American MotorsHornet1976Overview/american-motors/hornet/1976/base/

1976 American Motors Hornet

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1976 Hornet.

The 1976 American Motors Hornet Overview serves as the reference entry for this compact model year, anchoring the researcher to the vehicle's identity within the broader Hornet lineage.

Model year197719761975

Reliability & federal safety record

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

2
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

No owner complaints on record with NHTSA for this vehicle.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 2 of 2 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

78V048000Electrical System:Ignition:ModuleReported 09/03/1978

THE ELECTRONIC IGNITION SYSTEM SENSOR CIRCUIT CONTAINS A TWO-WIRE CONNECTOR WHICH COULD CAUSE DIFFICULTY IN THE ENGINE IGNITION. THIS DIFFICULTY MAY BE CAUSED BY MECHANICAL OR CHEMICAL ACTIONS AT THE CONNECTOR. Remedy: THE TWO-WIRE CONNECTOR WILL BE MODIFIED BY THE DEALER BY CUTTING AND SOLDER-SPLICING THE WIRES.

78V070000Steering:Hydraulic Power Assist:Hose, Piping, And ConnectionsReported 04/04/1978

THE HIGH PRESSURE POWER STEERING HOSE MAY HAVE BEEN ROUTED TOO CLOSE TO THE EXHAUST MANIFOLD. AS A RESULT, THE HEAT FROM THE MANIFOLD COULD DAMAGE THE HOSE. Remedy: DAMAGED HOSES WILL BE REPLACED AND UNDAMAGED HOSES WILL BE PROPERLY ROUTED AS NECESSARY.

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 Hornet. 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 1976 Hornet have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.