Total Complaints
1 filings
JEEP CJ5 · model year
1978 JEEP CJ5
1 NHTSA complaints. 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 1978JEEPCJ5 carries 1 consumer safety complaint in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 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 CJ5 is steering:column with 1 filings. Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 29 investigation files overlapping the 1978 CJ5, and 3 remain open. 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.
1
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
Crashes Reported
0 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:COLUMN | 1 |
Recent Complaints
20070502STEERING:COLUMN
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1978 JEEP CJ5. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 200, REBUILT ENGINE, AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE STEERING COLUMN WAS VERY LOOSE WHERE THE COLUMN JOINED THE SHAFT UNDERNEATH THE HOOD. WHEN HITTING BUMPS OR UNEVEN PAVEMENT ONE COULD HEAR THE STEERING COLUMN RATTLING. THE STEERING COLUMN GOT WORSE WITH TIME. *AK
Compare 1978JEEPCJ5 to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 3 Open
PE25014Preliminary EvaluationOpen
Instrument Panel Cluster (IPC) Failure
PE24024Preliminary EvaluationOpen
Underhood fires
RQ24012Recall QueryOpen
Loss of Motive Power
PE22013Preliminary EvaluationClosed
False overheat leading to loss of motive power
PE22009Preliminary EvaluationClosed
Electronic Parking Brake Water Ingress
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1978 JEEP CJ5 have?▼
The 1978 JEEP CJ5 has 1 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1978 JEEP CJ5?▼
The most-complained component for the 1978 JEEP CJ5 is STEERING:COLUMN with 1 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include various components.
Is the 1978 JEEP CJ5 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 JEEP CJ5; 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.