FORD THUNDERBIRD · model year

1991 FORD THUNDERBIRD

130 NHTSA complaints, 7 crash reports for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 1991FORDTHUNDERBIRD carries 130 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 7 crashes, 14 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 1991 THUNDERBIRD is engine and engine cooling:engine with 12 filings, followed by seat belts (8) and exterior lighting:headlights (7). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability.

NHTSA currently has 177 investigation files overlapping the 1991 THUNDERBIRD, and 8 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

130
Complaints
7
Crashes
14
Fires
5
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

130 filings

Crashes Reported

7 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE12
SEAT BELTS8
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS7
SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR6
EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:SWITCH6
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR4
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP4
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY3
STEERING: STEERING WHEEL/HANDLE BAR3
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:MOTOR3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:FUSES AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS2

Recent Complaints

20150611SERVICE BRAKES

LOSS OF HYDRAULIC BRAKE ASSIST ON SUPER COUPE. PEDAL BECAME HARD TO PRESS. BOTH BRAKE AND ABS ANNUNCIATORS ILLUMINATING. TROUBLESHOOTING INDICATES BRAKE PRESSURE SWITCH FAILING TO SIGNAL PUMP TO CHARGE SYSTEM OR ACCUMULATOR HAS FAILED. MASTER CYLINDER AND ABS SYSTEM ARE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT AND THUS 24 YEARS OLD.

Mileage: 175,000

20080718VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL

CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED WORKING. *TR

Mileage: 80,000

20041104EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

DEFECTIVE HEADLAMP CIRCUIT BREAKER CAUSES HEADLIGHTS TO FLASH OFF AND ON REPEATEDLY. FIRST FAILURE OCCURRED WHEN CAR WAS 2 YEARS OLD, SECOND FAILURE IN THE LAST YEAR. CAR HAS LESS THAN 57,000 MILES. 1991 SUPERCOUPE MODEL HAS FOGLAMPS AS DO THE 1992 AND LATER THUNDERBIRD MODELS FOR WHICH A RECALL EXISTS.*AK

Mileage: 15,000

20041104VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER:LINKAGES

PLASTIC BUSHINGS IN BOTH ENDS OF WINDSHIELD WIPER TIE-ROD COMPONENT HAVE WORN. CAUSES WIPERS TO MOVE LESS, SKIP, AND LOSE ABILITY TO CLEAR ENTIRE WINDSHIELD. TIE-ROD MAY BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM MOTOR END OR FROM WIPER END. CAR HAS LESS THAN 57000 MILES.*AK

Mileage: 40,000

20040825STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP

3.8L V6 ENGINE OVER-HEATED DUE TO HEAD GASKET FAILURE IN #4 CYLINDER. BOTH HEADS WERE REWORKED AND GASKETS REPLACED. AFTER REPAIR ENGINE STARTED STALLING. IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE WAS THEN REPLACED. NOW THERE IS A FLUCTUATION IN OIL PRESSURE. PRIOR TO HEAD GASKET FAILURE, POWER STEERING PUMP HAS TO BE REPLACED.*AK

20040825ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

3.8L V6 ENGINE OVER-HEATED DUE TO HEAD GASKET FAILURE IN #4 CYLINDER. BOTH HEADS WERE REWORKED AND GASKETS REPLACED. AFTER REPAIR ENGINE STARTED STALLING. IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE WAS THEN REPLACED. NOW THERE IS A FLUCTUATION IN OIL PRESSURE. PRIOR TO HEAD GASKET FAILURE, POWER STEERING PUMP HAS TO BE REPLACED.*AK

20040422ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

OVERHEATING AT FIRST THEN AFTER THE HEADGASKETS WERE REPLACED THE ROD BEARINGS FAILED WHICH ADDED ANOTHER 1200.00 TO THE 1645.00 OF THE FIRST REPAIR AND THE POWER STEERING PUMP WAS REPLACED AT THE TIME OF THE FIRST REPAIR.

Mileage: 87,500

20030327ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

HEAD GASKET FAILURE AT 73,000 ON MY 1991 TBIRD WITH THE 3.8 V6. LOOKS LIKE FORD IS TRYING TO COVER THIS UP! *NLM

Mileage: 73,000

20021231EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

HEADLIGHT FAILURE INTERMITTENT OPERATION. TS

Mileage: 165,000

20021211VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

PART TO REPAIR NOT AVAILABLE. DT

20020923VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER

WINDSHIELD WIPERS FREEZE UP WHEN WIPERS ARE TURNED ON HIGH. THIS IS A SIMILAR DEFECT TO THE "NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 91V076000" PROBLEM I CAN NOT USE THE MY CAR WIPERS ON HIGH IN THE RAIN. *AK

20020607ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE HAS BEEN REPLACED TWICE ALREADY AND NEEDS TO GO IN AGAIN BECAUSE OF HEAD GASKET BLOWING OUT. CONTACTED DEALER. *AK

20020509SUSPENSION

WHILE DRIVING HEARS A LOUD BEEP COMING FROM FRONT OF VEHICLE. CAN'T ACTUALLY TELL WHERE BEEP IS COMING FROM. PLEASE ADD VIN. *AK

20020304ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

I AM IN A CLUB OF OVER 5,000 OWNERS OF IDENTICAL CARS AND FAILURES HAVE BEEN SEEN AS LOW AS 18,000 MILES TO MY KNOWLEDGE, AND NUMEROUS IN THE 60000 MILE RANGE ON WELL MAINTAINED CARS OF HEADGASKET FAILURE WHICH OFTEN CAUSES COMPLETE ENGINE FAILURE, IN MY CASE IT CAUSED TWO CONNECTING RODS TO FAIL, A CRANKSHAFT BEARING DUE TO OIL CONTAMINATION AND THE CRANKSHAFT AS A RESULT. THIS IS THE THIRD FAILURE ON MY VEHICLE, ONCE I WAS STRANDED ON A DANGEROUS DARK STRETCH OF I-95, ONCE IN THE RAIN AND AS A RESULT OF LOSS OF HEAT (HEADGASKET FAILURE SYMPTOM) I RAN A RED LIGHT AND PROCEDED THE WRONG WAY ON A ONE WAY STREET. *AK

20010926VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

WHILE THE CONSUMER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE ACCELERATOR BECAME STRUCK. AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE UNTIL THE BRAKE PEDAL AND EMERGENCY BRAKE WERE APPLIED. *AK *NM

Mileage: 144,509

20010706FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY

THIS AUTO WAS A LATE BUILD THUNDERBIRD 5-91 IT HAS SOME 92 THUNDERBIRD SYSTEMS INCLUDING RECALLED FUEL LINES OF THE 1992 THUNDERBIRD. *AK

20010706SUSPENSION:REAR

IT LOOKS LIKE DUE TO THE WEIGHT OF THE INDEPENDANT REAR SUSPENSION THE REAR WHEELWELL WELDS AND FLOOR PAN APPEAR TO BE TEARING AWAY FROM THE CAR. *AK

20010620EQUIPMENT:APPLIANCE:AIR CONDITIONER

AIR CONDITIONER GETS A COOLANT-TYPE SMELL AND THEN BEGINS TO BLOW HOT AIR. I HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES WITH THE SAME COMPLAINT, THE FIRST TIME BEING IN 1996. MOST OF THE TIME THEY CANNOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SOMETIMES, THEY REPLACE "O" RINGS, GASKETS, FREON, ETC. BUT IT STILL DOES NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK

20010614ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

HEAD GASKET BLEWOUT WITH ANY WARNING OR PRIOR PROBLEM. VEHICLE HAS LOW MILEAGE, BUT MANUFACTURER IS NOT COVERING COST. *AK

20010612ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ANTIFREEZE IS LEAKING THROUGH OUT EXHAUST SYSTEM CAUSED BY BAD HEAD GASKETS. ENGINE OVERHEATED, BLEW A HEAD GASKET, AND LOST ANTIFREEZE IMMEDIATELY. FORD DEALER IS DENYING ANY PROBLEMS THEY MAY HAVE WITH THE GASKETS.*AK

Compare 1991FORDTHUNDERBIRD to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 8 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 1991 FORD THUNDERBIRD have?
The 1991 FORD THUNDERBIRD has 130 NHTSA complaints, 7 crashes, 14 fires, 5 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1991 FORD THUNDERBIRD?
The most-complained component for the 1991 FORD THUNDERBIRD is ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE with 12 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include SEAT BELTS and EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS.
Is the 1991 FORD THUNDERBIRD safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.