The 1978 Mercury Cougar has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 110,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. 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.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Tl*the contact owns a 1978 mercury cougar. The contact stated that the front seat belts fail to operate properly. The dealer stated that her vin was not included in nhtsa campaign id number 78v108000 (seat belts:front:retractor) because the vehicle was too old. The vin was inaccurate and the…”
“Consumer was in an accident and the driver side seat belt didn't restrain person hit her head was totaled. Tt”
WHEELS
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1978 Mercury Cougar as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.