1996 Ford Thunderbird: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 295 complaints
295
Total Complaints
84,518mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
Top Issue
18
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

65,009 25th Percentile
84,518 Median Mileage
113,500 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
20
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR
19
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
15
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
12
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
11
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS
10
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER
10
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC
9
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM
9
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
8

Severity Assessment

18
Crashes
4
Fires
29
Injuries
1
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"ASSOCIATED W/MOISTURE, VEHICLE WILL STALL OUT REPEATEDLY. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT"
"COMING AROUND A CURB GOING 25-30 MPH CAR STARTED PULLING TO THE RIGHT. LOST CONTROL OF CAR AND HIT A MOUND OF DIRT AND ABS LIGHT CAME ON. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAIL"
"VEHICLE STALLS OUT AFTER BEING STOPPED AND TRYING TO ACCELERATE. *AK"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28