2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data

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N/A

Safety Rating

40

Owner Complaints

6 Crashes

1

Recall

ACTIVE RECALL

5

Service Bulletins

0

Investigations

Overview of the 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD

The 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD has received a total of 40 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There has been 1 recall campaign affecting this vehicle, covering issues with SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST. 5 technical service bulletins have been issued by Ford Motor Company for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Vehicle Speed Control (9 complaints), Engine (7 complaints), and Power Train (5 complaints).

Recalls for the 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD

NHTSA has recorded 1 recall for the 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD, potentially affecting up to 24,277 vehicles.

Recall 04V330000 — SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:POWER ADJUST

| 24,277 vehicles affected

Defect: CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH POWER ADJUSTABLE SEATS MAY HAVE BEEN INADEQUATELY WELDED.

Consequence: THE SEAT MAY NOT PERFORM AS INTENDED DURING A CRASH WHICH COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE UPPER SUPPORT ASSEMBLY ON THE POWER SEATS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON JULY 20, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-800-392-3673.

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Owner Complaints for the 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD

40 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.

Most Recent Complaints

#11434577 | ENGINE | | 40,526 miles
The contact owns a 2004 Ford Thunderbird. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact approached a stop sign and the vehicle stopped as needed; however, after the contact depressed on the accelerator pedal, the vehicle began to misfire and shuddered for several minutes. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed that the failure was related to TSB 05-16-2 (moisture build up on the plugs and on the cylinder) that caused the vehicle to misfire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,526.
#11364399 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | | 10,000 miles
HAVE REPLACED VIA FORD DEALER THROTTLE CONTROL SENSOR TWICE. FIRST REPAIR 2007. SECOND REPAIR 2014, AND NOW IN 2020. I AM FACING SAME PROBLEM AGAIN. OBVIOUSLY THE CONTROL SYSTEM IS DEFECTIVE. THE PROBLEM TRIGGERS VEHICLE LIMP MODE WHILE DRIVING AND IN PARK.
#11351417 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | | 89,000 miles
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE INSIDE THE VEHICLE, AN ABNORMAL ODOR APPEARED AS THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO CHANGED THE OIL AND NOTICED FUEL LEAKING FROM THE FUEL TANK. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CURRENTLY STILL BEING EXPERIENCED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT MENTIONED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 05V113000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE) AS A POSSIBLE SOLUTION TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE HOWEVER NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 89,000.
#10905373 | ENGINE | | N/A miles
2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO DEFECTIVE IGNITION COILS CAUSES ENGINE TO MIS-FIRE, DEALERSHIP REPLACED DEFECTIVE COILS UNDER EXTENDED ONE-TIME WARRANTY REPAIR. CONSUMER STATES ENGINE MIS-FIRE STILL EXISTS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE MISFIRED DUE TO DEFECTIVE IGNITION COILS. TWO COILS WERE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. THE DEALER WOULD NOT REPLACE ANY OTHER COILS THAT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN. UPDATED 05/4/2017 *JS
#10946735 | ENGINE | | 33,130 miles
VEHICLE UNEXPECTEDLY LOST POWER UPON MILD ACCELERATION ON A CITY STREET AND DEVELOPED A ROUGH, SKIPPING AND HESITANT IDLE UPON WARM UP. WE IMMEDIATELY BROUGHT THE CAR IN FOR EVALUATION AT THE SARAT FORD DEALERSHIP IN AGAWAM, MA. THEY DIAGNOSED THE DREADED THUNDERBIRD COIL ON PLUG FAILURE IN THIS VEHICLE AT ONLY 33,165 TOTAL MILES. BEING THAT THIS CAR IS NOW OVER TEN YEARS OLD, I WAS TOLD THAT THE FOMOCO EXTENDED WARRANTY (10 YEARS AND 100,000 MILES) ON THIS VEHICLE, FOR THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM, DOES NOT APPLY. WHAT IS EXTREMELY AGGRAVATING AND REALLY MADDENING WITH THIS IS THAT THEY GROSSLY OVER CHARGED ME FOR THE PARTS. MUCH MORE THAN WHAT FORD CHARGES ON THEIR OWN PARTS WEBSITE FOR BOTH THE 8 SPARK PLUGS AND THE 8 COIL COMPONENTS. RATHER THAN TRYING TO HELP A CUSTOMER GET THROUGH THIS UNEXPECTED AND EXPENSIVE MECHANICAL FAILURE (...WHICH THEY ARE FULLY AWARE OF AND SHOULD HELP COVER) THEY DECIDE TO ALLOW THEIR DEALERS TO PRICE GOUGE. I HAVE ALL PAPERWORK FROM THE REPAIR.

View all Vehicle Speed Control complaints →

Safety Rating for the 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD

NHTSA has not yet tested the 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD in its New Car Assessment Program.

Technical Service Bulletins for the 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD

Ford Motor Company has issued 5 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.

0708 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SOLENOID EMISSIONS WARRANTY EXTENSION. SAMPLE CONSUMER LETTER ATTACHED. *KB

04B22 — POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION

IMPROPERLY FORMULATED TRANSMISSION FLUID THAT, OVER TIME, MAY CAUSE DELAYED/HARSH REVERSE ENGAGEMENTS. CUSTOMER SATISFACTION PROGRAM 04B22. 5R55S/E & 5R44E TRANSMISSION FLUID ADDITIVE. *TT SUPPLEMENT #1. *TT SUPPLEMENT #2. *TT SUPPLEMENT #3. *TT

04174 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ILLUMINATED - SYSTEM LEAN DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES (DTC'S) - SERVICE TIPS. VARIOUS MODELS INCLUDING 2004 F-SERIES. *TT

17740 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

ELECTTRONIC THROTTLE CONTROL WARNING MESSAGE OR LAMP ON - MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (MIL) ON WITH DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODE (DTC) P2106 - POSSIBLE DRIVEABILITY SYMPTOMS. *TT

17756 — STEERING:GEAR BOX (OTHER THAN RACK AND PINION)

STEERING GEAR NOISE. *TT

NHTSA Investigations for the 2004 FORD THUNDERBIRD

There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.

Other Model Years of the FORD THUNDERBIRD

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Other FORD Models

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