Total Complaints
13 filings
FORD F150 · model year
1978 FORD F150
13 NHTSA complaints, 1 crash report. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
The 1978FORDF150 carries 13 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 1 crash, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1978 F150 is steering:hydraulic power assist system with 2 filings, followed by steering:linkages:tie rod assembly (1) and power train:automatic transmission:gear position indication (prndl) (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 2 investigation files overlapping the 1978 F150. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
13
Complaints
1
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
1 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM | 2 |
| STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION | 1 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT | 1 |
| SUSPENSION | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM | 1 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY | 1 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 1 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:CONCEALMENT DEVICES | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20021203EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS:CONCEALMENT DEVICES
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED AND WITHOUT WARNING THE HEADLIGHTS WILL FLICKER CAUSING A DISTRACTION TO THE CONSUMER VIEW DURING NIGHTTIME. DEALER NOTIFIED. TS *DT
19990525SUSPENSION
SUSPENSION SYSTEM HAS EXPERIENCED CONTINUED PROBLEMS WITH STABILITY AND WEAR. MJS
19990525STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
POWER STEERING PUMP AND SYSTEM HAS FAILED SEVERAL TIMES RESULTING IN LEAKAGE AND STEERING DIFFCULTY. MJS
19990525ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
ENGINE REPLACE. MJS
19990525FUEL SYSTEM, OTHER:STORAGE:FUEL GAUGE SYSTEM
FUEL SENDING UNIT AND STARTER FAILED. MJS
19990525ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY
FUEL SENDING UNIT AND STARTER FAILED. MJS
19990525ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
FLYWHEEL DESIGN RESULTS IN DAMAGE TO COMPONENTS. MJS
19990301CrashPOWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:LEVER AND LINKAGE:COLUMN SHIFT
VEHICLE AT INSPECTION STATION. VEHICLE WAS PARKED & MECHANIC WAS CHECKING BRAKE FLUID. VEHICLE SUDDENLY JUMPED OUT OF PARK AND WENT INTO REVERSE. DOOR WAS BENT TOWARDS THE FRONT OF VEHICLE & THEN SWUNG BACK & CLOSED. VEHICLE WENT ACROSS THE STREET & STRUCK LIGHT POST. NO INJURIES. DRIVER'S DOOR COULD NOT OPEN. RECALLS 78V096000; 78V035000; 77V185000.
19961106STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
TIE ROD LINK IMPROPERLY INSTALLED.
19961106POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL)
PARKING GEAR DOES NOT ALWAYS HOLD WHEN ENGAGED.
19961106FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:CARBURETOR SYSTEM
DEFECTIVE CARBURETOR.
19961106ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION
DISTRIBUTOR CAP REPLACED.
19961106STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM
POWER STEERING FAILURE.
Compare 1978FORDF150 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1978 FORD F150 have?▼
The 1978 FORD F150 has 13 NHTSA complaints, 1 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1978 FORD F150?▼
The most-complained component for the 1978 FORD F150 is STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY and POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL).
Is the 1978 FORD F150 safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Vehicle Safety Guides
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1978 FORD F150; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.