- Vehicles
- 18,000
- Built between
- Mar 1978 – Jul 1978
- Models
- 1
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 15 October 1978
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between March 1978 and July 1978. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1978 Ford FiestaBuilt March 1978 to July 1978
What the defect is
The involved wheels contain mislocated stem holes. This may allow air leakage at the tire valve stem, under high speed driving conditions.
What gets fixed
THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE EXISTING WHEELS WITH WHEELS HAVING THE PROPER VALVE STEM HOLES, IF NECESSARY, WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtMarch 1978 to July 1978
- Recall reported to NHTSA11 October 1978
- Owners notified15 October 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 11 October 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
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- 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 equipped with 4.50X12 inch steelwheels.system: wheels; stem holes.consequences of defect: loss of air in tire could cause loss of vehicle controland an accident.note: should significant air loss occur, the vehicle operator should detect achange in vehicle handling. If the vehicle continues to be operated at highspeeds, tire air loss could continue and result in steering "pull", tireoverheating or tire failure.
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.