The 1978 Ford F-250 has 9 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 196,547 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 3 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
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".
THE DEALER WILL REPAIR THE LEFT SIDE SHOULDER BELT RETRACTOR MOUNTING BRACKET ON THE INVOLVED VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE.
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.
THE DEALER WILL PERFORM NECESSARY CORRECTIONS TO THE STEERING LINKAGE ATTACHMENTS.
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…
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION EXTENSION HOUSING WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
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.
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE SHIFT SELECTOR REACTION SPRING WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
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.
THE DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE WHEELS, AND THE TIRES AND TUBES MOUNTED ON THESE WHEELS.
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.
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, WILL REPLACE THE CARBURETOR WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
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…
THE DEALER WILL REPLACE THE PARK ACTUATION CAM SUPPORT PLATES, FREE OF CHARGE, ON ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES.
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.
DEALER WILL TIGHTEN THE PITMAN ARM ATTACHING NUT TO THE CORRECT SPECIFICATIONS WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
SOME OF THE INVOLVED VEHICLES MAY HAVE DEFECTIVE CARBURETORS IN WHICH, UNDER CERTAIN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE SECONDARY THROTTLE PLATES MAY STICK OPEN.
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE CARBURETOR AT NO CHARGE TO OWNER.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“We have a 1978 f250 and according to what I can tell there are several safety recalls. How can I know whether or not they were fixed. This was before ford kept computer records (maybe). Any help you could be would be appreciated. *tr thanks mark askren”
“We have a 1978 f250 and according to what I can tell there are several safety recalls. How can I know whether or not they were fixed. This was before ford kept computer records (maybe). Any help you could be would be appreciated. *tr thanks mark askren”
“Warped engine exhaust manifold due to design flaw. *ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1978 Ford F-250 as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.