IllustrationAT 56000M HAD TO HAVE TRANSMISSION OVERHAULED, AT 91000 HEAD GASKET OR INTAKE GASKET BLEW HAD TO BE REPLACED, UNDERSTAND THAT OTHER SIMILAR VEHICLES HAVE HAD RECALL ON HEAD GASKETS BUT WAS TOLD BY FORD THAT MY MODEL NOT INCLUDED IN THESE RECALLS.*AK
1994 Ford Thunderbird
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.
About this comparison →300Owner complaints
Model-year median: 3
0Recall campaignsView recall details →
0InvestigationsView investigation details →
Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Inspection summary
1994 Ford Thunderbird
NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 300 owner complaints · 0 recall campaigns · 0 investigations.
Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.
Top reported categories (up to 5)
- Power Train: 92 reports
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 75 reports
- Engine And Engine Cooling: 61 reports
- Electrical System: 24 reports
- Vehicle Speed Control: 23 reports
Full reported-category list and vehicle report
Recall links
No recall campaigns in this snapshot.
Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.
How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Thunderbird years →Counts vary with age, sales, mileage exposure and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 17 of 300 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 92 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 75 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 61 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
22 crash reports10 fire reports11 injury reports
Power Train complaints
92 reportsTRANSMISSION IN THESE THUNDERBIRD IS TERRIBLE THE PERSON I BOUGHT IT FROM HAS ALREADY HAD IT FIXED AND I HAVE TOO. IT IS STARTING TO ACT UP AGAIN FOR EXAMPLE I WILL BE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AND MY CAR WILL SLIP GEAR AND WILL CAUSE ME TOO TEMPORY LOSE CONTROL. I FEEL AS THOUGH THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO BECAUSE I HAVE HEARD…
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TRANSMISSION IN THESE THUNDERBIRD IS TERRIBLE THE PERSON I BOUGHT IT FROM HAS ALREADY HAD IT FIXED AND I HAVE TOO. IT IS STARTING TO ACT UP AGAIN FOR EXAMPLE I WILL BE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE AND MY CAR WILL SLIP GEAR AND WILL CAUSE ME TOO TEMPORY LOSE CONTROL. I FEEL AS THOUGH THIS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO BECAUSE I HAVE HEARD MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER DRIVERS. *AK
AUTOMATIC BUTTONS THAT LOCK & UNLOCK GEARS TO SHIFT BROKE OFF WHILE IN USE. BUTTONS FAIL TO STAY IN PLACE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, WHERE MECHANIC REPAIRED BUTTONS WITH 1995 VEHICLE DUE TO BREAKAGE OF PLASTIC BUTTONS. ALSO, VEHICLE WOULD SHIMMY WHEN ACCELERATING. *AK
AUTO TRANS SHUDDERS SHIFTING 3-4 AND 4-3. SPEED CONTROL FAILED AT 15,000 MILES, FRONT DISC BRAKES PULSATE AND STEERING WHEEL VIBRATES.
I RECEIVED A LETTER OF RECALL FOR THE HEADGASKETS ON MY CAR WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED AND, FORD REFUSED TO HONOR THEIR RECALL. APPARENTLY THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO PREVENT THIS PROPLEM CONSIDERING THEIR HAVE SEVERAL MAKE AND YEARS THAT HAVE BEEN RECALLED. ALSO I THINK IT IS ODD TO HAVE A TRANSMISSION COMPLETLY REBUILT 2 TIME…
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I RECEIVED A LETTER OF RECALL FOR THE HEADGASKETS ON MY CAR WHICH HAD ALREADY BEEN REPAIRED AND, FORD REFUSED TO HONOR THEIR RECALL. APPARENTLY THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO PREVENT THIS PROPLEM CONSIDERING THEIR HAVE SEVERAL MAKE AND YEARS THAT HAVE BEEN RECALLED. ALSO I THINK IT IS ODD TO HAVE A TRANSMISSION COMPLETLY REBUILT 2 TIMES. FIRST TIME WAS 93000 MILES NEXT WAS 106000 MILES. SO FAR I HAVE SPENT MORE MONEY ON THIS CAR THAN ANY OF THE REST OF THE CARS I HAVE EVER HAD. GOING BACK TO THE HEADGASKETS, I TRIED TO TRADE MY T-BIRD FOR ANOTHER T_BIRD AND THE DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT DEAL WITH ME PERIOD. THANK YOU TINA TROUT. *AK
THERE ARE ACTULLY TO MANY OTHER THINGS TO LIST BUT I WOULD BE HAPPY TO MAIL COPIES OF ALL MAJOR SAFETY RELATED PROBLEMS THAT IVE HAD WITH THIS CAR.IM STILL HAVEING ENGINE ,TRANSMISSION,AND OTHER PROBLEMS NOT TO MENTION THE GAS SMELL THAT THE FORD DEALER SWEARS ISNT THERE. *AK
CONSUMER IS GETTING A SHUTTER OR VIBRATION WHEN SHIFTING TO 3RD GEAR, CONSUMER HAS NOTICED THIS FOR ABOUT 9 MONTHS. CONTACTED DEALER AND HAD FLUID CHANGED. PROBLEM HAS NOT REOCCURRED SINCE. *AK *ML
WHEN VEHICLE WARMS UP IT GOES INTO NEUTRAL SPONTANEOUSLY AND WITHOUT BEING TOUCHED AT ALL. ALSO, VEHICLE LURCHES TO 1000RPMS, AND THEN GOES BACK TO NORMAL*AK.
TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEAR, RPMS RUN HIGH, AND THEN IT GOES BACK INTO GEAR, AND JUMPS FORWARD. *AK
THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEAR BY ITSELF. IT HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS SPORADICALLY. WHEN IT SLIPS THE CAR SLOWS DOWN,WHICH HAS CAUSED A COUPLE OF DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. MORE DANGEROUS STILL IS THAT WHEN IT SLIPS THE R.P.M.'S JUMP HIGHER AND SOMETIMES THE TRANSMISSION THEN GRABS AND THE CAR LURCHES SUDDENLY FORWARD.THIS HAS ALMOS…
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THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS OUT OF GEAR BY ITSELF. IT HAPPENS AT ALL SPEEDS SPORADICALLY. WHEN IT SLIPS THE CAR SLOWS DOWN,WHICH HAS CAUSED A COUPLE OF DANGEROUS SITUATIONS. MORE DANGEROUS STILL IS THAT WHEN IT SLIPS THE R.P.M.'S JUMP HIGHER AND SOMETIMES THE TRANSMISSION THEN GRABS AND THE CAR LURCHES SUDDENLY FORWARD.THIS HAS ALMOST CAUSED US TO CRASH TWICE;ONCE ON THE FREEWAY AND ONCE ON A SHARP TURN.*AK
Recall campaigns
0No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
Defect investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.