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Ford PintoYears to avoid, problems & recalls

NHTSA has 5 owner complaints and 21 safety recalls on record for the Ford Pinto.

Years to avoidNoneBased on weighted complaintsBest years—Fewest complaints for their ageOwner complaints5Top: Electrical systemSafety recalls211971–1980 model years

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports. Updated daily. How we score years.

Best & worst years

Ford Pinto years to avoid

Complaints by model year, colored by the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Pinto median. Tap a year for its full report.

'71'72'73'74'75'76'77'78'79'80
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
1980Not rated–/1002 complaints · 0 recalls1979Not rated–/1000 complaints · 2 recalls1978Not rated–/1001 complaint · 2 recalls1977Not rated–/1000 complaints · 4 recalls1976Not rated–/1001 complaint · 6 recalls1975Not rated–/1000 complaints · 1 recall1974Not rated–/1000 complaints · 2 recalls1973Not rated–/1000 complaints · 4 recalls1972Not rated–/1001 complaint · 3 recalls1971Not rated–/1000 complaints · 5 recalls
Complaints by system

Most common Ford Pinto problems

All model years combined: 5 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Electrical system10
Fuel system, gasoline10
Seat belts11
Tires10
Vehicle speed control10
21 recalls

Ford Pinto recalls

Newest first. The ring shows the share of affected vehicles repaired, from the manufacturer's latest report to NHTSA.

–Cooling system: fan83V-025 · 1977–1979 · Mar 1, 1983 · 83,000 vehicles–Service brakes, hydraulic: pedals and linkages79V-012 · 1979 · Jan 9, 1979 · 450 vehicles–Storage: tank assembly78V-143 · 1971–1976 · Jun 19, 1978 · 1,400,000 vehicles–Body: bumpers78V-069 · 1976 · Apr 4, 1978 · 284,000 vehicles–Front: retractor78V-047 · 1978 · Mar 8, 1978 · 1,956 vehicles–Steering: steering wheel/handle bar78V-022 · 1974 · Jan 30, 1978 · 60,000 vehicles–Body: bumpers77V-114 · 1977 · Jul 28, 1977 · 642 vehicles–Tires77V-064 · 1977 · May 2, 1977 · 46 vehicles–Delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings76V-170 · 1976 · Oct 29, 1976 · 372,584 vehicles–Fuel system, gasoline: carburetor system76V-140 · 1977 · Sep 14, 1976 · 18,000 vehicles–Front assembly: recliner76V-134 · 1976 · Sep 7, 1976 · 5,200 vehicles–Front assembly: recliner76V-112 · 1976 · Jul 20, 1976 · 6,373 vehicles

Showing the 12 newest of 21 recalls. Each model-year page lists all recalls for that year.

1 investigation

NHTSA investigations of the Pinto

  1. FUEL TANK FIRESDP78025 · 1971–1976 · closed Jan 23, 1978
    No recall