THIS CAR HAS BEEN A TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT, WHATS MORE AFTER MY 7TH FORD PRODUCT, AND EVERY ATTEMPT TO MAINTAIN THIS CAR AS NEW, IT IS STILL GIVING ME DEFAULT PROBLEMS IE: WINDOW MOTOR AT 33000 MILES....CAR IS GARAGED!!!( DOT NUMBER: )
1994 Ford Thunderbird
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Limited comparison data
There is not enough comparable history to draw a useful model-year comparison.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Thunderbird years →Counts vary with age, sales 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.
What owners actually said
300 reportsWHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT JUST ABOUT ANY SPEED THE CAR STARTS TO SHUDDER. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS MY TORQUE CONVERTER IN MY TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED IT AT 39,000 MILES AND AT THAT TIME WE WERE TOLD THAT THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED 3 OR MORE A WEEK BECAUSE THE TORQUE CONVERTER IN THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT BUILT STRONG ENOUGH T…
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WHEN DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AT JUST ABOUT ANY SPEED THE CAR STARTS TO SHUDDER. THE DEALERSHIP SAID IT WAS MY TORQUE CONVERTER IN MY TRANSMISSION AND REPLACED IT AT 39,000 MILES AND AT THAT TIME WE WERE TOLD THAT THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED 3 OR MORE A WEEK BECAUSE THE TORQUE CONVERTER IN THE TRANSMISSION WAS NOT BUILT STRONG ENOUGH TO HANDLE THE SIZE MOTOR BUILT IN THE CAR. NOW AT 60,000 THE CAR IS DOING THE SAME THING BUT THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY CANNOT REPLACE IT AGAIN BECAUSE IT LASTED MORE THAN 12,00 MILES AND IT WOULD COST ME BETWEEN $700 TO$1,000 DOLLARS. PLEASE HELP I DONT HAVE THAT KIND OF MONEY RIGHT NOW.
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION , UPON IMPACT, THE PASSENGER'S AIRBAG DEPLOYED, RIPPING THE DASHBOARD APART AND BROKE THE SUNROOF. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK
WE PURCHASED A USED 1994 FORD THUNDERBIRD, FROM A DEALER, WITH 49,000 MILES ON IT AND WE ARE WONDERING IF THERE WERE EVER ANY RECALL OR REPAIR CAMPAIGNS ON THAT YEAR AND MODEL? PLEASE LET US KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY AND WHAT THEY ENTAIL. WE ARE HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM THAT THE DEALER WOULD NOT TAKE CARE O…
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WE PURCHASED A USED 1994 FORD THUNDERBIRD, FROM A DEALER, WITH 49,000 MILES ON IT AND WE ARE WONDERING IF THERE WERE EVER ANY RECALL OR REPAIR CAMPAIGNS ON THAT YEAR AND MODEL? PLEASE LET US KNOW IF THERE ARE ANY AND WHAT THEY ENTAIL. WE ARE HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM THAT THE DEALER WOULD NOT TAKE CARE OF. SEVERAL THINGS WILL HAPPEN. 1. ONE SITUATION IS AT ENGINE START-UP THE ANTI-LOCK LIGHT DOES NOT GO OUT, AS IT SHOULD. 2. ANOTHER SITUATION IS THAT THE LIGHT GOES OUT THE WAY IT IS SUPPOSED TO, THEN WHILE DRIVING AN ODD NOISE COMES FROM THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. AT THAT TIME THE LIGHT COMES ON AND STAYS ON. 3. THE OTHER SITUATION IS THAT THE LIGHT GOES OUT, BUT WHILE COMING TO A STOP THE NOISE HAPPENS, THE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE BRAKES GRAB. PLEASE LET US KNOW WHAT, IF ANYTHING CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS AS IT IS VERY FRUSTRATING AND POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. *AK
THE FUEL PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED 2X SINCE THE BEGINNING TO JULY 1998. THE WHEN YOU FILL THE TANK IT IS AS IF SOMEONE HAS TURNED ON A FAUCED DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE AND GASOLINE JUST POURS OUT. GASOLINE FUMES ARE ALWAYS PRESENT IN THE VEHICLE. WE HAVE BEEN TO 3 MECHANICS AND ALL HAVE CLAIMED THAT IT IS FAULTY FUEL PUMP …
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THE FUEL PUMP HAS BEEN REPLACED 2X SINCE THE BEGINNING TO JULY 1998. THE WHEN YOU FILL THE TANK IT IS AS IF SOMEONE HAS TURNED ON A FAUCED DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE AND GASOLINE JUST POURS OUT. GASOLINE FUMES ARE ALWAYS PRESENT IN THE VEHICLE. WE HAVE BEEN TO 3 MECHANICS AND ALL HAVE CLAIMED THAT IT IS FAULTY FUEL PUMP BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUES TO LEAK GASOLINE. THE PROBLEM STARTED BEFORE THE 60,000 WARRANTY RAN OUT BUT WE WEREN'T ABLE TO TAKE IT TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE WE WERE ON VACTION AT THE TIME. AS SOON AS WE RETURNED WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE FORD DEALERSHIP AND THEY CLAIMED IT WASN'T COVERED BECAUSE WE WERE 1100 MILES OVER THE WARRANTY. THE VEHICLE IS STILL LEAKING GASOLINE AND FUMES ARE ALWAYS PRESENT . ANY ASSISTANCE WOULD BE APPRECIATED SINCE WE ARE AT A LOSS AS TO WHO TO TURN TO. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT NOBODY HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIX BUT $1200 LATER WE STILL HAVE AN UNSAFE VEHICLE. *AK( DOT NUMBER: )
DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, TRANSMISSION WILL DOWN SHIFT, ENGINE WILL ACCELERATE & RPMS GO UP, USUALLY AFTER ENGINE IS WARMED, 10-15 MINUTES OF DRIVING. *AK
TRANSMISSION DOWNSHIFTS TO NEUTRAL AT ANY SPEED. *AK
INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE WOULD JUMP INTO NEUTRAL UNEXPECTEDLY WHICH MIGHT HAVE CAUSED A CRASH. BEEN TO DEALER, BUT DEALER CANNOT DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK
CONSUMER WAS DRIVING APPROXIMATELY. 55-65 MPH, PRESSED BRAKES HARD, AND SEATBACK AND SEAT BELTS WENT TO THE DASH WITH THE PASSENGER, ALLOWING HER UPPER BODY TO HIT THE DASH. *AK
WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH TO 70 MPH, VEHICLE WILL DOWNSHIFT, TRANSMISSION WILL SLIP, AND VEHICLE LOSES POWER. POWER WILL COME BACK ON, AND THEN THE VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE. *AK
Official recalls
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 ↗
NHTSA investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
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