The 1978 Ford Thunderbird has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 129,400 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 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…
THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES IF NECESSARY, WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
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.
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NEESSARY, WILL REPLACE THE WHEELS WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
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…
THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE PARK ACTUATION CAM SUPPORT PLATES, FREE OF CHARGE, ON ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“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”
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 Thunderbird as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.