1997 Ford Thunderbird problems
Owners have filed 228 complaints with NHTSA about the 1997 Ford Thunderbird. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 21% of complaints. Next are brakes (11%) and exhaust system (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 228 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 22% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 16 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 8 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 71,000 miles 58 complaints with mileage
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%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 6 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 12 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 18 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 10 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 8 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 1 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 1 |
What the data shows
Of the 58 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 71,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 65,000 miles (23 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 16 complaints mention a crash; 3 complaints mention a fire; 8 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1997 ranks 5th most-complained-about out of 12 model years of the Ford Thunderbird with enough data (124 complaints in that window).
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.
Wife had a collision w/nissen pickup, doing 40 MPH, only the passenger side of the front end damage but the whole front end of the nissen pick destroyed. I'm attacking ford for this. My brother-in-law cann't move his neck due to he hit the windsheild, his seat belt did not hold him and neither of the air bags deployed, this could have been worse.
Driver was in the process of parking vehicle and had come to a stop in the parking spot when it suddenly accelerated, jumped the curb, and crashed into a metal bench.
I was driving my car to pay the power bill. I had made a complete stop and then turned left up the road about 4/10's of a mile when I pulled into the parking space I noticed white steam coming from the engine compartment. I opened the hood a the engine was covered in antifreeze. I called for a tow hoping it was a blown hose or at worst a head gasket. So I didn't drive it further to prevent further damage. The dealership looks at it and says it is a cracked intake manifold.
Per consumer vehicle is not part of the owner notification for the intake manifold coolant leak # .97m91, but vehicle is experiencing the same failure.