IllustrationTRANSMISSION SHUDDERS IN SLOW ACCELERATION 0-35. TRANSMISSION FLUID REPLACEMENT REPLACEMENT FIXED, BUT THEN STARTED HAPPENING AGAIN. *AK
1995 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
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When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 15 of 261 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.
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 92 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 49 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 41 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
25 crash reports11 fire reports14 injury reports
Power Train complaints
41 reportsAUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHIFTS TO LOWER GEAR UNEXPECTEDLY, AND FREE WHEELS. *AK
FORD SAYS, REAR WHEEL DRIVE ARE NOT COVERED. WHY IT'S THE SAME 3.8L IN THE OTHERS!
FIRST PROBLEM WAS A SHUDDER IN THE TRANSMISSION OCCURRING AROUND 40MPH. VEHICLE TAKEN TO FORD DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. KNOWN TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. FORD REPAIRED BY CHANGING ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT FLUID TYPE WITH NEW TYPE FLUID. ADDITIONALLY THEY MODIFIED THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT DESIGN BY ADDING A TRANSMISSION COOLER…
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FIRST PROBLEM WAS A SHUDDER IN THE TRANSMISSION OCCURRING AROUND 40MPH. VEHICLE TAKEN TO FORD DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR. KNOWN TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. FORD REPAIRED BY CHANGING ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT FLUID TYPE WITH NEW TYPE FLUID. ADDITIONALLY THEY MODIFIED THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT DESIGN BY ADDING A TRANSMISSION COOLER. CONTACTED FORD REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE AND FORD CUSTOMER SERVICE WITH ZERO RESPONSE. IF THEY KNOW THE WAY TO FIX THE PROBLEM IS TO ALTER THEIR OWN DESIGN, WHY DO THEY NOT PAY FOR THE REPAIR. ONLY TEMPORARY FIX. TRANSMISSION BEGAN SLIPPING ONLY 10 MONTHS AFTER FIRST REPAIR RESULTING IN THE NEED TO REBUILD THE TRANSMISSION AND REPLACE THE TORQUE CONVERTER. THIS SHOULD NOT BE ON A WELL MAINTAINED VEHICLE WITH LESS THAN 70,000 MILES. TOTAL COST FOR THESE TWO REPAIRS WAS $1,880.00. FORD SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE TO SOME DEGREE. TOO MANY CONSUMERS ARE LEFT TO PAY HIGH REPAIR BILLS FOR FORD'S POOR DESIGNS AND ENGINEERING. *AK
98 SERVICED WITH TRANMISSION. TUNE UP NOT COVER UNDER WARRTANTY NOW HAVING SAME PROBLEM. SHUTTERS AT 25. 35, 45, MILES PER HOUR. TALKED TO OTHER OWERS OF SAME TYPE OF CAR THEY ARE HAVING SAME PROBLEM. NO RECALL IS LISTED. *AK
WHILE ACCELERATING TRANSMISSION MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO GO INTO NEUTRAL UNEXPECTEDLY. THIS MAY RESULT IN A CRASH. DEALER HAD TRANSMISSION REBUILT. *AK *ML
HAVING PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION SHIFTING FROM 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. ALSO SLUGGISH/SHUDDERS
WHEN BACKING THE VEHICLE, WITHOUT WARNING DRIVESHAFT SNAPS AND MAKES CLUNKING SOUND. DRIVESHAFT COULD BRAKE AND COME APART. THIS COULD CAUSE A FIRE SINCE DRIVESHAFT IS VERY CLOSE TO THE FUEL TANK. *AK
TRANSMISSION JUMPS IN AND OUT OF GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEED. FIRST WAS JUMPING IN AND OUT OF OVERDRIVE, AFTER JUMPS OUT OF OVERDRIVE WILL JUMP OUT OF GEAR. IF NOT IN OVERDRIVE JUMPS IN AND OUT OF GEAR
WHILE DRIVING AT 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE JUMPED OUT OF OVERDRIVE AND WENT INTO DRIVE. ALSO, WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE IS SHAKING AND VIBRATING DUE TO WARPED ROTORS. CONSUMER HAD ROTORS REPLACED FOUR TIMES, AND THE DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *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.