AND CONTINUED TO DRIVE ON MY SPARE. LESS THAN 3 WEEKS LATER, A SECOND TIRE DELAMINATED. I THEN DROVE TO ANOTHER TOWN 50 MILES AWAY AND TOLD THEM OF THE PROBLEM, AND INSISTED THEY REPLACE ALL 4 TIRES, WHICH THEY DID AT A PRORATED PRICE.THE SECOND SET RODE WITH A SLIGHT VIBRATION, BUT WAS BETTER THAN THE FIRST. THIS GRADUALLY DETERIORATED, UNTIL I WAS DRIVING WITH MUCH VIBRATION. BALANCING WOULD NOT HELP. IN SET. OF 2000 ANOTHER TIRE DELAMINATED. GOODYERA NO LONGE MAKES THIS TIRE, AND SENT ME A REFUND. I THEN BOUGHT 2 MICHELINS, USING THE MATE TO THE BAD TIRE AS A SPARE. THE RIDE IMPROVED SOME, BUT WAS STILL VIBRATING. IN SEPT. OF 2001 I WENT IN TO GET MY WHEELS BALANCED, AND THEY TOLD ME MY FRONT TIRES WERE DELAMINATING[GOODYEARS]. MY MECHANIC CONFIRMED THIS. I COMPLAINED TO GOODYEAR, AND THEY RECENTLY SENT ME A CHECK FOR 1/2 OF MY PURCHASE PRICE. I HAVE HAD 5 OUT OF 8 OF THESE TIRES DELAMINATE. I BELIEVE THE ONLY REASON THE OTHER 3 DIDNOT, IS BECAUSE THEY WERE REMOVED BEFORE THEY COULD. *AK (TIRESIZE: 875R16.5 E)

NHTSA ID
753386
Incident
Nov 1, 1998

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

80-12-1

UNKNOWN

80-3-10-S

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

UNKNOWN

80-11-4

VISIBILITY:DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM

UNKNOWN

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Ford Ford by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2009010—
2008010—
2003400034.1
2002430039.4
2001310035.9
2000520043.1
1999250040.4
1998170047.1
1997160036.8
1996180038.5
1995150031.7
1994900—
1993500—
1992400—
1991400—
1990600—
1989500—
1988500—
1987300—
1986300—
1985203—
1984103—
1983001—
1982101—
1981001—
1980211—
1979Viewing110—
1978020—
1977430—
1976020—
1975020—
1974020—
1973010—
1972130—
1971030—
1970030—
1969060—
1968020—
1967160—
1966010—
1965010—
1964100—
1963100—

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.