Dodge Suspension: Lower Ball Joint

Dodge is recalling about 42,000 vehicles over a problem with the suspension.

Campaign
78V103000
Manufacturer
CHRYSLER CORPORATION
Reported
9 May 1978
Vehicles
42,000
Built between
Nov 1977 – Feb 1978
Models
2
Recall type
Vehicle
Initiated by
Manufacturer
Owners notified
19 June 1978
Repaired
Not reported
Unrepaired
Not reported

Does this affect my vehicle?

This recall covers vehicles built between November 1977 and February 1978. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.

  • 1978 Dodge OmniBuilt November 1977 to February 1978
  • 1978 Plymouth HorizonBuilt November 1977 to February 1978

What the defect is

The rivet attachments for the front suspension control arm to ball joint may fail, especially under impact load circumstances.

What gets fixed

THE DEALER WILL INSTALL A BOLT AND NUT ATTACHMENT MIDWAY BETWEEN THE TWO RIVETS. THIS WILL INCREASE THE STRENGTH OF THE FRONT SUSPENSION CONTROL ARM TO THE BALL JOINT ATTACHMENT.

Timeline

  1. Vehicles builtNovember 1977 to February 1978
  2. Recall reported to NHTSA9 May 1978
  3. Owners notified19 June 1978

Your rights

A safety recall repair is free. Under US federal law the manufacturer must fix a safety defect at no cost to you — no charge for parts, labor or diagnosis — whether or not you are the original owner. A dealer cannot charge you for recall work, and cannot require you to have bought the vehicle from them.

That entitlement is not unlimited. It applies where the vehicle was first sold less than 15 years before the recall was announced — 5 years for tires. Past that a manufacturer may still do the repair free of charge, and many do, but they are no longer obliged to. This recall was reported on 9 May 1978.

To arrange the repair, contact any franchised dealer for the brand. If a dealer refuses the work or tries to charge for it, you can report that to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/recalls or on 1-888-327-4236.

Official source

Recalling manufacturer
CHRYSLER CORPORATION
Recall initiated by
MFR

Everything on this page — the models listed, the build dates and the repair figures — comes from the manufacturer's filing to NHTSA and describes the vehicle line as a whole, not any individual car. Only the manufacturer can confirm whether a specific vehicle is affected, and whether its recall work has already been carried out. Check yours by VIN and read the official notice at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Additional notes

Vehicle description: passenger vehicles.system: suspension; control arm to ball joint assembly.consequences of defect: should rivets fail, loss of vehicle control and anaccident could result.

Check your own vehicle

This page describes the recall, not any one car. To see which recalls cover a specific vehicle, search by make, model and year.

A VIN lookup here identifies your vehicle and shows recalls issued for that make, model and year. It cannot tell you what is still open on your individual car - only the manufacturer knows that. Search by VIN instead, or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov for whether a recall is still open on your individual car.

Same component

Same brand