The 1978 Ford Mustang has 4 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 166,917 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 10 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the fuel system, gasoline. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE FLEXIBLE BLADE ENGINE COOLING FAN BLADES MAY CRACK AND BREAK OFF. THIS MAY BE CAUSED BY HIGH BLADE STRESSES THAT CAN RESULT FROM VIBRATION DURING VEHICLE OPERATION.
DEALER WILL REPLACE THE DEFECTIVE ENGINE COOLING FAN AT NO COST TO OWNER.
THE SEVEN-BLADE ENGINE COOLING FAN IS SUBJECT TO FATIGUE CRACKING DURING NORMAL OPERATION. PORTIONS OF THE BLADES MAY SEPARATE WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING.
DEFECTIVE FANS WILL BE REPLACED WITH FANS OF AN IMPROVED DESIGN WITHOUT CHARGE.
THE AUTOMATIC LOCKING REAR SEAT BELT RETRACTORS ON CERTAIN VEHICLES MAY FAIL TO LOCK DUE TO BINDING OF THE LOCKING PAWL AGAINST THE RETRACTOR HOUSING. THIS BINDING IS CAUSED BY RETRACTOR HOUSING DEFORMATION WHICH OCCURRED DURING ASSEMBLY. AS A RESULT THE PASSENGERS WOULD BE RESTRAINED ONLY BY THE FULLY EXTENDED BELT.…
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE ONE OR BOTH REAR SEAT BELT ASSEMBLIES FREE OF CHARGE.
THE DUST TUBE PORTION OF THE ACCELERATOR CABLE ASSEMBLY ON THE INVOLVED VEHICLES MAY BIND DUE TO IMPROPER CRIMPING OF THE CABLE ASSEMBLY DURING MANUFACTURE. AS A RESULT, THE RETURN RATE OF THE THROTTLE MAY BE SLOWED OR THE THROTTLE MAY BE PREVENTED FROM CLOSING PROPERLY. IN THIS CONDITION, A VEHICLE SPEED OF 30 T0 40…
DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECCESSARY, WILL REPLACE THE ACCELERATOR CABLE ASSEMBLY, WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Engine cooling fan blades separated from the fan hub prior to recall, repairs refused due to manufacturer's inability or unwillingness to provide parts to dealer necessary for them to make repairs (83v-025). *ak”
“Speedometer, odometer and tachometer malfunction due to defective carburator being installed. Yh”
“Accelerator malfunctions due to accelerator pump leak. Yh”
“Brake power booster failed.”
“Carburetor failed.”
“Front brake rotors failed.”
“Brake pads failed.”
“Master cylinder failed.”
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 Mustang as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.