Vehicle recall 79V039000 · January 26, 1979
Ford Fairmont and Mercury Zephyr
The involved vehicles were built with safety compliance certification labels that contained incorrect GVWR and GAWR weight information.
Source: NHTSA data as of September 22, 2026. Last refreshed Sep 23, 2026, 2:43 AM UTC.
- Summary
- The involved vehicles were built with safety compliance certification labels that contained incorrect GVWR and GAWR weight information. The GVWR"s could be overstated by up to 197 lbs., due to an error in the reporting of incremental option weights used to derive the GVWR"s and GAWR"s.
- Remedy
- The owner has the option of affixing the supplied labels himself or bringing the vehicle in to the dealer to have them affixed.
- Notes
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles.system: equipment; certification labels.consequences of defect: if the vehicle is loaded to the larger ratings, vehiclestopping distances could be increased and a greater rate of tire wear couldresult, with a potential for a vehicle accident.
Recall details
- NHTSA campaign
- 79V039000
- Reported to NHTSA
- January 26, 1979
- Filed by
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
- Vehicles potentially affected
- 9,500
- Initiated by
- the manufacturer
- Components
- Equipment › Other › Labels
Vehicles covered
As listed by NHTSA. A recall usually covers only some vehicles of each model and year, often a production date range.
- Ford Fairmont (1979): 1979
- Mercury Zephyr (1979): 1979
Has your Ford been repaired?
Recalls here come from NHTSA’s records for the model and year. Not every vehicle of a model is included in every recall, and this site can’t see whether a repair has been done. Only a VIN lookup can tell you that.
NHTSA’s VIN search doesn’t show recalls that were already repaired, recalls more than 15 years old, or some small manufacturers’ recalls. Recall repairs are free.