GMC TruckC151978Overview/gmc-truck/c15/1978/base/

1978 GMC Truck C15

Factory specifications, fluid capacities, torque values, EPA fuel economy and the federal safety record for the 1978 C15.

The 1978 GMC Truck C15 is defined by a sparse record of mechanical issues, featuring just one recall and a single owner complaint centered on the power train. This level of stability is evident when compared to the model's complaint history from 1990 to 1996. With reports for those later years ranging from a low of one complaint in 1991 to a high of 11 in 1995, the 1978 model year remains a highly consistent entry in the vehicle's history.

Model year19781977

Reliability & federal safety record

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

Owner complaints about the 1978 GMC Truck C15 dominate in one area — the power train, 1 of 1 reports (100%), well ahead of the next concern. None of this vehicle's 1 recall campaigns target the power train, so those reports read as owner-reported wear-and-tear rather than an acknowledged defect. 0 of the reports describe a crash and 0 a fire — a small share of the total, but worth weighing against the power train pattern above. These are tallies of what owners actually reported to the federal government, not an editorial score — and higher-selling models naturally rack up more reports.

1
Open recalls
NHTSA campaigns
0
Service bulletins
Manufacturer communications
0
ODI investigations
Office of Defects Investigation
1
Owner complaints
0 involved a crash · 0 a fire
NHTSA crash-test rating federal NCAP · out of 5 stars
Overall★★★★★
Frontal★★★★★
Side★★★★★
Rollover★★★★
Owner complaints by model year NHTSA · this generation & adjacent

Owner complaints filed with NHTSA, by component

All 1 complaints on record, top 1 components.

Power Train1

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint database.

Recalls NHTSA · verified

Showing 1 of 1 campaigns on record for this vehicle.

78V177000Equipment:Mechanical:Carrier/RackReported 15/08/1978

THE NUT ON THE CARRIER SUPPORT BOLT ASSEMBLY MAY BREAK WHICH WOULD ALLOW THE ENTIRE WHEEL AND TIRE ASSEMBLY TO SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE. Remedy: DEALER WILL REPLACE THE TIRE AND WHEEL CARRIER BOLT ASSEMBLY AT NO CHARGE.

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 C15. 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 1978 C15 have open recalls?

NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for this model year. Check your specific vehicle by VIN.