Recall Register

1978 Ford E350: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1978 Ford E350. The newest campaign is 78V035000. NHTSA received the report on 16 Feb 1978. The NHTSA record gives the component Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Lever and Linkage / Column Shift. NHTSA has no complaint on file for this model year. 1 NHTSA investigation names 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, 78V035000, in the NHTSA record

Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the shift selector reaction spring 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. 114,224 units in total.

  • 78V035000Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Lever and Linkage / Column Shift
  • 77V198000Fuel System, Gasoline / Carburetor System
  • 77V187000Steering / Linkages / Tie Rod Assembly
  • 77V185000Power Train / Automatic Transmission / Lever and Linkage / Column Shift
  • 77V161000Vehicle Speed Control

  1. 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: .

  2. 77V198000Received . 30,000 units.

    Fuel System, Gasoline / Carburetor System

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    On the involved vehicles, leakage may occur at the threaded carburetor-to-fuel filter connection on the suspect carburetors. This is due to an improperly machined carburetor fuel inlet connection.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, will replace the carburetor without charge to owner.

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

  3. 77V187000Received . 1,885 units.

    Steering / Linkages / Tie Rod Assembly

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    On the involved vehicles, the steering tie rod and link assemblies with adjusting sleeve clamps may have been improperly manufactured. The clamps contain a sharp die mark which could cause the clamp to fracture when the clamp bolt is tightened to specifications. The clamp could break and cause separation of the tie rod adjusting sleeves.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    The dealer will replace the steering tie rod adjusting sleeve and clamp assembly, free of charge, on all affected 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. 77V161000Received . 16,000 units.

    Vehicle Speed Control

    Defect, in the NHTSA record
    Some of the involved vehicles may have defective carburetors in which, under certain circumstances, the secondary throttle plates may stick open.
    Remedy, in the NHTSA record
    Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the carburetor at no 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

NHTSA investigations that name the 1978 Ford E350
NumberTypeSubjectComponentOpenedClosedCampaign
EA87002Engineering analysisFILLER NECK SPURTVehicle Speed Control / Linkages4 Nov 198629 Apr 1987

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. 19754
  2. 19761
  3. 19771
  4. 19785
  5. 19793
  6. 19801
  7. 19812
  8. 19823
  9. 19838
  10. 198412
  11. 198510
  12. 198611
  13. 19878
  14. 19881
  15. 19893
  16. 19902
  17. 19971
  18. 19981
  19. 19991
  20. 20002
  21. 20021
  22. 20031
  23. 20052
  24. 20061
  25. 20071
  26. 20081
  27. 20091
  28. 20101
  29. 20111
  30. 20121
  31. 20131

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 E350: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/e350/1978/. 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
29 Sep 2026
Complaint file through
29 Mar 2018
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 E350?
114,224 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 E350 have for all model years?
NHTSA lists 41 recall campaigns for the Ford E350, model years 1975 to 2013. 5 of them name the 1978 model year.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1978 Ford E350 open?
No. The 1 investigation that names this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.