1996 Ford Thunderbird
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Ford › Thunderbird › 1996
These records cover every 1996 Ford Thunderbird. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
4 recalls name the 1996 Ford Thunderbird. Newest first.
Sabersport IS recalling 16,270 combination corner and bumper lamp assemblies of various part numbers sold for use as aftermarket equipment for various passenger vehicles. these headlamps fail to conform to the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, "lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment." these lamps do not contain…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Decreased lighting visibility may result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Sabersport will notify owners and offer a full refund for the noncompliant combination lamps. the safety recall began on may 11, 2009. owners may contact sabersport at 1-909-598-7589.
Certain aj motorsport combination lamps sold as replacement lamps for use on the above listed passenger vehicles. combination lamps not equipped with amber side reflectors fail to conform with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 108, lamps, reflective devices, and associated equipment.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Lack of amber side reflectors in the lamps will decrease lighting visibility to other drivers and may possibly result in a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Aj motorsport will notify owners and offer reimbursement for the lamps. the recall began on july 31, 2006. owners may contact aj motorsport at 626-618-2026.
When in the secondary latched position, the driver door latches may open when subjected to transverse loads less than that specified in fmvss no. 206, "door locks and door retention components."
Risk and remedy
Risk
The driver's door, when closed only to the secondary latched position, may not sustain a 1,000 pound transverse load.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the driver door latch.
Under certain conditions, the climate control blower does not operate as intended. The blower could (1) stick on "high;" (2) operate erratically with blower output varying between no blower and maximum blower; or (3) not operate at all due to malfunction of the temperature control module.
Risk and remedy
Risk
Blower malfunctions limiting or stopping output can adversely affect windshield defrosting and defogging performance increasing the potential for a vehicle accident.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the semi-automatic temperature control modules with modules containing revised software.
Owner complaints
233 complaints12 involved a crash4 involved a fire18 injuries1 deaths
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Air bags
Air bag flashing code
- Air bags
When driving the air bag light began blinking the horn and cruise control switchesystem stopped working in motion failure of the clock spring
- Engine and engine cooling
TL* the contact owns a 1996 ford thunderbird. The contact was driving 30 mph when he noticed an abnormally strong coolant odor. The contact then inspected the vehicle and found that the antifreeze intake manifold had failed. The intact manifold was cracked and causing antifreeze to spill. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure and the current mileage was 60,000.
- Equipment › Appliance › Air conditioner
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford thunderbird. While driving approximately 25 mph with the air conditioner activated the fan blower stopped functioning. The contact stated the failure also occurred when the heat or defroster was activated. The functions would also operate erratically causing the fan…
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 ford thunderbird. While driving approximately 25 mph with the air conditioner activated the fan blower stopped functioning. The contact stated the failure also occurred when the heat or defroster was activated. The functions would also operate erratically causing the fan blower to go from high to low on its own. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and confirmed that nhtsa recall campaign ID number: 96v007000 (equipment:electrical:air conditioner) was related but the vin was not included. The approximate failure mileage 123,100.
- Structure › Body › Door › Hinge and attachments
Opening doors from the inside, little by little, both doors failed to open from the inside, had to leave window or windows open to stick hand out to open door from the outside. Failure of these doors to function properly at some point if battery would give out would leave us locked in, but…
Opening doors from the inside, little by little, both doors failed to open from the inside, had to leave window or windows open to stick hand out to open door from the outside. Failure of these doors to function properly at some point if battery would give out would leave us locked in, but fortunately that did not happen due to us remembering to leave at least one window open. After some minor repair, found out plastic parts wore out and only one door can be unlocked from the outside. *tr
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
Defective intake manifold. ford replaced once, free of charge @ 48,523 miles. cracked again @ appx. 95,700 miles. ford refused to replace free of charge. replaced one defective manifold with one that was just as defective. there was a class action suit on this manifold, it was so bad. *jb
- Engine and engine cooling · Structure · Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system › Heater core
Intake (plastic) cracks ;leaving family and I stranded on 30 mile stretch of highway with no houses or business. Towed to station and fixed recalled intake. Taxi cost home and back 2 days later to retrieve car soon started having heater coil leaks and overheating;antifreeze causing headaches.…
Intake (plastic) cracks ;leaving family and I stranded on 30 mile stretch of highway with no houses or business. Towed to station and fixed recalled intake. Taxi cost home and back 2 days later to retrieve car soon started having heater coil leaks and overheating;antifreeze causing headaches. almost $1000.00 to replace 30 dollar part(dash board and console removed and air condition unit disconnected and recharged) dealer took cost of next 2 replacement heater coils and it still needs 4th;no heat;still leaks antifreeze inside car. Intake manifold(plastic) cracked again;overheated and burnt me this time also causing serious damage to car;very costly which I guess we the consumer will have to bear. how many complaints does it take? *tr
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
TL* - the contact wanted to have repair done to 1996 ford thunderbird, however service bulletin #97m91, dated jan 19, 1998 (nhtsa item number: 605621) expired and ford charged for the repairs. The mileage at the time of the failure was 80000. the contact said that the service bulletin was for the intake manifold. The contact wrote to ford. the refused to honor the service bulletin. *Ak updated 2/6/2007 - *nm
- Engine and engine cooling
Defective intake manifold on 1996 ford thunderbird. The car only has 84,450 miles on it! Cost was $1002.02 to repair. Why IS the consumer being charged for this costly repair when this IS a known defective part from the ford motor company?*jb
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Dt*: the contact stated, while traveling at 30 mph the brakes failed while pressure was applied to the brake pedal. The vehicle was towed to a service dealer, where a leak was found on the driver's side front hydraulic brake line. The line was corroded two inches from either side of a clip holding the brake line. No other corrosion was found on the remaining brake lines.
- Electrical system › Wiring · Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system › Radiator assembly · Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch · Structure › Body › Hatchback/liftgate › Hinge and attachments · Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system
Compliant IS that through my insurance provider I was alerted to two recalls that should be at least looked into on my auto. the first IS the blower on the climate control began to work erratically and now it does not work at all. meaning that my defrosting does not work at all. the other and…
Compliant IS that through my insurance provider I was alerted to two recalls that should be at least looked into on my auto. the first IS the blower on the climate control began to work erratically and now it does not work at all. meaning that my defrosting does not work at all. the other and more serious IS that the drivers side door latch sticks at smacks against the peg and does not latch properly or at all, unless the latch IS manually lifted. both of these are recalls for other t-birds but somehow mine slipped through. vin IS [xxx]. if these are such common problems why weren't all the t-birds recalled? I am looking at over 600.00 to replace these parts. which IS irritating when ford should be fixing it's known problems. *nm updated 07/16/2012 * js information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(B)(6)
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
Dt*: the contact stated the intake manifold cracked and caused the vehicle to overheat without prior warning. the vehicle was seen by an independent repair shop. the repair shop personnel suggested the manifold cracked due to the composite plastic used in manufacturing. the manifold was replaced with an after market manifold made of metal material. *nm
- Engine and engine cooling › Cooling system
I had a 96 t-bird that my daughter now owns. the plastic manifold cracked last spring causing me to be stranded on the highway. my sister towed me to her house where the vehicle sat until I got a new manifold for about $289 online. I installed it myself taking me about 2 days and driving 45 miles each way twice to my sister's house. old part was discarded. *nm
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
Intake manifold cracked. this part was made out of nylon and IS a known defective part installed at the factory. ford motor company refused to reimburse stating that there was a customer satisfaction action in 1996. since the problem was due to a known defectivepart I think it should be covered for life of the vehicle. later ford redisigned the part using aluminum instead of nylon. *nm
- Engine and engine cooling
3.8 cylinder head failure
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Dt: the driver's side door open's properly but does not close as it should. the consumer thinks the door IS closed close until noticing that the door ajar light IS illuminated on the instrument panel. *ak *nm
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
Plastic intake manifold failure on a 1996 ford thunderbird V8. part failure was preceded by a "check engine light" and "low coolant" light. turns out that ford had put out "service bulletin" in 1999 and followed up on it in 2001 on this issue (97m91) yet they never notified any owners. cost…
Plastic intake manifold failure on a 1996 ford thunderbird V8. part failure was preceded by a "check engine light" and "low coolant" light. turns out that ford had put out "service bulletin" in 1999 and followed up on it in 2001 on this issue (97m91) yet they never notified any owners. cost of repairs for this part will be around $1,000 yet ford will not do anything willingly to rectify the situation. failure of part could lead to catastrophic engine failure if not corrected. *mn
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system › Fan/motor
The driver noticed that the blower was inoperative. the blower fails to turn on sometimes and it sticks on high at all times. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. the mechanic informed the driver that the electronic control module needed to be replaced. please provide further details. *nm
- Exterior lighting › Headlights
There IS a whitre cloudy film on the headlights creating poor visability at night.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
1996 ford thunderbird 4.6L V8 motor failure of plastic intake manifold. Driving home under normal conditions and check coolant light came on. Duaghter said she had thought she smelled burning coolant for several days prior. Took to mechanic and he pointed out the crack in the intake manifold. Said…
1996 ford thunderbird 4.6L V8 motor failure of plastic intake manifold. Driving home under normal conditions and check coolant light came on. Duaghter said she had thought she smelled burning coolant for several days prior. Took to mechanic and he pointed out the crack in the intake manifold. Said this was a very common problem with this motor. Paid over $900.00 to have repaired with upgraded part. Told by mechanic that recall issued but expired about 6 months prior to repair.*ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe
Coolant fumes/odor was coming inside the vehicle while driving at any speed. Consumer inspected the vehicle and found a crack in the intake manifold. Consumer notified the dealer, who informed the consumer that this vehicle was not covered under a present recall.*ak
- Visibility › Defroster/defogger/hvac system
Climate control module failed, as a result, defroster and defogger failed, causing impaired vision. *bf the consumer's vehicle exhibited the same symptoms stated in recall 96v-007000, but IS not include in the recall due to vin. *nm
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
1996 ford thunderbird 4.6L 281cid V8 motor failure of plastic intake manifold. Driving home under normal conditions and check coolant light came on. Wife said she had thought she smelled burning coolant for several days prior. Took to mechanic and he pointed out the crack in the intake manifold.…
1996 ford thunderbird 4.6L 281cid V8 motor failure of plastic intake manifold. Driving home under normal conditions and check coolant light came on. Wife said she had thought she smelled burning coolant for several days prior. Took to mechanic and he pointed out the crack in the intake manifold. Said this was a very common problem with this motor. Paid over $800.00 to have repaired with upgraded part. Ford motor co. Has been aware of problem for years and issued a recall for taxis and police vehicles but recall does not cover privately owned vehicles. car has approximately 114,000 miles.
- Vehicle speed control › Accelerator pedal
While driving on the highway vehicle suddenly accelerated. vehicle revved even while the consumer had both feet on the brake. Consumer pulled over to the side, went through a guard rail, and finally stopped when the vehicle hit a tree. Vehicle was totaled. *ak *tc
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
I was told that their IS a recall on my 1996 ford thunderbird for a faulty intake cooling manifold. can you please confirm this. I do not see it on your recall list. *jb
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10013060Climate control a/c service tech tips.
- 10008580Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock.
- 10008304Engine-gear driven synchronizers-incorrect installation-camshaft position synchronizer (cmp) installation tool correct application.
- 10008279New service part - number 5 needle bearing and race kit - 4r70w transmission - service tip.
- 10004027Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips.
- 10000592Incorrectly installed gear driven camshaft position (cmp) sensor synchronizer assemblies causing surge, lost of power, malfunction indicator lamp on and diagnostic trouble codes p1336, p1309 and p0340.
- 6090542Information regarding front cover & water pump bolts-torque valve revision/3.8-4.2l. *Mjs
- 6090309Information regarding a change in the torque values of the engine front cover water pump bolts.
- 6090087Information on identifying non-approved / alternate refrigerants which could cause safety, and performance concerns if installed in ford a/c systems.
- 6090082Information for servicing and diagnosing brake vibration, brake inspection, and brake friction material replacement.
- 6089681Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses.
- 6089651Subject on engine coolant leaking into the engine oil on some vehicles.
- 630628Some vehicles may exhibit an intake manifold crossover (first runner) coolant seepage condition.
- 630515Engine oil system priming procedures, service tips for reports of premature engine failure.
- 630001Some engine assemblies with aluminum cylinder heads repaired in-vehile have been found to leak coolant and/or oil from the cylinder head gasket area.
- 625715Brake shift interlock.*jb
- 623988Information regarding transmission fluid usage charts. *Slc
- 623944Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. *Slc
- 619424Subject regarding engine oil recommendations for use in 2001 vehicles - sae 5W-20 motor oil.
- 616522Subject regarding contamination from prior transmission concerns or excess wear may be trapped in the transmission fluid cooling system.
- 615262Some vehicles may exhibit an rpm flare on a forced 4/2 downshift.
- 615181Some vehicles may exhibit an rpm flare on a forced 4/2 downshift. Additionally, the commanded electronic pressure control IS at appromately 10 psi.
- 613562Information regarding replacment of engine front cover gasket. **Mr
- 613332Some 4r70w transmissions were built with a unique case and require a spacer to be installed between the low / reverse servo cover and retaining ring.
- 613326Information stating that the rear brakes on vehicles without the anti-lock brake system (ABS) were changed on 11/18/95 from drum brakes to disc brakes.
- 613325Subject regarding new design locksets installed on certain trail vehicles.
- 613261Some vehicles with non-functional windshield wipers may require wiper motor replacement.
- 613082Some vehicles with non-functional windshield wipers may require wiper motor replacement. *Mjs
- 612219Some vehicles may experience engine coolant leaks at the engine front cover gasket. Owner notification program providing replacement of the engine front cover gasket.
- 612203Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *Mjs
- 608431Information on the new flush and fill tool available through rotunda.
- 607436Some vehicles may have water contamination in the air filter and / or the mass air flow sensor.
- 607402Effective march 2, 1998m3.8l engine assembly IS added to fqr(ford quality renewal) assembly program.
- 606508Conditions with the brake lamps inadvertently disabling the brake shift interlock.
- 606484Concerns with engine coolant leaking into engine oil on some vehicles.
- 606461Ford motor company has released a private labeled material to be used for iron particle / acid rain service repairs.
- 606460Experiencing a whine / buzz type noise in the speakers of the entertainment radio or two-way radio on vehicles with an in-tank electric fuel pump.
- 606451Information on "whining" / "buzzing" noise coming through entertainment or two-way radio speaker caused by the fuel pump.
- 606433Information designed to aid in the diagnosis, testing and repair of noise, vibration and harshness (nvh) concerns.
- 606428Experiencing a delayed or no 2-3 upshift, primarily when the transmission IS cold on vehicles with ford qality remanufactured (fqr) 4r70w transmission exchange units with julian build between 062-97 and 040-99.
Every Ford Thunderbird model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.