1978 Vehicles: Recalls, Complaints & Safety Data
Every 1978 model-year vehicle in our database with enough NHTSA data to publish, ranked by the number of complaints owners have filed. Because all of these vehicles are the same model year, they have had the same amount of time in which reports could accumulate.
Complaints 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.
1978 vehicles by owner-reported complaint volume
60 vehicles of 412, most-reported first
| # | Vehicle | 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. | 90 days | Recalls | Investigations | Issue IndexThe Vehicle Issue Index is our own informational metric, not an official safety rating and not a reliability prediction. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Recreational Ind Recreational Ind | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2 | Ford F-150 | 4 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — |
| 3 | Cadillac Deville | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 4 | Pontiac Firebird | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 5 | Ford Mustang | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — |
| 6 | Venture Chelsea | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 7 | Pontiac Bonneville | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 8 | Dolphin Dolphin | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 9 | Mack Mack | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 10 | BMW 320I | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | — |
| 11 | Chrysler Lebaron | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 | — |
| 12 | Ford Fairmont | 2 | 0 | 10 | 1 | — |
| 13 | Chevrolet Chevrolet Truck | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 14 | Chevrolet Malibu | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 | — |
| 15 | Mercury Cougar | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 16 | MG Mgb | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 17 | Georgia Georgia | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 18 | Jc Penney Free Spirit Ii | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 19 | Plymouth Sport Utility | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 20 | Mercury Zephyr | 2 | 0 | 11 | 0 | — |
| 21 | Ford F-250 | 2 | 0 | 10 | 0 | — |
| 22 | Cadillac Seville | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 23 | Toyota Corona Station Wagon | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 24 | Mack Rd Series | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 25 | BMW 320 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 26 | Toyota Hi Lux | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 27 | Jaguar XJ12 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 28 | Ferrari 308 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 29 | Toyota Celica | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 30 | Buick Buick | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 31 | Beam Beam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 32 | GMC C/K Pickup | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — |
| 33 | Chevrolet C20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 34 | Chevrolet C10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 35 | Buick Regal | 1 | 0 | 7 | 2 | — |
| 36 | Chevrolet El Camino | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | — |
| 37 | Ford E-250 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 1 | — |
| 38 | Plymouth Voyager | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 39 | Jaguar Xjs | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 40 | Dodge B200 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 41 | Yamaha 750 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 42 | Suzuki 1000 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 43 | Volkswagen Scirocco | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | — |
| 44 | Honda CB750 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 45 | Jeep CJ5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 46 | Chevrolet P1500 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 47 | Ford Pinto | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 48 | Ford L9000 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 49 | Ford L Series (heavy) | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 50 | Dodge D100 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — |
| 51 | Jeep CJ7 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 52 | Ford Thunderbird | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 53 | Chevrolet Blazer | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 54 | Jeep Wagoneer | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 55 | Travel 166 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 56 | Ford Granada | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 57 | Lincoln Mark V | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 58 | Ford F Series (light) | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 59 | Dodge W200 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — |
| 60 | Volkswagen Dasher | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
Showing the 60 most-reported of 412 1978 vehicles. The rest are reachable through their make and model pages.
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.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
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.