1992 Ford Probe

Fatalities reported

Owners filed 79 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the seat belts. It has been recalled 3 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Seat Belts30
100
Seat Belts › Front › Webbing11
000
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor6
101
Seat Belts › Front › Anchorage4
000
Power Train › Automatic Transmission3
000
Suspension2
000
Steering › Hydraulic Power Assist System2
100
Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly2
000
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine › Gasoline2
000
Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer1
000

3 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Seat Belts › Front › Webbing96V172001
Filed Sep 6, 1996224,000 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. NOTE: DRIVER'S SIDE (LEFT) PASSIVE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY. THE RAIL OF THE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT CAN WEAR SUFFICIENTLY SUCH THAT THE CABLE WHICH RETRACTS THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY WILL BECOME JAMMED IN THE RAIL RENDERING THE SHOULDER BELT INOPERATIVE.

Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT WOULD NOT BE ADEQUATELY RESTRAINED INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE DRIVER SIDE AND INOPERATIVE PASSENGER SIDE SHOULDER BELT TRACK ASSEMBLIES.

Seat Belts › Front › Webbing96V172002
Filed Sep 6, 1996224,000 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. NOTE: PASSENGER SIDE (RIGHT) SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY. THE RAIL OF THE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT CAN WEAR SUFFICIENTLY SUCH THAT THE CABLE WHICH RETRACTS THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY WILL BECOME JAMMED IN THE RAIL RENDERING THE SHOULDER BELT INOPERATIVE.

Risk. IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE OCCUPANT WOULD NOT BE ADEQUATELY RESTRAINED INCREASING THE RISK OF PERSONAL INJURY.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE DRIVER SIDE AND INOPERATIVE PASSENGER SIDE SHOULDER BELT TRACK ASSEMBLIES.

Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Drum › Drum93E035000
Filed Oct 13, 1993300 vehiclesMidas International Corp.

Defect. THE GROOVE FOR THE REAR WHEEL BEARING RETAINER RING WAS INCORRECTLY MACHINED.

Risk. IF THE RETAINING RING DOES NOT SIT CORRECTLY IN THEGROOVE, THE AXLE LUG NUTS WILL BREAK, CAUSING THE BRAKE DRUM, WHEEL, AND TIREASSEMBLY TO SEPARATE FROM THE VEHICLE.

Remedy. MIDAS SHOPS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE DRUMS WITH OTHER BRAKE DRUMS FROM ANOTHER SUPPLIER.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Seat Belts › Front › Webbing
Filed Aug 13, 2010108,000 milesTN

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1992 FORD PROBE. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED SHE ATTEMPTED TO USE THE DRIVER'S SEAT BELT AND THE SEAT BELT WOULD NOT MOVE OUT OF THE RETRACTOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THE DEALER ADVISED HER THAT THEY NO LONGER HAVE ANY BOOKS ON HOW TO REPAIR THE SEAT BELT. SHE REFERENCE RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 96V172001, SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING AND STATED THE RECALL WORK WAS PERFORMED. SHE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY HAVE SENT HER SEVERAL LETTERS. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 108,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 110,000. UPDATED 11/08/10 * BF THE CONSUMER STATED SHE HAS BEEN WITHOUT THE SHOULDER BELT FOR ABOUT 1 YEAR. UPDATED 11/10/10

Seat Belts › Front › Webbing
Filed May 4, 2010106,000 milesTN

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 1992 FORD PROBE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN SHE ATTEMPTED TO BUCKLE THE SEAT BELT, IT WOULD NOT RETRACT TO SECURE THE DRIVER. THE CONTACT DISENGAGED THE BELT. THE CONTACT CALLED THE AUTHORIZED DEALER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TOO OLD FOR THEM TO LOOK UP THE REMEDY IN THE DIAGNOSTIC MANUAL. THERE WAS A RECALL RELATED TO THE FAILURE (96V172001 SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING). THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 106,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 110,000. UPDATED 07/06/10. *LJ THE CONSUMER STATED THE SEAT BELT STOPPED WORKING. UPDATED 09/21/10

Seat Belts › Front › Webbing
Filed Mar 29, 2010106,000 milesTN

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 1992 FORD PROBE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REPAIR FOR RECALL 96V172001 (SEAT BELTS:FRONT:WEBBING) WAS PERFORMED IN 2007 BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED THE COMPLAINT DOES NOT EXPLAIN WHAT WAS REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE REPAIR COULD NOT BE PERFORMED AGAIN FREE OF CHARGE DUE TO THE AGE OF THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 106,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 108,000. UPDATED 7/06/10. *LJ UPDATED 07/09/10.*JB

Power Train › Automatic Transmission
Filed May 1, 200869,000 milesPA

SIX MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING A 92 PROBE V6 WITH 59,000 MILES ON IT I HAD TRANSMISSION TROUBLE. THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING ONE WEEK WHEN I WAS TRAVELING TO SCHOOL AND WHEN I CAME HOME THAT WEEKEND IT WOULDN'T SHIFT INTO ANY GEAR. AFTER LETTING IT SIT I WAS ABLE TO BRING IT HOME, ALTHOUGH IT SHIFTED ROUGH FROM NEUTRAL TO 1ST AND TO SECOND, THEN WOULDN'T SHIFT INTO THIRD AT ALL. I HAD TO USE MANUAL SHIFT MODE TO KEEP IT FROM SHIFTING INTO THIRD. WHILE CHANGING TRANSMISSION FLUID IT WE NOTICED A BURNT OIL SMELL TO IT. CHANGING THE FLUID HAD LITTLE EFFECT. THE WORST THING IS THAT I WAS ALSO LOOKING AT A 91 GRAND AM 4 CYL FOR $200 LESS. *TR

Seat Belts › Front › Webbing
Filed Sep 8, 2006111,528 milesOH

DRIVERS SIDE (LEFT) PASSIVE SEAT BELT ASSEMBLY. THE RAIL OF THE AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT HAS WORN SUFFICIENTLY SUCH THAT THE CABLE WHICH RETRACTS THE BUCKLE ASSEMBLY HAS BECOME JAMMED IN THE RAIL RENDERING THE SHOULDER BELT INOPERATIVE. ACCORDING THE LETTER WRITTEN BY MR. JONATHAN D. WHITE RECALL ANALYSIS DIVISION OFFICE OF DEFECT INVESTIGATION SAFETY ASSURANCE. "FORD IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REMEDY OF THESE VEHICLES FROM THE DATE OF AUG 22, 1996 FORWARD,REGARDLESS OF VEHICLE AGE MILEAGE OR OWNERSHIP." NOT GIVING AN ENDING DATE. THERE RECALL INVOLVES 224,000 FORD MOTOR COMPANY VEHICLES 1990 THROUGH 1992 FORD PROBE MODEL EQUIPPED WITH FRONT SEAT MOTORIZED (PASSIVE) SHOULDER BELTS AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT AND MANUFACTURED FROM AUG 14, 1989 THROUGH FEB 7, 1992. MY VEHICLE WAS MADE NOV 1, 1991 WITHIN THE LIMITS OF THE RECALL. RECALL NO.96S48. I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE USED. I CALLED FORD MOTOR COMPANY AT 800-392-3673. I WAS TOLD THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE AND THE RECALLS ARE DIFFERENT IN DIFFERENT STATES. *JB

Seat Belts › Front › Webbing
Filed Apr 1, 200475,000 milesNJ

AUTOMATIC DRIVER'S SEAT BELT IS INOPERATIVE. THE SHOULDER STRAP IS JAMMED IN THE RAIL BEHIND THE SHOULDER OF THE DRIVER. RECALL 96V172001 WAS ISSUED ON MAKE,/MODEL AND YEAR, BUT THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO VIN.*AK *LA

Tires › Tread/Belt
Filed Apr 24, 2003TN

THE CONSUMER HEARD A NOISE FROM THE VEHICLE, AND HE SOON DISCOVERED THE RIGHT REAR TIRE HAD EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION. *JB

Seat Belts › Front › Webbing
Filed Mar 3, 2003OH

SEAT BELT BROKE. IN 1996 THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT TRACK, AT THAT TIME THE CONSUMER SEAT BELT WAS ALREADY BROKE, BUT WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. THE CONSUMER WROTE A LETTER TO FORD ABOUT THE SEAT BELT AND EVENTUALLY IT WAS FIXED UNDER THE RECALL. THE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT WAS CHECKED AND THE MECHANIC STATED IT WAS FINE. IN 2000 THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT BROKE AGAIN, BUT THIS TIME THE CONSUMER HAD TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS. NOW THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT IS BROKE, THE CONSUMER CALLED FORD TO INQUIRE ABOUT A RECALL FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT BUT WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL. *JB

Seat Belts › Front
Filed Feb 10, 2003MS

THE SEAT BELT WAS EXTREMELY TIGHT.*JB

Seat Belts › Front › Buckle Assembly
Filed Jun 4, 2002MO

BOTH DRIVERS SIDE AND PASSENGER SIDE SHOULDER BELTS LOCK UP CONTINUOUSLY. THERE WAS A RECALL ON FEBRUARY 2, 1997 ON BOTH OF THEM. THE PREVIOUS OWNER HAS HAD THEM REPLACED. BOTH SIDES STILL LOCK UP ALL THE TIME PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF ANY KIND.*AK

Seat Belts
Filed Mar 12, 2002OR

AUTOMATIC RETRACTOR DOES NOT RETRACT, VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED UNDER RECALL 96 V 172 000. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.*AK

Seat Belts
Filed Feb 5, 2002FL

NHTSA RECALL ID# 96-V-172-002/ MANUFACTURER'S RECALL 96S99, AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT RETRACTOR ON PASSENGER'S SIDE IS STUCK IN ONE POSITION. AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT IS SUPPOSE TO RETRACT BACK AND FORWARD ACROSS CONSUMER WHEN DOOR IS OPENED AND CLOSED. PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT BELT IS BEING REPLACED FOR SECOND TIME. DEALER WAS NOTIFIED, AN DRECALL REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED ONCE. PLEASE PROVIDE THE VEHICLE ID NUMBER AND MILEAGE.*AK

Seat Belts › Front › Webbing
Filed Sep 20, 2001NY

DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED, PRIOR TO RECALL AND PASSENGER SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED 18 MONTHS AFTER BEING FIXED AS PER RECALL NOTICE. *YH

Seat Belts
Filed Aug 29, 2001ME

THE DRIVERS SIDE SEAT BELT FAILED TO COME BACK AFTER THE DOOR WAS OPENED AND CLOSED AND THE PASSENGER SIDE DID THE SAME THING. NLM

Seat Belts
Filed May 18, 2001FL

PASSENGER'S AND DRIVER'S AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS ARE FROZEN. CABLES ARE JAMMED. THERE IS A RECALL 96V172000/ MANUFACTURER'S RECALL 96S48. RECALL IS NO LONGER IN EFFECT, AND THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO. *AK AT TIME OF RECALL, CONSUMER HAD TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER WHO STATED THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS, THEREFORE NO CORRECTIONS NEEDED TO BE MADE. *SLC

Seat BeltsCrash
Filed Mar 29, 2001NY

PASSENGER'S AUTOMATIC SET BELT CAME OUT OF T TRACK AFTER HITTING A DEER. SEAT BELT WAS IN USE AT TIME. PASSENGER WAS THROWN FORWARD WHEN BELT BROKE. HAD NO AIRBAGS. NO INJURIES. *AK

Seat Belts
Filed Mar 5, 2001IN

REGARDING FORD RECALL # 96S48 AND 96S99 - SEAT BELT RECALL. DEALERSHIP CLAIMS THAT THEY PERFORMED REPLACEMENT OF SEATBELT TRACK AND MOTOR ASSEMBLY ON FEBRUARY 25, 1997. HOWEVER, THE REPAIR HAS FAILED JUST AS THE RECALL DESCRIBED THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM. FORD WILL NOT AGREE TO FIX THIS SAFETY ISSUE CLAIMING THAT THE WORK HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE. I CONTEND THAT I RECEIVED EITHER FAULTY PARTS AND / OR SHODDY WORKMANSHIP FROM THE DEALERSHIP. CAN YOU HELP ME RESOLVE THIS ISSUE WITH FORD? THANK YOU. MI. *AK

Electrical System › Ignition › Module
Filed Dec 14, 2000FL

WHILE DRIVING IN TRAFFIC THE VEHICLE STOPPED WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN, THE IGNITION WAS REWIRED, CONSUMER BELIEVES THESE IGNITION PROBLEMS ARE IDENTICAL TO THE PROBLEMS IN CALIFORNIA WITH THE TFI MODULE AND REQUEST REIMBURSEMENT. NLM

Electrical System › Ignition
Filed Oct 19, 2000CA

VEHICLE SHUTDOWN AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS DUE TO IGNITION, AND STARTED TO RUN HOT, CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE MOTOR. *AK

Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer
Filed Jul 30, 2000OH

WINDSHIELD WIPERS PARK IN VERTICAL POSITION ON WINDSHIELD OBSCURING VISION. DEALER REPLACED WIPER MOTOR ASSEMBLY, WIPER SWITCH AND HARNESS. TOTAL $820.87 FOR REPAIRS. SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM-MANY PROBES BEING DRIVEN WITH WIPERS PARKED ON WINDSHIELD. FORD ISSUED SERVICE BULLETINS #9546 AND#9582. CAN I GET REIMBURSED FROM FORD FOR THIS SAFETY RELATED REPAIR? *AK

20 of 79 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1990
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
19991000Routine
199727410Routine
199652410Routine
199586430Routine
1994166471Fatalities reported
1993205480Above average
1992 — this page79311Fatalities reported
1991177450Routine
1990323451Fatalities reported

Compare every Probe year →

Reading this record

1 death reported in complaints filed with NHTSA.

Complaint counts track how many cars were sold and how long they have been on the road as much as they track quality. A common model from 2013 has had a decade to accumulate reports; a rare one from last year has not. The signal worth weighing is in the severity columns, in whether the same component keeps appearing, and in whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Recall repairs are free for as long as the recall stands. Check whether a specific car still has open work at NHTSA's VIN lookup.

Most recent recall on file: Sep 6, 1996. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.