Summary
The Ford LTD has 8 recalls spanning 1973 to 1984, with the most serious being a missing heat shield on catalytic converter outlet pipes in 1984 models where heavy use can cause surface temperatures to rise high enough to pose a burn or fire risk to surrounding components. On 1982 models with non-tilt steering columns, a faulty insulator in the column shift lever can let the transmission shift linkage disengage, leaving the driver unable to select any gear. The 1981 model year has a rear bumper reinforcement that can corrode at its mounting surfaces in areas where road salt is used heavily, eventually allowing the bumper to detach while driving.
The 1979 model year carries two separate mechanical concerns. On vehicles fitted with 6.5-inch wheel rims, the front brake hoses can contact a tire or wheel during a full steering turn and wear through, causing a loss of front braking. Separately, on 1979 vehicles with 5.0- or 5.8-liter engines, one or more flexible cooling fan blades can be poorly secured to the fan hub and separate at speed, turning loose metal into a hazard in the engine bay. The 1978 model year has a tire mismatch issue where some vehicles left the factory with higher-rated load range tires than specified, which can be over-inflated beyond safe limits and cause wheel rim cracks and sudden deflation.
Going back to the earliest production, 1973 models with the 351 Windsor engine and air conditioning have a five-blade cooling fan prone to resonant vibration that can crack the blades and throw fragments from the assembly. The remaining 1979 recall, covering vehicles with optional luxury interior trim packages, has incomplete defect information on file.
