The Ford Fairmont is a compact car that was produced by Ford from the 1978 to the 1983 model years. The successor of the Ford Maverick, the Fairmont was the third generation of compact sedans sold by Ford in North America; Lincoln-Mercury marketed the model line as the Mercury Zephyr. In contrast to the Maverick, the Fairmont was a completely new design, no longer based upon the Ford Falcon.

The inaugural model lines of the rear-wheel drive Ford Fox platform, the Fairmont and Zephyr formed the basis of twelve additional model lines for Ford and Lincoln-Mercury that would remain in production through the 1993 model year. In contrast to its predecessor, the Fairmont was offered in four different body configurations.

Through its seven-year production across a single generation, the Fairmont/Zephyr was produced across multiple facilities across North America by Ford. The 100-millionth vehicle produced by Ford was a 1978 Fairmont Futura coupe assembled on 15 November 1977. As the use of front-wheel drive was expanded across its model lineup, Ford replaced the Fairmont with the Ford Tempo for the 1984 model year.