Reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers, shown in full
Data refreshed
Our database holds 124 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 1989 Ford Thunderbird. Each one is a report filed by an owner or driver and published by NHTSA without most of them being verified. A complaint is not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. Narratives are shown exactly as filed.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Showing 1–25 of 124 · page 1 of 5
CAR ACCELERATED WHEN BRAKE PEDAL WAS FULLY DEPRESSED TO FLOOR...SMASHED INTO CORNER OF HOUSE, DAMAGING BRICKWORK AND FRONT, RIGHT CORNER OF THE CAR. VEHICLE IS INOPERABLE BUT NOT YET TOWED DUE TO FINANCIAL RESTRICTIONS (UNABLE TO ATTACH PHOTOS...PLEASE PROVIDE EMAIL ADDRESS WHERE I CAN SEND PHOTOS.)
DRIVER WAS RESTRAINED BY SEATBELT. DURING COLLISION, SEATBELT BECAME UNANCHORED FROM THE FLOOR AND CAME LOOSE CAUSING DRIVER TO BE THROWN INTO STEERING WHEEL, UNDER DASHBOARD AND INTO WINDSHIELD. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SPEED AND MILEAGE ARE STATED AS APPROXIMATES BY COUNSEL , WILL SUPPLEMENT IF NECESSARY. THE DRIVER WAS OPERATING THE VEHICLE AT A LAWFUL SPEED WITHIN THE SPEED LIMIT. *TR
WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH A LOUD SNAP CAME FROM THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE WHEEL. THIS CAUSED THE VEHICLE NOT TO BE ABLE TO TURN LEFT, AND THEN ENDED UP CRASHING WITH THE GUARD RAIL. THE CAUSE WAS UNDETERMINED.*AK
BOUGHT BRAND NEW IN 1989. FIRST EARLY PROBLEMS WITH CIGARETTE LIGHTER/ELECTRICAL/HEATING UP INSIDE DASH.- SERVICED 3-4 TIMES, UNDER WARRANTY. FREON LEAKS IN AIR CONDITIONER - REPAIRED TWICE. FUEL LINE REPLACED. STEERING COLUM JAM OF SOMESORT - NO KEY ACCESS. REPLACED 3 ALTERNATORS. CANNOT SHIFT TRANSMISSION INTO OVERDRIVE. REBUILT BY AAMCO. BLEW HEAD GASKET. RADIATOR COOLANT COMMING OUT FROM MUFFLER. GOT RID OF CAR AT THIS TIME.
CRUISE CONTROL WAS SET ON 65 MPH. WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED TO A SPEED OF ALMOST 85 MPH AND THE BRAKES WOULD NOT FUNCTION. THE DRIVER TURNED THE VEHICLE OFF, WHILE IN MOTION, AND PULLED OVER TO THE SHOULDER. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR FATALITIES. THE CONSUMER HAD THE CRUISE CONTROL DISCONNECTED. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *AK *PH *NLM
INTERMITTENTLY WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED, PEDAL BECAME HARD, RESULTING IN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE DUE TO MASTER CYLINDER. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. DEALER HAS INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE PART NEEDED TO REPAIR VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER MANUFACTURED. *AK BRAKES FAIL INTERMITTENTLY, THEY ARE LEAKING BRAKE FLUID AND THE FORD DEALERSHIPS CANNOT REPAIR IT. THERE ARE NO REBUILD KITS AVAILABLE FOR THIS VEHICLE. CONSUMER WAS INFORMED TO PURCHASE A MASTER CYLINDER FROM A JUNK YARD. CONSUMER FEELS FORDS RESPONSIBILTY IS TO REPAIR OR REPLACE THE VEHICLE. *JG
WHILE BACKING OUT, VEHICLE ACCELERATED AND HIT A FENCE. CONSUMER NEVER APPLIED THE GAS PEDAL. BRAKES WOULD NOT STOP VEHICLE. *JG *AK
WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED, ENGINE ACCELERATED SUDDENLY. CONSUMER HAD TO STAND ON BRAKES AND SHIFT VEHICLE INTO PARK TO STOP. THIS HAS BEEN AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
DUNLOP, G T QUALIFIER, P215/65R15, DOT#DBBFA13047; LEFT REAR TIRE SEPARATED ON SIDE OF TREAD. DUNLOP WAS NOTIFIED. *AK ANOTHER TIRE HAD EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION PRIOR TO THIS, REPLACEMENT TIRES HAD LESS THAN 30000 MILES ON IT. *SLC
DUNLOP GT QUALIFIER, DOT#DBBFA13047 P215/65R15; TREAD SEPARATED AT MIDDLE OF TREAD RIGHT FRONT AT 70 MPH, CAUSING DAMAGE. DUNLOP HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK TWO TIRES HAVE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION, REPLACEMENT TIRES HAD LESS THAN 30000 MILES. *SLC
HEAD GASKETS FAILED.
LEFT FRONT WHEEL COLLAPSED WHILE DRIVING. *AK
PASSENGER'S SIDE AUTOMATIC SEATBELT DOES NOT RETRACT. ALSO, NONE OF SEATBACKS STAY IN A LOCKED POSITION. CONSUMER FEELS THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE WAY TO DRIVE A VEHICLE. *AK
CAR DESTROYED DUE TO A FIRE IN THE STEERING COLUMN-POSSIBLE IGNITION SWITCH. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
20 MINUTES AFTER PARKING VEHICLE EXPLODED, VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED. *AK
TWO OF THE MICHELIN XH4 AS WS 205 70 R15 TIRES ON THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED TREAD SEPARATION AND WERE REPLACED, LATER THE TWO OF THE FOUR THAT WERE REPLACED EXPERIENCED SEPARATION ALSO. *MJS
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY RATE OF SPEED VEHICLE WILL COMPLETELY SHUTDOWN WITHOUT WARNING, DUE TO A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE IGNITION MODULE. *AK THE VEHICLE DOES NOT RESTART AT ALL NOW. *YH
WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 20 MPH, CONSUMER HEARD HORNS BLOWING. CONSUMER PULLED OVER, AND OPENED HOOD, AND NOTICED FLAMES. *AK
IN OUR LOCAL PAPER ON 8/31/2000, THERE WAS A STORY ABOUT THE ALAMEDA COUNTY (CALF) SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE'S PRELIMINARY DECISION CONCERNING A POSSSIBLE RECALL OF OF FORD VEHICLES IN THE MODEL YEARS 1983-1995 CONCERING THE THICK FILM IGNITION (TFI) MODULE BEING PLACED ON THE DISTRIBUTOR NEAR THE ENGINE BLOCK WHERE IT OVERHEATS AND CASUES THE CAR TO STALL. CAN YOU GIVE ME ANY UPDATES AS TO WHERE THIS SITUATION IS CURRENTLY AND WILL I BE NOTIFIED IN CASE OF A RECALL BY FORD. I SAW THIS STORY AFTER I SPENT OVER $700.00 GETTING MY FUEL PUMP AND FUEL PUMP MODULE REPLACED BY A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO THOUGHT THAT WOULD STOP THE STALLING. IT DIDN'T. ONCE MY CAR CAR REACHES A CERTAIN TEMPERATURE, IT STALLS. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP AND IF YOU NEED ANY FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE DON'T HESITATE TO CONTACT ME. KEN KELLY
GASKET IN MIDDLE SECTION OF ENGINE WAS SO NARROW IT FAILED COMPLETELY. THE CAR OVER HEATED MANY TIMES AND NO PROBLEM COULD BE FOUND AT TIMES IT OVER HEATED. REPLACED MANY PARTS THERMASTAT, RADIATOR,CATILITIC CONVERTER TESTED. WHEN MID SECTION DISASSEMBLED THE GASKET WAS SHOWN TO ME AND IT WAS UNDOUTEDLY A POOR DESIGN. TOO NARROW TO HOLD ON ANY VEHICLE.
CAR EXCELERATED TO VERY HIGH SPEED WHEN ANY EXCERATION WAS APPLIED, WOULD NOT DISENGAGE UNTIL I TURNED THE KEY OFF OR SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL
IF I CAN GET IT FIXED FREE LET ME KNOW.... I'LL BE HAPPY TO COOPERATE WITH ABOUT ANY ACTIONS TAKEN...
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .