Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Our database contains 34 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2004 Ford Thunderbird, most frequently naming the engine, driver assistance and powertrain (other) categories. 1 safety recall has been issued covering this model year; and 32 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
When owners filed reports about this model year
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2004 | 1 | 1 |
| Oct 2004 | 1 | 2 |
| Mar 2005 | 1 | 3 |
| Apr 2005 | 1 | 4 |
| Jul 2005 | 1 | 5 |
| Oct 2005 | 1 | 6 |
| Jan 2006 | 1 | 7 |
| Apr 2006 | 1 | 8 |
| Feb 2007 | 1 | 9 |
| Jun 2007 | 1 | 10 |
| Aug 2007 | 1 | 11 |
| Jan 2008 | 1 | 12 |
| Sep 2008 | 1 | 13 |
| Jan 2010 | 2 | 15 |
| Jun 2010 | 1 | 16 |
| Apr 2011 | 1 | 17 |
| Jul 2011 | 1 | 18 |
| Dec 2011 | 1 | 19 |
| Apr 2013 | 1 | 20 |
| May 2013 | 1 | 21 |
| Jul 2013 | 1 | 22 |
| Aug 2013 | 1 | 23 |
| Jun 2014 | 1 | 24 |
| Sep 2014 | 1 | 25 |
| Oct 2014 | 1 | 26 |
| Apr 2015 | 1 | 27 |
| Oct 2015 | 1 | 28 |
| Jun 2016 | 1 | 29 |
| Jan 2017 | 1 | 30 |
| May 2017 | 1 | 31 |
| Aug 2020 | 1 | 32 |
| Oct 2020 | 1 | 33 |
| Sep 2021 | 1 | 34 |
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
1 campaign cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govSEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Thunderbird. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact approached a stop sign and the vehicle stopped as needed; however, after the contact depressed on the accelerator pedal, the vehicle began to misfire and shuddered for several minutes. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed that the failure was related to TSB 05-16-2 (moisture build up on the plugs and on the cylinder) that caused the vehicle to misfire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,526.
HAVE REPLACED VIA FORD DEALER THROTTLE CONTROL SENSOR TWICE. FIRST REPAIR 2007. SECOND REPAIR 2014, AND NOW IN 2020. I AM FACING SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. OBVIOUSLY THE CONTROL SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVE. THE PROBLEM TRIGGERS VEHICLE LIMP MODE WHILE DRIVING AND IN PARK.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE INSIDE THE VEHICLE, AN ABNORMAL ODOR APPEARED AS THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO CHANGED THE OIL AND NOTICED FUEL LEAKING FROM THE FUEL TANK. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CURRENTLY STILL BEING EXPERIENCED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V113000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE HOWEVER NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 89,000.
2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DEFECTIVE IGNITION COILS CAUSES ENGINE TO MIS-FIRE, DEALERSHIP REPLACED DEFECTIVE COILS UNDER EXTENDED ONE-TIME WARRANTY REPAIR. CONSUMER STATES ENGINE MIS-FIRE STILL EXISTS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE MISFIRED DUE TO DEFECTIVE IGNITION COILS. TWO COILS WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER WOULD NOT REPLACE ANY OTHER COILS THAT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN. UPDATED 05/4/2017 *JS
VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY LOST POWER UPON MILD ACCELERATION ON A CITY STREET AND DEVELOPED A ROUGH, SKIPPING AND HESITANT IDLE UPON WARM UP. WE IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR EVALUATION AT THE SARAT FORD DEALERSHIP IN AGAWAM, MA. THEY DIAGNOSED THE DREADED THUNDERBIRD COIL ON PLUG FAILURE IN THIS VEHICLE AT ONLY 33,165 TOTAL MILES. BEING THAT THIS CAR IS NOW OVER TEN YEARS OLD, I WAS TOLD THAT THE FOMOCO EXTENDED WARRANTY (10 YEARS AND 100,000 MILES) ON THIS VEHICLE, FOR THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM, DOES NOT APPLY. WHAT IS EXTREMELY AGGRAVATING AND REALLY MADDENING WITH THIS IS THAT THEY GROSSLY OVER CHARGED ME FOR THE PARTS. MUCH MORE THAN WHAT FORD CHARGES ON THEIR OWN PARTS WEBSITE FOR BOTH THE 8 SPARK PLUGS AND THE 8 COIL COMPONENTS. RATHER THAN TRYING TO HELP A CUSTOMER GET THROUGH THIS UNEXPECTED AND EXPENSIVE MECHANICAL FAILURE (...WHICH THEY ARE FULLY AWARE OF AND SHOULD HELP COVER) THEY DECIDE TO ALLOW THEIR DEALERS TO PRICE GOUGE. I HAVE ALL PAPERWORK FROM THE REPAIR.
ON THREE OCCASIONS AUTO ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN. TRIED TO BREAK TO NO AVAIL. KEPT GOING FASTER. SHIFTED TO NEUTRAL, ENGINE KEPT RACING. WAS VERY DIFFICULT TO STOP VEHICLE. WENT TO DEALER. THEY COULD NOT FIND THE CAUSE. .ONE EVENT IN A PARKING LOT, ONE ON THE INTERSTATE AND THE OTHER WHEN APPROACHING AN INTERSECTION ON A CITY STREET AUTO HAS ONLY 10,000 MILES ON IT. INCIDENTS OCCURRED 2005 20014 2016.
DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AT 50MPH COMING TO A TOWN AND A RED LIGHT I REMOVED MY FOOT FROM THE GAS PEDAL AND APPLIED THE BRAKES THE CAR DID NOT SLOW I APPLIED MORE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES THE CAR SLOWED SOME BUT THE ENGINE KEPT REVING THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT DOWN SHIFTING THE CAR WAS NOT STOPPING I GRABBED THE SHIFT LEVER AND SWITCHED GEARS BUT TO LATE AND WE HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF US STOPPED AT THE LIGHT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY WAS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO TURN OVER TO START THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE VEHICLE STALLED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES AND THEY REPLACED THE FILTER, THE REAR MODULE, THE VAPOR MANAGEMENT VALVE, THE VENT SOLENOID AND THE THROTTLE BODY BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
ENGINE; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:FAN; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:HOSES/LINES/PIPING/FITTINGS; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:DIESEL; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:BELTS AND ASSOCIATED PULLEYS; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:OTHER FUEL TYPES:TURBO/SUPERCHARGER; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CATALYTIC CONVERTOR; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:CRANKCASE (PCV); ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:EMISSION CONTROL:GAS RECIRCULATION VALVE (EGR VALVE); ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
The Powertrain Control/Emissions Diagnosis (PC/ED) manual has been revised for diagnosing electronic throttle bodies (ETBs). The ETC_ACT and ETC_DSD PIDs should not used to diagnose possible ETB concerns. The IDS has a limited refresh rate when reading these PIDs and cannot display quickly enough to validate a concern. The PCM automatically monitors these inputs more accurately and will set diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs) when appropriate. Using these PIDs for diagnostics will lead to inaccurate results and improper ETB replacements. If a concern is intermittent and no DTCs are present, refer to historical DTCs and the PC/ED, Section 3 No DTCs Present Index chart for further information.
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY; ENGINE
FORD/LINCOLN/MERCURY: MAY HAVE SLUDGE BUILDUP IN THROTTLE BODY LEADING TO LESS AIRFLOW OR ENGINE IDLING RPM FLUCTUATION AND HARD STARTS OR BATTERY DISCONNECT OR DEAD BATTERY AFTER KEEP ALIVE MEMORY (KAM) CLEAR. MODELS 2003-05 THUNDERBIRD, 05-06 MUSTANG, 06-08 FUSION, 04-05 EXPLORER, 05-06 EXPEDITION, 05-07 F-150; 2003-06 LS, 06 ZEPHYR, 05-06 NAVIGATOR; 06-08 MILAN. *PE
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION; ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
FORD/LINCOLN MERCURY: CERTAIN 2003-2005 MODEL YEAR LINCOLN LS AND FORD THUNDERBIRD VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.9L ENGINE WITH EXTENDED WARRANTY COVERAGE ON IGNITION COIL ASSEMBLIES AND ON 2003 MY VEHICLES ONLY , ENGINE VALVE COVER GASKETS. *PE
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SOLENOID EMISSIONS WARRANTY EXTENSION. SAMPLE CONSUMER LETTER ATTACHED. *KB
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
EXCESSIVE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CURRENT DRAW WHICH COULD RESULT IN A DISCHARGED BATTERY AND A NO CRANK CONDITION. *TT SERVICE TIPS. *TT
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) AND ELECTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL (ETC) LAMPS ON WITH BOTH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) P2106 AND P2135. *TT
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 27 | 1 | 0 | 30.8 |
| 2004Viewing | 34 | 1 | 0 | 45.6 |
| 2003 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 38.0 |
| 2002 | 93 | 2 | 0 | 45.6 |
| 1999 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1998 | 3 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1997 | 169 | 2 | 0 | 48.2 |
| 1996 | 233 | 4 | 0 | 51.3 |
| 1995 | 261 | 1 | 0 | 46.8 |
| 1994 | 300 | 1 | 0 | 45.3 |
| 1993 | 423 | 4 | 3 | 57.2 |
| 1992 | 184 | 4 | 5 | 61.8 |
| 1991 | 112 | 4 | 2 | 62.3 |
| 1990 | 140 | 4 | 4 | 65.8 |
| 1989 | 124 | 5 | 6 | 72.3 |
| 1988 | 92 | 2 | 7 | 67.2 |
| 1987 | 61 | 1 | 5 | 64.6 |
| 1986 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 58.7 |
| 1985 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 63.1 |
| 1984 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 59.5 |
| 1983 | 3 | 4 | 2 | — |
| 1982 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1981 | 0 | 1 | 1 | — |
| 1980 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — |
| 1979 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 1978 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 1977 | 1 | 5 | 0 | — |
| 1976 | 0 | 2 | 0 | — |
| 1975 | 0 | 5 | 0 | — |
| 1974 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1973 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 1972 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — |
| 1971 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1970 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 1967 | 0 | 4 | 0 | — |
| 1965 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 1960 | 1 | 0 | 0 | — |
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.