- Vehicles
- 20,000
- Built between
- Nov 1978 – Dec 1978
- Models
- 5
- Recall type
- Vehicle
- Initiated by
- Manufacturer
- Owners notified
- 12 December 1978
- Repaired
- Not reported
- Unrepaired
- Not reported
Does this affect my vehicle?
This recall covers vehicles built between November 1978 and December 1978. If yours was built outside that window, it is not part of this recall.
- 1979 Ford Club WagonBuilt November 1978 to December 1978
- 1979 Ford EconolineBuilt November 1978 to December 1978
- 1979 Ford LTD IIBuilt November 1978 to December 1978
- 1979 Ford RancheroBuilt November 1978 to December 1978
- 1979 Ford ThunderbirdBuilt November 1978 to December 1978
What the defect is
The steering gears on the involved vehicles may have been built with improperly manufactured sector shafts from which the threaded portions of the shafts may fracture and separate. Should the sector shaft fracture, the pitman arm may disengage from the splined portion of the sector shaft.
What gets fixed
THE DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY OR INSTALL A NEW SECTOR SHAFT IN THE STEERING GEAR ASSEMBLY.
Timeline
- Vehicles builtNovember 1978 to December 1978
- Recall reported to NHTSA21 December 1978
- Owners notified12 December 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 21 December 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.system: steering assembly; gears.consequences of defect: disengagement while vehicle is in motion could resultin loss of steering control, loss of vehicle control, and an accident.
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.