1992 Ford Thunderbird Recalls, Complaints & Specs

3 safety recalls list the 1992 Ford Thunderbird, and owners have filed 184 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

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3 safety recalls for the 1992 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. Switch (exterior lighting)

   NHTSA 99V275000 Reported October 12, 1999 164,731 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Vehicle description: passenger vehicles equipped with fog lights, in which the headlights may go out for various intervals and which may be preceded by flickering or blinking as a result of the circuit breaker opening.

   Remedy: Dealers will install a headlight switch which incorporates a circuit breaker of revised design, and install a wiring harness connector, if needed.

2. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (fuel system)

   NHTSA 97V159000 Reported September 22, 1997 125,000 vehicles potentially affected FORD MOTOR COMPANY

   Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the states of connecticut, district of columbia, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, kentucky, massachusetts, maryland, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, wisconsin, and…

   Remedy: Dealers will install a plastic convolute covering around the fuel lines. If the lines show a leak, the lines will be replaced first.

3. 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.

184 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 1992 Ford Thunderbird have filed 184 complaints with NHTSA; 6 describe a crash and 11 describe a fire. Reports cite 10 injuries and 1 death. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 116,602 miles. Complaints peaked in 2000 with 35 filed that year.

Most-reported components

• Exterior lighting: headlights23
• Engine and engine cooling: engine22
• Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip14
• Seat belts12
• Electrical system: ignition9
• Exterior lighting: switch9
• Fuel system, gasoline: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings9
• Electrical system: switch6

What owners are reporting

“The rear brakes failed to function and no power brakes at all really hard pedal had to stand on the brake pedal to get it to stop this happened under normal driving conditions this makes it very hard”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, September 2, 2012 · Service brakes

“1992 ford thunderbird recalled for replacement of ignition switch a few years back (NHTSA action number: ea95002). Defective switch was replaced with exact same part that was recalled and failed again”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, September 15, 2010 · Electrical system

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 1992 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 1992 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.