Recall Register

1978 Ford Bronco: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1978 Ford Bronco. The newest campaign is 78V096000. NHTSA received the report on 28 Apr 1978. The NHTSA record gives the component Power Train / Automatic Transmission. NHTSA has no complaint on file for this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 78V096000, in the NHTSA record

Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transmission extension housing without charge to owner.
NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.

NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 145,684 units in total.

  • 78V096000Power Train / Automatic Transmission
  • 78V035000Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Lever and Linkage / Column Shift
  • 78V023000Wheels
  • 77V185000Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Lever and Linkage / Column Shift
  • 77V129000Seats / Mid/Rear Assembly

  1. 78V096000Received . 61,417 units.

    Power Train / Automatic Transmission

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Some of these vehicles may be equipped with automatic transmissions that were assembled with improperly manufactured cast iron extension housings. The housings have mislocated cast cam plate stops. A mislocated stop may prevent the transmission from locking in the park position when the gear shift selector lever is placed in the "p" (park) position. If this occurs a driver may rely upon the reading on the gearshift selector lever indicator and may assume that the transmission parking gear is engaged.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transmission extension housing without charge to owner.

    Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  2. 78V035000Received . 47,339 units.

    Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Lever and Linkage / Column Shift

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    The shift selector reaction springs may be deformed as a result of improper installation of selector levers during column buildup. Thus the lever may not be able to be moved into the insert detents located in the steering column assembly. This could prevent the "park" gear from being engaged.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the shift selector reaction spring without charge to owner.

    Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  3. 78V023000Received . 17,000 units.

    Wheels

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Some of the steel wheels on the involved vehicles may have been improperly manufactured. These wheels, over a period of time, could crack in the wheel rim area through normal operation, without prior warning.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the wheels on the involved vehicles.

    Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  4. 77V185000Received . 19,000 units.

    Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Lever and Linkage / Column Shift

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    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 from engaging when the selector lever is placed in the "park" position, or prevent the pawl from being disengaged from the park gear.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    The dealer will replace the park actuation cam support plates, free of charge, on all affected vehicles.

    Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

  5. 77V129000Received . 928 units.

    Seats / Mid/Rear Assembly

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    On the involved vehicles, build-up of carpet/mat deadener and insulation under the rear seat frame and seat belt anchor tabs may prevent the optional folding rear seat cushion from latching properly. The latch may be only partially engaged and fail to sustain the seat belt anchorage loading requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 210, "seat belt assembly and anchorages".
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealer will install spacer washers at the latch striker attachment to correct the problem, without charge to owner.

    Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

The NHTSA complaint file has no complaint for this model year.

Investigations

The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

  1. 19672
  2. 19690
  3. 19701
  4. 19711
  5. 19721
  6. 19751
  7. 19761
  8. 19771
  9. 19785
  10. 19795
  11. 19802
  12. 19810
  13. 19820
  14. 19831
  15. 19843
  16. 19851
  17. 19861
  18. 19871
  19. 19881
  20. 19892
  21. 19901
  22. 19911
  23. 19922
  24. 19935
  25. 19943
  26. 19951
  27. 19961
  28. 19970
  29. 19980
  30. 19990
  31. 202120
  32. 202223
  33. 202318
  34. 202416
  35. 202519
  36. 20269

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

Official channels

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1978 Ford Bronco: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/bronco/1978/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .

Sources

Source
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence
US government work, public domain
Recall file through
30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file
1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file
FORD MOTOR COMPANY

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1978 Ford Bronco?
145,684 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Ford Bronco have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 83 recall campaigns for the Ford Bronco, model years 1967 to 2026. 5 of them name the 1978 model year.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1978 Ford Bronco open?
The NHTSA investigation file has no investigation that names this model year.