"How reliable is the 2004 Ford Thunderbird?"

"Based on 40 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Ford Thunderbird has a median complaint mileage of 33130 miles. The most common issue is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Ford Thunderbird?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Ford Thunderbird is VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, accounting for a significant portion of the 40 total complaints filed."

2004 Ford Thunderbird: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 40 complaints

Total Complaints

33,130mi

Median Mileage

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

15,000 25th Percentile

33,130 Median Mileage

55,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ENGINE

POWER TRAIN

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"WHILE DRIVING REAR PASSENGER 'S SIDE AIR BAG WENT OFF INADVERTENTLY PASSENGER SUSTAINED BURNS ON BOTH HANDS. CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT A ROCK FROM THE HIGHWAY CAUSED THE AIR BAG PREMATURELY TO DEPLOY. CONSUMER INFORMED THE MECHANIC THAT TH..."

"WHILE DRIVING A WRENCH LIGHT CAME ON AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. IT WAS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE, EVEN THOUGH IT WAS IN GEAR. I HAD TO TURN THE CAR OFF, THEN RESTART THE ENGINE. AFTER DOING THIS THE CAR RAN OK FOR ABOUT 2 MILES THEN THE SAME THING HAPPENED. THIS TIME WHEN RESTARTED THE..."

"VEHICLE IS EXPERIENCING BRAKE PROBLEMS. WHEN YOU STOP IN A HURRY THE FOOT GOES DOWN TO THE FLOOR. OWNER WENT TO THE DEALER AND ASKED TO HAVE THE BRAKES ADJUSTED. OWNER WAS TOLD THERE IS NO ADJUSTING THE BRAKES OR ACCELERATOR. THE BRAKE PEDAL IS TO CLOSE TOGETHER CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO ACCELERATE WH..."

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