really awful

Crashes / Fires:: 0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:: 0 / 0
Average Mileage:: 0 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

problem #8

Jan 181999

Thunderbird

Automatic transmission
miles

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. 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.

- Orlando, FL, USA

Add Complaint

problem #7

Jan 091999