1979 Mercury Capri: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 1979 Mercury Capri. The newest campaign is 79V117000. NHTSA received the report on 15 May 1979. The NHTSA record gives the component Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Pedals and Linkages. NHTSA has no complaint on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name 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, 79V117000, in the NHTSA record

Dealer will replace the suspect brake retaining pin.

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 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 29 Mar 2018. Recall file through 29 Sep 2026.

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. 107,509 units in total.

79V11700015 May 1979Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Pedals and Linkages
79V0870005 Apr 1979Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan
79V05300022 Feb 1979Steering / Steering Wheel/Handle Bar
78V2110004 Oct 1978Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan
78V18600024 Aug 1978Steering / Column

79V117000Received 15 May 1979. 82,000 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Pedals and Linkages
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The involved vehicles were produced with brake push-rod to brake pedal retaining pins which were not heat-treated as specified. This could allow the brake pedal to become disengaged from the push-rod.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealer will replace the suspect brake retaining pin.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 18 Jun 1979.
79V087000Received 5 Apr 1979. 2,700 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan
Defect, in the NHTSA record
With the engine operating at high speed, the plastic engine fan finger guards may contact the engine fan and breakage of the guard may occur. This could cause fragments of the finger guard to scatter.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Two guard supports and two additional fasteners will be installed. If the fan guard has been damaged, the guard and fan will be replaced at no cost to owner.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
79V053000Received 22 Feb 1979. 16,000 units.
Steering / Steering Wheel/Handle Bar
Defect, in the NHTSA record
An incorrect steering gear flange may have been installed, which may slip and cause eventual loss of steering control.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Inspection for and replacement of incorrect steering gear flanges will be done at no cost to owner.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 28 Mar 1979.
78V211000Received 4 Oct 1978. 6,750 units.
Engine and Engine Cooling / Cooling System / Fan
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The involved vehicles are equipped with flexible cooling fan blades that may crack when subjected to high engine speed operating conditions. Fan blade cracking can lead to fragments separating from the fan.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
The dealer will replace the existing cooling fan at no cost to owner.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 4 Oct 1978.
78V186000Received 24 Aug 1978. 59 units.
Steering / Column
Defect, in the NHTSA record
The tilt steering columns on the involved vehicles contain in-process temporary alignment pins rather than the permanent press-fit pivot pins. The temporary pins are slightly undersized and could separate from the steering column during vehicle operation. This can cause steering wheel lockup.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
The dealer will install a permanent pivot pin in the steering column without charge to owner.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 30 Jun 1979.

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 1979 Mercury Capri
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
EA85016	Engineering analysis	FLOOR PAN CRACKS	Structure	22 Feb 1985	14 Apr 1987
DP84003	Defect petition	REAR BRAKES	Service Brakes, Hydraulic	13 Oct 1983	24 Apr 1984

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.

19716
19725
19733
19746
19752
19762
19771
19795
19811
19831
19843
19852
19912
19921
19931
19941

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

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 1979 Mercury CapriThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 1979 Mercury Capri: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/mercury/capri/1979/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 29 Sep 2026.

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 1979 Mercury Capri?: 107,509 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Mercury Capri have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 26 recall campaigns for the Mercury Capri, model years 1971 to 1994. 5 of them name the 1979 model year.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1979 Mercury Capri open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.