1991 Ford Thunderbird Recalls, Complaints & Specs

3 safety recalls list the 1991 Ford Thunderbird, and owners have filed 112 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

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3 safety recalls for the 1991 Ford Thunderbird

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

1. Ignition (electrical system)

   NHTSA 96V071000 Reported April 25, 1996 7,900,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The ignition switch could experience an internal short circuit.

   Remedy: Dealers will replace the ignition switch.

2. Motor (visibility)

   NHTSA 91V076000 Reported May 6, 1991 125,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The nuts which hold windshield wiper motor to the wiper module may not have been sufficiently tightened and may loosen or come off. This causes changed wiper patterns, or the wipers may jam if two of the three nuts come off.

   Remedy: Apply torque retention material to wiper motor studs and nuts and retorque.

3. Automatic transmission (power train)

   NHTSA 91V048000 Reported March 18, 1991 6,800 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   The park rod assembly contains a park cam with inadequate surface hardness, which could lead to park disengagement or no park engagement when the lever is placed in park.

   Remedy: Replace park rod assembly on automatic transmissions.

112 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 1991 Ford Thunderbird have filed 112 complaints with NHTSA; 7 describe a crash and 13 describe a fire. Reports cite 5 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 97,501 miles. Complaints peaked in 1996 with 29 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Engine and engine cooling: engine12
• Seat belts8
• Exterior lighting: headlights7
• Electrical system: switch6
• Equipment: air conditioner6
• Seat belts: retractor6
• Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip6
• Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components6

What owners are reporting

“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 charg”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, June 11, 2015 · Service brakes

“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”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, August 1, 2005 · Vehicle speed control

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 1991 Ford Thunderbird. Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Compare Ford Thunderbird model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Ford Thunderbird model year in NHTSA's database.

Checking a specific 1991 Ford Thunderbird

Other Ford models

• F-15037,961 complaints
• Explorer34,566 complaints
• Escape27,430 complaints
• Fusion22,405 complaints
• Focus22,096 complaints
• Taurus18,159 complaints
• Windstar14,158 complaints
• Edge14,065 complaints

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.