Ford Probe
Owners filed 1,116 complaints across 9 model years of the Ford Probe. The 1990 drew the most (323).
Model years9
Complaints1,116
Recalls31
Fires31
Deaths3
Which Ford Probe years should you avoid?
Going by 1,116 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the Ford Probe years to avoid are 1990.
- 1990323 complaints, 2.6× a typical Probe year, most often about the seat belts.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every Ford Probe model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Exterior Lighting › Headlights | Routine | |
| 1997 | 27 | 4 | 1 | 5 | Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline | Routine | |
| 1996 | 52 | 4 | 1 | 3 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1995 | 86 | 4 | 3 | 10 | Power Train › Automatic Transmission | Routine | |
| 1994 | 166 | 4 | 7 | 16 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Caliper | Fatalities reported | |
| 1993 | 205 | 4 | 8 | 21 | Electrical System › Ignition | Above average | |
| 1992 | 79 | 3 | 1 | 3 | Seat Belts | Fatalities reported | |
| 1991 | 177 | 4 | 5 | 3 | Seat Belts | Routine | |
| 1990Avoid | 323 | 4 | 5 | 7 | Seat Belts | Fatalities reported |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.