1991 Ford Thunderbird problems
Owners have filed 130 complaints with NHTSA about the 1991 Ford Thunderbird. Brakes is the most reported problem area, at 15% of complaints. Next are seat belts (13%) and electrical system (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 130 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Brakes 15% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 7 and 14
- Injuries and deaths
- 5 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
What the data shows
Safety-related details: 7 complaints mention a crash; 14 complaints mention a fire; 5 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1991 ranks 8th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Ford Thunderbird with enough data (50 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Owner states that vehicle was involved in a frontal impact going 60MPH and there was no deployment of the driver's airbag.
During vehicle operation smoke was noticed coming from the steering column, resulting in a fire in the steering column area.
Driver traveled two miles, ,parked vehicle, smoke came from underneath and caught on fire. Fire dept. Stated gasoline leakage was the cause of the fire.
While the consumer was driving on the highway the accelerator became struck. As a result the vehicle continued to accelerate until the brake pedal and emergency brake were applied.
Loss of hydraulic brake assist on super coupe. Pedal became hard to press. Both brake and ABS annunciators illuminating. Troubleshooting indicates brake pressure switch failing to signal pump to charge system or accumulator has failed. Master cylinder and ABS system are original equipment and thus 24 years old.