1997 Ford Thunderbird: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 228 complaints
228
Total Complaints
71,084mi
Median Mileage
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
Top Issue
16
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

57,448 25th Percentile
71,084 Median Mileage
88,250 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:EXHAUST SYSTEM:MANIFOLD/HEADER/MUFFLER/TAIL PIPE
18
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
11
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
11
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
10
TIRES
10
TIRES:TREAD/BELT
8
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC
8
SUSPENSION
7
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
7

Severity Assessment

16
Crashes
3
Fires
8
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"FRONT END OF VEHICLE SHAKES, HAS BEEN LOOKED OVER BY DEALER AND HAS BEEN UNABLE TO CORRECT IT. *AK"
"THE HEADREST DOES NOT RAISE TO THE LEVEL OF THE OCCUPANTS HEAD, IT ONLY COMES UP TO THE BACK OF THE NECK."

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