SMOKE FROM STEERING COLUMN.
1990 Ford Thunderbird complaints
Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 1990 record →
SEAT BELT BUCKLE ON DRIVERS SIDE IS BROKEN, FAILING TO KEEP BELTS LATCHED. *AK
ABS: FOR 3RD TIME WITHIN 4 YEARS, ABS AND BRAKE LIGHT COMES ON; BRAKES COMPLETELY INOPERATIVE; PRESSED HARD, MAY STOP WITHIN 100 YARDS. *AK
THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT WILL NOT LATCH AND A PIECE OF THE PLASTIC FELL INTO THE FEMALE PORTION. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
WHILE PARKED ABOUT 15 MINUTES, NEIGHBOR NOTICED VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE, SMOKE WAS EVERYWHERE, OPENED HOOD, UNDERHOOD ENGULFED WITH FLAMES; NO WARNING. *AK
VEHICLE CAUGHT ON FIRE CAUSED BY THE IGNITION SWITCH. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
ELECTRICAL SHORT IN THE IGNITION SWITCH, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO RUN WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURN OFF AND CAUSING THE BATTERY TO DIE OUT. *AK
VEHICLE CAUGHT 0N FIRE CAUSED BY THE IGNITION SWITCH.PLEASE DECRIBE. *AK
THERE IS A STRONG BURNING SMELL WHILE VEHICLE IS PARKED, OWNER BELIEVES ITS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *AK
THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE FROM THE STEERING COLUMN WHILE DRIVING. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK
DROVE AND PARKED, AND PARKED, COMPARTMENT FIRE NEAR THE STEERING COLUMN. *AK
TIRE HAD PREMATURE BLOWOUT.
VEHICLE WAS PARKED, AND WHEN STARTING, UNDER DASH COMPARTMENT FIREBROKE OUT, ELECTRICAL SHORT. *AK
TRANSMISSION FAILED 5 TIMES. *SD
TRANSMISSION FAILED DUE TO SLIPPING. *SD
ANTI-LOCK WARNING LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON AND THE BRAKE WARNING LIGHT. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
SEATBELT BUCKLE FELL APART UPON UNFASTENING. *SD
DRIVER'S SIDE MOTORIZED SEAT BELT GEARS STRIPPED/SEAT BELT WON'T MOVE BACK TO NORMAL POSITION/STAYS ONLY IN B POSITION. *AK
DRIVER'S SIDE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT FAILURE, THE SHOULDER STOPPED AT THE MIDDLE OF THE TRACK. TT
THE ABS SYSTEM WENT OUT. WHEN BRAKE WAS APPLIED THE PEDAL WAS HARD AND THE CAR WOULD NOT STOP. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
THE CAR WILL SURGE AND GO UP TO SPEEDS OF 80MPH AND WILL NOT STOP. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
THE FRONT SEATBELTS DO NOT LATCH PROPERLY. THE BUCKLE STICKS AND WILL NOT LATCH. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT THE RED RELEASE BUTTON STICKS IN THE RELEASE POSITION, THIS OCCURS WITH BOTH AND THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERSIDE SEAT BELTS.*JB
ELECTRICAL SHORT UNDER THE DASH FIRE, WIRING HARNESS , VEHICLE WAS PARKED FOR A PERIOD OF 40 MIN. TT THE CONSUMER DOES NOT KNOW WHAT STARTED THE FIRE. THE INSURANCE WAS INVESTIGATING THE CAUSE OF THE FIRE. THE AUTHOMATIC SEAT BELT HARNESS ON THE DRIVERS SIDE MALFUNCTIONED. *YH
WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT THE HEAD LIGHT FLASHS AND GO OFF . TT
SEAT BELT BUCKLE DOES NOT WORK ON PASSENGER SIDE. TT
DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT BROKE. TT
AUTOMATIC SHOULDER BELT FAILS TO COMPLETELY CYCLE STOPPING/HANGING WITH MOTOR OF SEAT BELT STILL RUNNING. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
ABS LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING WHILE IN PARKING LOT ABS SYSTEM WENT COMPLETELY OUT. TT
AIRBAG DID NOT INFLATE DURING FRONTAL COLLISION; REARENDED ANOTHER SLOWLY MOVING VEHICLE; FRONT END WENT UNDER BUMPER. TT
THREE MAJOR TIMES THE ABS SYSTEM WENT OUT COMPLETELY. PLEASE DESCRIBE. TT
VEHICLE STARTED TO SMOKE SHORT IN ALTERNATOR. RESULTING IN VEHICLE CATCHING ON FIRE. TT
BOTH FRONT LAP BELTS RELEASE BUTTON STICKS; DRIVER'S SHOULDER BELT DOES NOT SLIDE BACKWARD ON TRACK AS INTENDED. TT
MOTORIZED SHOULDER PASSIVE RESTRAINT IS A SAFETY HAZZARD, IN THE EVENT THAT YOU ARE IMPACTED OR MAKE A SUDDEN MOVE YOU MAY BE STRUCK BY PASS. RSTRAINT. TT
THE DRIVERS DOOR WHEN OPENED DROPS ABOUT 1/2 INCH DUE TO HINGES NOT BEING STURDY ENOUGH FOR WEIGHT OF DOOR AND MAD EIT HARD TO CLOSE PROPERLY. *AK
PLASTIC GAS TANK IS COMING APART AT THE SEAMS FORD OFFERS NO HELP. TT
POWER BRAKE MOTOR FAILED DUE TO SHORTING OUT, CAUSING BRAKES TO FAIL. *SKD
AUTO-TRANS: WHILE COMING OUT OF GARAGE WITH FOOT ON BRAKES TO SHIFT FROM PARK TO DRIVE ENGINE ACCELERATED TO HIGH SPEED;HIT TWO PARKED CARS;NO WARNING. TT
HAVE HAD THREE SETS OF BRAKES IN THE LAST 4 YEARS BRAKES STILL GRAB AND SLIP. TT
SUDDEN RACING OF THE ENGINE. DRIVER HAS TO RIDE THE BRAKES UNTIL HE SHIFTS TO NEUTRAL AND TURN THE IGNITION OFF. TT
BINDING OF THE SHORT RACK CAUSING STEERING TO LOCK OFF. TT
Reading these
NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.
Full record for the 1990 Ford Thunderbird → · Every Thunderbird year → · How the figures are calculated →