The 1978 Ford Pinto has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 84,956 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE FLEXIBLE BLADE ENGINE COOLING FAN BLADES MAY CRACK AND BREAK OFF. THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY HIGH BLADE STRESSES THAT CAN RESULT FROM VIBRATION DURING VEHICLE OPERATION.
DEALER WILL REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE ENGINE COOLING FAN AT NO COST TO OWNER.
THE AUTOMATIC LOCKING REAR SEAT BELT RETRACTORS ON CERTAIN VEHICLES MAY FAIL TO LOCK DUE TO BINDING OF THE LOCKING PAWL AGAINST THE RETRACTOR HOUSING. THIS BINDING IS CAUSED BY RETRACTOR HOUSING DEFORMATION WHICH OCCURRED DURING ASSEMBLY. AS A RESULT THE PASSENGERS WOULD BE RESTRAINED ONLY BY THE FULLY EXTENDED BELT.…
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE ONE OR BOTH REAR SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES FREE OF CHARGE.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“I have had problems with the plastic panels on the back of the instrument clusters deteriorating and crumbling with heat and age on 3 cars. These were a 1976 ford pinto wagon, a 1976 ford e250 club wagon van, and a 1972 amc matador (appearently the same ford design of this part). This part holds…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1978 Ford Pinto as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.