The Ford Fairmont—also referred to as the Mercury Zephyr, the Ford Elite II, the Ford Zephyr, and the Ford Futura—is a compact car that Ford Motor Company produced from 1977 until 1983 for the 1978 to 1983 model years. Assembly of the vehicle took place in Missouri, New Jersey, Canada, Venezuela, and Mexico. Eventually, the Fairmont was superseded by the front-wheel-drive Ford Tempo in 1984.

The Ford Fairmont has a front-engine, rear-wheel-drive layout and can be found in several body styles, including a two-door sedan, a two-door coupe, a four-door station wagon, and a four-door sedan. The Fairmont also has several transmission options, including 3-speed manual, 3-speed C3 automatic, 3-speed C4 automatic, 3-speed C5 automatic, and 4-speed manual.

The reception of the Ford Fairmont has always been great. Many contemporary critics favor the vehicle, especially praising the “European” feel of it. Oftentimes, the vehicle gets compared to the Volvo 200 series. The 1978 Ford Fairmont, in particular, is known as the most efficient family sedan produced by Ford Motor Company that is built from a space-per-weight standpoint.

As this vehicle is no longer in production, you should be doing everything possible to keep it running as long as possible if you own this vehicle. You should also be making sure that the vehicle’s safety components are working properly at all times. One important safety feature is the seat belts. If you notice even slight damage or wear on the belts, you should look into getting Ford Fairmont seat belt repair right away. Rather than purchasing brand new belts at the dealer, you can purchase this repair service from the company Safety Restore for a much more affordable price.