Owner-reported complaints naming the brake system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming service brakes, the antilock braking system, brake hoses, master cylinders or the parking brake. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1992 Ford Thunderbird submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 33 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 33, in the owner's own words
THE REAR BRAKES FAILED TO FUNCTION AND NO POWER BRAKES AT ALL REALLY HARD PEDAL HAD TO STAND ON THE BRAKE PEDAL TO GET IT TO STOP THIS HAPPENED UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS THIS MAKES IT VERY HARD TO STOP I WAS ABLE TO GET IT OFF THE ROAD CALLED A TOW TRUCK AND HAD IT TOWED TO MY HOUSE FORD.COM SAID NO RECALLS FOR MY CAR AND IT COST $1500 TO FIX . *TR
COMPONANT: UPPER MOUNTED TAILLIGHT REPEATED STOP AND GO TRAFFIC CREATED EXCESSVIE HEAT IN THE UNVENTED PLASTIC MOUNTING. PLASTIC MELTED AND DRIPED ONTO BULBS CAUSING THEM TO FAIL. POSSIBILITY OF FIRE.
REAR UPPER BRAKE LIGHT: IT CONTIANS TWO BULBS ONE OF THEM WAS BROKEN AND THE HOLDER WAS MELTED AND BURNT. DIDN'T CAUSE ANY DAMAGE EXCEPT FOR THE CONNECTOR. NOT SURE ON DATE JUST NOTICED WHEN I NOTICED THE LIGHT WASN'T WORKING.
3RD SET OF FRONT ROTORS/PADS INSTALLED, AFTER 20000 ROTORS WARPED. BAD DESIGN...FRONT ROTOR/CALIPERS ARE TOO SMALL FOR THIS CAR, AND CAUSE ROTORS TO WARP.*AK
WHILE THE CONSUMER TRIED TO STOP THE VEHICLE BOTH FRONT AND REAR BRAKES WOULD NOT GRAB AT ALL, TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND DEALER TOLD CONSUMER THE BRAKES HAD CATASTROPHICALLY FAILED. THE CONSUMER CALLED FORD FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE AND TOLD THEM ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND ADMITTED IT WAS A DESIGN DEFECT. THE CONSUMER STATED THAT HE HAD REPEATED PROBLEM WITH THE ABS SYSTEM. *YH
WHILE DRIVING BRAKE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, INDICATING A PROBLEM. WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED FRONT AND REAR BRAKES FAILED, CAUSE UNKNOWN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
THE DOORS HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM FOR QUITE A FEW YEARS, THEY SEEM TO BE TOO HEAVY FOR THE HINGES AS THEY SAG AND REQUIRE US TO LIFT THE DOOR TO GET THEM TO SHUT. THE FRONT SEAT AUTOMATIC SEAT BELTS DON'T WORK PROPERLY AT ALL AS THEY DO NOT KNOW WHEN TO RETRACT AND PASSENGER SIDE STAYS AT BOTTOM OF TRACK AND SHUTTERS ALL THE TIME. THE PARKING BRAKE PEDAL DOES NOT STAY ELEVATED, WHICH CAUSES THE IN-DASH BRAKE LIGHT TO COME ON DURING OPERATION.*AK
ONGOING PROBLEM WITH BRAKE WARNING LIGHT AND ABS SENSOR LIGHT COMING ON SIMULTANEOUSLY AND INTERMITTENTLY, AND INDICATING COMPLETE BRAKE FAILURE. DEALER NOTIFIED, AND INFORMED CONSUMER THAT REPAIRS WOULD BE AT CONSUMER'S COST. *AK
THE PLASTIC TRANSMISSION CABLE END BROKE OFF THE THROTTLE BODY CAUSING THE GAS PEDAL STICKING TO THE FLOOR.*ET
NO SUMMARY
ELECTRICAL PROBLEM CAUSING LIGHT TO GO OFF INTERMITTANTLY WHILE DRIVING, CONSUMER HAS HAD NUMEROUS SWITCHES REPLACED BUT THE PROBLEM PERSIST.
ABS FAILED.
THE EMERGENCY PARKING BRAKE WILL NOT ENGAGE WHEN IT IS APPLIED BECAUSE OF A WRATCHET PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE THE ABS BRAKE PUMP CAUSED THE BRAKES TO LOCK UP WITHOUT WARNING.OWNER IS VERY CONCERNED FOR SAFETY. *AK
BRAKE BOOSTER WENT OUT WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, CAUSED TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE, NO WARNING, DRIVER COASTED TO A STOP. ANTI-LOCK BRAKE MODULE ALSO FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE. *AK
UPON APPLYING FORCE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTACE AND LACK OF BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS, CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THE DEALER HAS REPLACED THE ABS ASSEMBLY AND THE MASTER CYLINDER. *AK
BRAKES: BRAKES HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES WITHIN THREE YEARS. BRAKES VIBRATE AND WEAR OUT WITHIN A YEAR. HAD NEW BRAKE PADS INSTALLED AND ROTORS TURNED. ALSO VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE ON THE LEFT SIDE 3-2-97. PROBABLE CAUSE ELECTRICAL. RECALL 96V071. *AK
BRAKE WARNING LAMP CAME ON AND DRIVER EXPERIENCED LOSS OF BRAKE POWER.
WHEN TRYING TO APPLY THE BRAKES THE VEHICLE KEPT ON GOING, HAD TO PUT ON THE EMERGENCY BRAKE SO THAT THE VEHICLE COULD STOP. *AK
PADS AND ROTORS REPLACED 3 TIMES.
THE BRAKES SWITCH GOES OUT, CONSUMER LOSES BRAKES LIGHTS, NO CRUISE CONTROL AND IS UNABLE TO SHIFT FROM PARK INTO DRIVE. THE SWITCH HAS BEEN REPLACED (6) TIME SINCE OWNING VEHICLE IN JULY 92. *AK
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE THE BRAKES TOTALLY FAILED. THE PEDAL WENT RIGHT TO THE FLOOR , THERE WERE NO BRAKES AT ALL. THIS WAS ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS. THE SYSTEM HAS ABS.*AK
BRAKE PEDAL WOULD NOT DEPRESS AT ALL, AND HAND BRAKE HAD NO EFFECT ON SLOWING VEHICLE DOWN, DUE TO FAILED BRAKE PUMP RELAY.
BRAKE FAILURE OF THE FRONT BRAKES WHEN APPLIED VIBRATE, ROTORS AND DIS PADS FAILURE, *AK
WHEN DRIVING ABS LIGHT CAME ON AND BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON. TRIED TO STOP VEHICLE AND BRAKE PETAL FROZE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
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
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