Ford Club Wagon Recalls

The Ford Club Wagon has 8 recalls spanning the 1977 to 1996 production run, with the most serious being a steering tie rod defect on 1978 models where a fractured clamp can allow the tie rod adjusting sleeve to separate, causing sudden and complete loss of steering control.

The most recent recall affects 1996 models: the parking brake may not hold the vehicle on a steep grade, allowing it to roll after being parked. Going back to earlier production, 1980 models have wheel assemblies with cracks near the bolt holes that can spread until the wheel and tire partially or fully separate from the vehicle while driving. On 1979 models, a separate wheel defect affects units built between September and October 1978, where weak spot welds at the disc-to-rim joint can develop fatigue cracks, leading to air loss and a potential tire blowout. The 1979 model year also has a transmission issue on vehicles with C-6 automatic transmissions: a parking pawl rod that can deform over time, making it difficult to engage or release Park and potentially allowing the vehicle to roll. There is also a missing heat shield concern on 1979 vehicles with 300 or 460 cubic inch engines and rear floor mats, where the absence of body-mounted heat shields exposes nearby materials to excess heat. On the 1977 model, vehicles equipped with 460 cubic inch engines and a specific four-barrel carburetor can experience the secondary throttle plates sticking open after hard acceleration, causing uncontrolled high-speed acceleration. The 1978 model year carries an additional compliance issue on twelve-passenger configurations, where tempered glass was installed in the rear doors instead of the required laminated glass, reducing the doors' ability to retain occupants in a crash.