The 1981 Ford Fairmont has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 1,500 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 6 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the electrical system. Last updated July 5, 2026.
ON SOME OF THE INVOLVED VEHICLES, THE BRAKE PUSHROD TO BRAKE PEDAL RETAINING PINS MAY BE MISSING OR LOOSE. INSECURELY INSTALLED OR MISSING RETAINERS COULD RESULT IN DISENGAGEMENT OF THE BRAKE PUSHROD AND TOTAL LOSS OF SERVICE BRAKING.
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, INSTALL A BRAKE PEDAL RETAINING PIN.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Air control module-air pump deverter valve closed, causing hot gasses and air returning from exhaust to explode/melt/ignite the plastic valve, damaging vacuum lines/valve cover surface, resulting in a fire. *ak”
“While driving a piece in the steering wheel broke off and casued loss of steering. Please describe. *ak”
“While driving a piece in the steering wheel broke off and casued loss of steering. Please describe. *ak”
“An electrical short caused the ignition switch to catch on fire while parked. Please describe. *ak”
“An electrical short caused the ignition switch to catch on fire while parked. Please describe. *ak”
“Tires replaced.”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1981 Ford Fairmont as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.