2002 FORD THUNDERBIRD — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 92 complaints · 2 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (29 complaints · 31.5%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 4
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 4
  • Deaths 1
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NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ENGINE appears in 29 of 92 owner complaints (31.5%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 29 complaints, 31.5% of reports ENGINE 29 · 31.5% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 16 complaints, 17.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16 · 17.4% AIR BAGS: 10 complaints, 10.9% of reports AIR BAGS 10 · 10.9% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 9 complaints, 9.8% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 · 9.8% · 2 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 4 complaints, 4.4% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 · 4.4% FUEL SYSTEM: 4 complaints, 4.4% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 4 · 4.4% STRUCTURE: 4 complaints, 4.4% of reports STRUCTURE 4 · 4.4% · 1 crash reports SEAT BELTS: 3 complaints, 3.3% of reports SEAT BELTS 3 · 3.3% POWER TRAIN: 2 complaints, 2.2% of reports POWER TRAIN 2 · 2.2% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 23 complaints, 25.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 · 25.0% · 3 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ENGINE 29 31.5% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16 17.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 10 10.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 9.8% 2 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 4 4.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 4 4.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 4 4.4% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SEAT BELTS 3 3.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 2 2.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 23 25.0% 3 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jul 2002; the first recall shown was reported in Jun 2002. 2002-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2003-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2003-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2003-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2005-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2008-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Jun 2002 Jul 2023 Recall campaign 02V169000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V169000 Recall campaign 06E056000 ◆ Recall campaign 06E056000
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2002-Q3 Owner reports 2
2003-Q1 Owner reports 7
2003-Q2 Owner reports 4
2003-Q3 Owner reports 1
2003-Q4 Owner reports 2
2004-Q4 Owner reports 1
2005-Q1 Owner reports 2
2005-Q3 Owner reports 1
2005-Q4 Owner reports 1
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2007-Q1 Owner reports 1
2007-Q3 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 2
2008-Q2 Owner reports 1
2008-Q3 Owner reports 7
2008-Q4 Owner reports 1
2009-Q1 Owner reports 4
2009-Q2 Owner reports 3
2009-Q3 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q2 Owner reports 2
2010-Q3 Owner reports 1
2010-Q4 Owner reports 1
2011-Q1 Owner reports 1
2011-Q2 Owner reports 2
2011-Q3 Owner reports 5
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 1
2013-Q3 Owner reports 2
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 2
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q1 Owner reports 2
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q1 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 1
2017-Q3 Owner reports 2
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q2 Owner reports 2
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q3 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 02V169000
Recall campaign 1 06E056000
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (2)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V169000

    Report date
    Component:
    SEAT BELTS
    Consequence:
    THE EDGE OF THE RECLINER MECHANISM CAUSED A PARTIAL CUT IN THE LAP PORTION OF THE WEBBING. IF THE WEBBING IS CUT, IT INCREASES THE RISK OF INJURY IN A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSTALL AN INSERT BEHIND THE DRIVER SIDE SEAT LOWER TRIM PANEL. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN JUNE 21, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT FORD AT 1-866-436-7332.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 06E056000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    FAILURE OF THIS CONNECTION COULD LEAD TO FUEL SPILLAGE AND, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, A FIRE COULD OCCUR.
    Remedy:
    UFI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPLACE THE FILTERS FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON AUGUST 4, 2006. OWNERS MAY CONTACT UFI FILTERS USA AT 800-230-5876.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 92 complaints · page 1 of 4

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources