1978 Ford F250
The 1978 Ford F250 appears in 9 NHTSA recall campaigns (seat belts, steering and power train) and in 2 consumer complaints filed with the agency.
The component named most often is engine and engine cooling: 333.3 of every 1,000 component mentions for this year, above the 64.3 per 1,000 across all 1978 model-year vehicles and against 85.4 per 1,000 for the Ford F250 line as a whole.
That is fewer than the average of 14.4 complaints per model year across the 27 Ford F250 model years on this register.
Complaints were received in the largest number in 1996 (1); the most recent in the file is dated 17 Dec 2009.
Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA. Recall text is the manufacturer's Part 573 report as filed with NHTSA. Complaint file through 15 May 2019; recall file through 29 Sep 2026.
Recalls by model year:
Recall campaigns
Defect, as filed: The driver"s side shoulder belt retractor mounting bracket assembly contains a weld nut which was improperly attached to the bracket. This fails to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 210, "seat belt assembly anchorages".
Remedy: The dealer will repair the left side shoulder belt retractor mounting bracket on the involved vehicles free of charge.
Filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
Defect, as filed: These vehicles may be equipped with steering linkages on which cotter pins may not have been installed on castellated nuts to secure the steering drag link and tie-rod connections. Also, these attaching nuts may not have been tightened to specifications. This could allow linkage separation.
Remedy: The dealer will perform necessary corrections to the steering linkage attachments.
Filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
Defect, as filed: 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: Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the transmission extension housing without charge to owner.
Filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
- 78V035000POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFTReported 16 Feb 1978 · 47,339 units
Defect, as filed: 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: Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the shift selector reaction spring without charge to owner.
Filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
Defect, as filed: The wheel rim diameters on these vehicles may exceed dimensional specifications. This may cause the tires and tubes to be overstressed during mounting or improperly mounted.
Remedy: The dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the wheels, and the tires and tubes mounted on these wheels.
Filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
Defect, as filed: 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: Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, will replace the carburetor without charge to owner.
Filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
- 77V185000POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFTReported 25 Oct 1977 · 19,000 units
Defect, as filed: 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: The dealer will replace the park actuation cam support plates, free of charge, on all affected vehicles.
Filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
Defect, as filed: The pitman arm to steering gear attachment nuts may not have been properly tightened on the involved vehicles. The nut could come off during vehicle operation.
Remedy: Dealer will tighten the pitman arm attaching nut to the correct specifications without charge to owner.
Filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
Defect, as filed: Some of the involved vehicles may have defective carburetors in which, under certain circumstances, the secondary throttle plates may stick open.
Remedy: Dealer will inspect and, if necessary, replace the carburetor at no charge to owner.
Filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
Each entry links to the NHTSA record. NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are free of charge at an authorised dealer; check a specific vehicle by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Complaints by component
Component mentions per 1,000 for the 1978 Ford F250 (black) against all 1978 model-year vehicles in the file (yellow). A complaint can name more than one component.
| Per 1,000 component mentions | 1978 | F250 line | All 1978 vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 333.3 | 85.4 | 64.3 |
| Power Train | 333.3 | 83.3 | 99.4 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 333.3 | 170.7 | 99.4 |
| Component | Mentions | Per 1,000 | Line | All 1978 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 1 | 333.3 | 85.4 | 64.3 |
| Power Train | 1 | 333.3 | 83.3 | 99.4 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 333.3 | 170.7 | 99.4 |
2 unique complaints, 3 component mentions; 0 injuries and 0 deaths reported by complainants. Complaint narratives are not republished.
Complaints by year received
Investigations
No NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation action in the current file names this model year.
Other Ford F250 model years
| Model year | Recalls | Complaints | Units in campaigns |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | 3 | 0 | 21,386 |
| 1968 NHTSA | 1 | 1 | 13,490 |
| 1969 NHTSA | 1 | 0 | 80,700 |
| 1970 NHTSA | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1972 | 3 | 0 | 1,064,209 |
| 1973 | 5 | 0 | 1,052,700 |
| 1974 | 2 | 2 | 13,744 |
| 1975 | 5 | 0 | 337,209 |
| 1976 | 2 | 0 | 10,919 |
| 1977 | 5 | 2 | 177,428 |
| 1978 | 9 | 2 | 196,547 |
| 1979 | 8 | 1 | 173,720 |
| 1980 | 3 | 0 | 45,070 |
| 1981 | 5 | 1 | 35,416 |
| 1982 | 3 | 0 | 91,538 |
| 1983 | 6 | 1 | 212,597 |
| 1984 | 3 | 10 | 121,578 |
| 1985 | 2 | 21 | 976 |
| 1986 | 2 | 38 | 3,600,730 |
| 1987 | 2 | 38 | 3,601,220 |
| 1988 | 3 | 62 | 8,424,400 |
| 1989 | 6 | 101 | 8,831,300 |
| 1990 | 6 | 107 | 9,699,870 |
| 2005 | 3 | 0 | 26,934 |
| 2006 | 3 | 0 | 26,934 |
| 2007 | 2 | 0 | 219 |
| 2008 | 2 | 0 | 219 |
Model years with a single campaign and fewer than 25 complaints have no page here; the NHTSA link opens the agency's record for that year.
All Ford F250 model years · Ford: 201 model lines
Questions and answers
How many recalls does the 1978 Ford F250 have?
9 NHTSA recall campaigns name this model year; the most recent, 78V168000, was reported to NHTSA on 7 Aug 1978 and concerns seat belts:front:retractor. Across all model years the Ford F250 line has 73 campaigns.
Is there an open NHTSA investigation into the 1978 Ford F250?
No NHTSA investigation in the current file names this model year.
What component do owners of the 1978 Ford F250 complain about most?
Engine and Engine Cooling: 1 of 3 component mentions (333.3 per 1,000). Next is power train with 1. Complaints are consumer reports and have not been verified by NHTSA.
How do I get a recall repaired?
NHTSA states that safety recall repairs are performed free of charge by the manufacturer's authorised dealers. Each campaign's remedy text above is the manufacturer's statement as filed with NHTSA. Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
Where does this data come from?
NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation recall, complaint and investigation flat files, public domain, downloaded 29 Sep 2026. Complaint counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; component figures count each component a complaint names. The NHTSA record linked from each campaign is authoritative.
Provenance
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Office of Defects Investigation flat files (recalls, complaints, investigations), public domain, files dated 29 Sep 2026 (recalls) and 15 May 2019 (complaints). Complaints since 1 Jan 1995. Counts are unique complaint numbers per make, model and model year; per-1,000 rates divide a component's mentions by all mentions for the same group. Errors in processing are corrected at the next daily build; see corrections and the methodology.