IllustrationBRAKE ROTORS FAILURE, MAKES ROARING NOISE. YH
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
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: 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
What owners actually said
261 reportsTRANSMISSION 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
UPON RESEARCH OF THE 3.8 FORD ENGINES, I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH BLOWN HEAD GASKETS, MOST SPECIFICALLY IN THE TAURUS. HOWEVER, THE THUNDERBIRD IS ALSO EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM. FORD HAS RECALLED THE TAURUS, BUT NOT THE THUNDERBIRD. THERE WERE NO PRIOR EVIDENCES OF GASKET TROUBLES. I HAD THE CAR CHECK…
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UPON RESEARCH OF THE 3.8 FORD ENGINES, I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE IS A RECURRING PROBLEM WITH BLOWN HEAD GASKETS, MOST SPECIFICALLY IN THE TAURUS. HOWEVER, THE THUNDERBIRD IS ALSO EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM. FORD HAS RECALLED THE TAURUS, BUT NOT THE THUNDERBIRD. THERE WERE NO PRIOR EVIDENCES OF GASKET TROUBLES. I HAD THE CAR CHECKED OUT BY 2 KNOWLEDGEABLE MECHANICS PRIOR TO PURCHASE, AND BY MY REGULAR MECHANIC PRIOR TO THE USED WARRANTY. ALL AGREED IT TO BE A CLEAN CAR AND GOOD DEAL. THE HEAD GASKETS JUST BLEW WITH ABSOLUTELY NO WARNING. AFTER LENGTHY DISCUSSIONS WITH FORD, THEY REFUSED TO STAND BEHIND THE DEFFECT. *AK
I HAVE REPLACED THE FRONT BRAKE PADS, HOWEVER CAR STILL HAS NO POWER BRAKES AND STALLS AFTER BRAKES ARE DEPRESSED. EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED IN PAINT JOB!
BRAKE ROTORS NEEDED TURNING SEVERAL TIMES HOWEVER CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS, DUE TO WARPING.
WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE CAR SLOWS DOWN,BUT WILL NOT STOP. DEALER CAN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK
WHILE PARALLEL PARKING AND MOVING FORWARD, VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITH HIGH SPEED IN WHICH THE DRIVER HAD FOOT ON THE BRAKES, BUT WOULD NOT STOP, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. DRIVER HIT TREE AND A WALL WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP VEHICLE. AIRBAG DEPLOYED, CAUSING EYE DAMAGE TO THE OCCUPANT. NO PRIOR PROBLEMS. DEALER COULD NOT F…
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WHILE PARALLEL PARKING AND MOVING FORWARD, VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITH HIGH SPEED IN WHICH THE DRIVER HAD FOOT ON THE BRAKES, BUT WOULD NOT STOP, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. DRIVER HIT TREE AND A WALL WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP VEHICLE. AIRBAG DEPLOYED, CAUSING EYE DAMAGE TO THE OCCUPANT. NO PRIOR PROBLEMS. DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN#. *AK
THIS VEHICLE HAS RECIEVED MAJOR SERVICE REQUIRING IN EXCESS OF 60 DAYS OF SHOP TIME, FIVE TIMES ALONE FOR THE TRANSMISSION .
VEHICLE SLIDES ON SNOW WHILE USING BRAKES.
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.