1991 Ford Thunderbird

Routine

Owners filed 112 complaints about this vehicle with federal regulators, most often about the engine and engine cooling › engine. It has been recalled 4 times.

What fails
ComponentReportsCrashesFiresInjuries
Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine11
000
Seat Belts7
000
Exterior Lighting › Headlights7
100
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip6
000
Vehicle Speed Control5
202
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components5
100
Seat Belts › Front › Retractor5
000
Service Brakes, Hydraulic › Foundation Components › Disc › Rotor4
000
Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner4
000
Electrical System › Ignition › Switch4
030

4 safety recalls

Part 573 reports
Exterior Lighting09E012000
Filed Apr 7, 200916,270 vehiclesSabersport

Defect. SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

Risk. DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy. SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.

Electrical System › Ignition96V071000
Filed Apr 25, 19967,900,000 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. THE IGNITION SWITCH COULD EXPERIENCE AN INTERNAL SHORT CIRCUIT.

Risk. THIS CONDITION COULD CAUSE OVERHEATING, SMOKE, AND POSSIBLY FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN AREA OF THE VEHICLE.

Remedy. DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE IGNITION SWITCH.

Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer › Motor91V076000
Filed May 6, 1991125,000 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. THE NUTS WHICH HOLD WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR TO THE WIPER MODULE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENTLY TIGHTENED AND MAY LOOSEN OR COME OFF. THIS CAUSES CHANGED WIPER PATTERNS, OR THE WIPERS MAY JAM IF TWO OF THE THREE NUTS COME OFF.

Risk. CHANGES IN THE WIPER PATTERN OR JAMMING OF THE WIPERSWOULD RESULT IN REDUCED DRIVER VISIBILTY IN INCLEMENT WEATHER CONDITIONS.

Remedy. APPLY TORQUE RETENTION MATERIAL TO WIPER MOTOR STUDS AND NUTS AND RETORQUE.

Power Train › Automatic Transmission91V048000
Filed Mar 18, 19916,800 vehiclesFord Motor Company

Defect. THE PARK ROD ASSEMBLY CONTAINS A PARK CAM WITH INADEQUATE SURFACE HARDNESS, WHICH COULD LEAD TO PARK DISENGAGEMENT OR NO PARK ENGAGEMENT WHEN THE LEVER IS PLACED IN PARK.

Risk. IF PARK IS NOT ENGAGED AND THE PARKING BRAKE IS OFF, AVEHICLE ROLL-AWAY COULD RESULT.

Remedy. REPLACE PARK ROD ASSEMBLY ON AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS.

What owners reported

Newest filings
Service Brakes
Filed Jun 11, 2015175,000 milesDE

LOSS OF HYDRAULIC BRAKE ASSIST ON SUPER COUPE. PEDAL BECAME HARD TO PRESS. BOTH BRAKE AND ABS ANNUNCIATORS ILLUMINATING. TROUBLESHOOTING INDICATES BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH FAILING TO SIGNAL PUMP TO CHARGE SYSTEM OR ACCUMULATOR HAS FAILED. MASTER CYLINDER AND ABS SYSTEM ARE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND THUS 24 YEARS OLD.

Vehicle Speed Control › Cruise Control
Filed Jul 18, 200880,000 milesGA

CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED WORKING. *TR

Vehicle Speed Control › Accelerator Pedal
Filed Aug 1, 2005144,509 milesTX

WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE ACCELERATOR BECAME STRUCK. AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE UNTIL THE BRAKE PEDAL AND EMERGENCY BRAKE WERE APPLIED. *AK *NM

Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed Nov 4, 200415,000 milesCT

DEFECTIVE HEADLAMP CIRCUIT BREAKER CAUSES HEADLIGHTS TO FLASH OFF AND ON REPEATEDLY. FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED WHEN CAR WAS 2 YEARS OLD, SECOND FAILURE IN THE LAST YEAR. CAR HAS LESS THAN 57,000 MILES. 1991 SUPERCOUPE MODEL HAS FOGLAMPS AS DO THE 1992 AND LATER THUNDERBIRD MODELS FOR WHICH A RECALL EXISTS.*AK

Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer › Linkages
Filed Nov 4, 200440,000 milesCT

PLASTIC BUSHINGS IN BOTH ENDS OF WINDSHIELD WIPER TIE-ROD COMPONENT HAVE WORN. CAUSES WIPERS TO MOVE LESS, SKIP, AND LOSE ABILITY TO CLEAR ENTIRE WINDSHIELD. TIE-ROD MAY BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM MOTOR END OR FROM WIPER END. CAR HAS LESS THAN 57000 MILES.*AK

Steering › Hydraulic Power Assist › Pump
Filed Aug 25, 2004GA

3.8L V6 ENGINE OVER-HEATED DUE TO HEAD GASKET FAILURE IN #4 CYLINDER. BOTH HEADS WERE REWORKED AND GASKETS REPLACED. AFTER REPAIR ENGINE STARTED STALLING. IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE WAS THEN REPLACED. NOW THERE IS A FLUCTUATION IN OIL PRESSURE. PRIOR TO HEAD GASKET FAILURE, POWER STEERING PUMP HAS TO BE REPLACED.*AK

Engine and Engine Cooling
Filed Jan 15, 200487,500 milesOR

OVERHEATING AT FIRST THEN AFTER THE HEADGASKETS WERE REPLACED THE ROD BEARINGS FAILED WHICH ADDED ANOTHER 1200.00 TO THE 1645.00 OF THE FIRST REPAIR AND THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REPLACED AT THE TIME OF THE FIRST REPAIR.

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Mar 27, 200373,000 milesVA

HEAD GASKET FAILURE AT 73,000 ON MY 1991 TBIRD WITH THE 3.8 V6. LOOKS LIKE FORD IS TRYING TO COVER THIS UP! *NLM

Exterior Lighting › Headlights
Filed Dec 31, 2002165,000 milesNC

HEADLIGHT FAILURE INTERMITTENT OPERATION. TS

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Dec 8, 2002GA

PART TO REPAIR NOT AVAILABLE. DT

Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer
Filed Sep 19, 2002MI

WINDSHIELD WIPERS FREEZE UP WHEN WIPERS ARE TURNED ON HIGH. THIS IS A SIMILAR DEFECT TO THE "NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 91V076000" PROBLEM I CAN NOT USE THE MY CAR WIPERS ON HIGH IN THE RAIN. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Jun 7, 2002PA

ENGINE HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE ALREADY AND NEEDS TO GO IN AGAIN BECAUSE OF HEAD GASKET BLOWING OUT. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK

Suspension
Filed May 9, 2002CA

WHILE DRIVING HEARS A LOUD BEEP COMING FROM FRONT OF VEHICLE. CAN'T ACTUALLY TELL WHERE BEEP IS COMING FROM. PLEASE ADD VIN. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Feb 28, 2002FL

I AM IN A CLUB OF OVER 5,000 OWNERS OF IDENTICAL CARS AND FAILURES HAVE BEEN SEEN AS LOW AS 18,000 MILES TO MY KNOWLEDGE, AND NUMEROUS IN THE 60000 MILE RANGE ON WELL MAINTAINED CARS OF HEADGASKET FAILURE WHICH OFTEN CAUSES COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE, IN MY CASE IT CAUSED TWO CONNECTING RODS TO FAIL, A CRANKSHAFT BEARING DUE TO OIL CONTAMINATION AND THE CRANKSHAFT AS A RESULT. THIS IS THE THIRD FAILURE ON MY VEHICLE, ONCE I WAS STRANDED ON A DANGEROUS DARK STRETCH OF I-95, ONCE IN THE RAIN AND AS A RESULT OF LOSS OF HEAT (HEADGASKET FAILURE SYMPTOM) I RAN A RED LIGHT AND PROCEDED THE WRONG WAY ON A ONE WAY STREET. *AK

Fuel System, Gasoline › Delivery
Filed Jun 28, 2001PA

THIS AUTO WAS A LATE BUILD THUNDERBIRD 5-91 IT HAS SOME 92 THUNDERBIRD SYSTEMS INCLUDING RECALLED FUEL LINES OF THE 1992 THUNDERBIRD. *AK

Suspension › Rear
Filed Jun 28, 2001PA

IT LOOKS LIKE DUE TO THE WEIGHT OF THE INDEPENDANT REAR SUSPENSION THE REAR WHEELWELL WELDS AND FLOOR PAN APPEAR TO BE TEARING AWAY FROM THE CAR. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Jun 14, 2001NY

HEAD GASKET BLEWOUT WITH ANY WARNING OR PRIOR PROBLEM. VEHICLE HAS LOW MILEAGE, BUT MANUFACTURER IS NOT COVERING COST. *AK

Equipment › Appliance › Air Conditioner
Filed Jun 13, 2001CA

AIR CONDITIONER GETS A COOLANT-TYPE SMELL AND THEN BEGINS TO BLOW HOT AIR. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT, THE FIRST TIME BEING IN 1996. MOST OF THE TIME THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SOMETIMES, THEY REPLACE "O" RINGS, GASKETS, FREON, ETC. BUT IT STILL DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

Engine and Engine Cooling › Engine
Filed Jun 12, 2001IN

ANTIFREEZE IS LEAKING THROUGH OUT EXHAUST SYSTEM CAUSED BY BAD HEAD GASKETS. ENGINE OVERHEATED, BLEW A HEAD GASKET, AND LOST ANTIFREEZE IMMEDIATELY. FORD DEALER IS DENYING ANY PROBLEMS THEY MAY HAVE WITH THE GASKETS.*AK

Visibility › Windshield Wiper/Washer
Filed May 31, 2001MI

WINDSHIELD WIPERS FREEZE UP WHEN THEY ARE TURNED ON HIGH. THIS IS A SIMILAR DEFECT TO THE "NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 91V076000" PROBLEM. *AK

20 of 112 complaints, reproduced as filed.

Across model years

Worst on record: 1993
YearComplaintsRecallsFiresDeathsAssessment
200527100Routine
200434100Routine
200333000Routine
200293201Fatalities reported
19992000Routine
19983000Routine
1997169230Routine
1996233441Fatalities reported
19952611112Fatalities reported
19943001102Fatalities reported
1993423471Fatalities reported
19921844111Fatalities reported
1991 — this page1124130Routine
19901404192Fatalities reported

Compare every Thunderbird year →

Reading this record

No unusual pattern of severe incidents in the complaint record.

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: Apr 7, 2009. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.