FordLTD1978Overview/ford/ltd/1978/base/

1978 Ford LTD

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1978 LTD.

The 1978 Ford LTD is captured in this reference as a model year within Ford's LTD lineup, though specific body, platform, and engine details are not documented in the available data. The model's complaint history spans 1990 through 2000 and tells a notably quiet story, with the highest annual complaint count reaching just three in 1991 and the lowest dropping to a single complaint in 1993. For researchers, this thin record across a full decade indicates the LTD nameplate carried minimal documented consumer issues in its later tracked years, though 1978 itself falls outside the complaint window, meaning this specific model year's reliability standing cannot be assessed from the available data.

Model year198619851984198319821981198019791978

Full specifications

Engine, drivetrain, dimensions and economy.

Dimensions & weight NHTSA vPIC

Overall length224 in
Overall width79.1 in
Overall height55.1 in
Wheelbase120.9 in

Reliability & federal safety record

Owner-reported issues, recalls, investigations and service bulletins on record with NHTSA — an unfiltered look at what owners actually experience.

3
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
0
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
0
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 0 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Rollover★★★★★
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

No owner complaints on record with NHTSA for this vehicle.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 3 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

78V044000TiresReported 06/03/1978

SOME OF THE INVOLVED VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN EQUIPPED WITH LR78-15 "C" LOAD RANGE TRUCK TIRES INSTEAD OF LR78-15 "B" LOAD RANGE PASSENGER CAR TIRES. THE WHEELS PRESENTLY ON THE INVOLVED VEHICLES ARE INTENDED FOR USE WITH… Remedy: THE DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE "C" LOAD RANGE TIRES WITH "B" LOAD RANGE TIRES, WITHOUT CHARGE.

77V140000Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Lever And Linkage:Column ShiftReported 13/09/1977

THE INVOLVED VEHICLES WERE FITTED WITH TILT STEERING COLUMNS CONTAINING TRANSMISSION CONTROL INSERTS INTENDED FOR TRUCKS RATHER THAN PASSENGER VEHICLES. THIS MAY CAUSE THE TRANSMISSION SELECTOR POINTER TO BE MISALIGNED… Remedy: DEALER WILL INSPECT AND, IF NECESSARY, REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT CONTROL INSERT, WITHOUT CHARGE TO OWNER.

Common OBD-II trouble codes

The most common OBD-II codes for this vehicle's emissions system. These are standardized SAE J2012 definitions, not vehicle-specific fault reports.

P0420
Catalyst system efficiency below threshold — Bank 1
P0300
Random / multiple cylinder misfire detected
P0171
System too lean — Bank 1
P0455
Evaporative emission system leak detected — large leak
P0128
Coolant thermostat below regulating temperature
P0442
Evaporative emission system leak detected — small leak

VIN tools

Decode factory build data for a specific vehicle by VIN.

VIN
Decode a VIN to confirm the transmission and build data for a specific LTD. OEM
Build data
Plant, GVWR class, engine and body data for any 17-character VIN.
Recalls
Check open recall campaigns against a specific vehicle by VIN.

Reference guides

Cross-vehicle references for the kinds of data on this page.

Frequently asked

Does the 1978 LTD have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.