Ford Probe Problems by Model Year
NHTSA recorded 1,192 consumer complaints across the 9 model years of the Ford Probe (1989–1997) that have at least 5 complaints. 1990 has the most, with 323. Across all years, the part named most often is seat belts (534 mentions). Pick a model year below to see its parts, mileage, recalls and service bulletins.
All Probe model years
Years with fewer than 5 complaints are not listed. The score compares years of the same model, allowing for the era and for how long each year has collected complaints: 50 is a typical year, lower means fewer complaints. It is not adjusted for sales volume.
| Year | Complaints | Median mi | Recalls | TSBs | Score (50 = typical) | Trend |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 27 | 68,000 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1996 | 52 | 97,792 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1995 | 86 | 80,000 | 0 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1994 | 166 | 97,500 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1993 | 205 | 74,550 | 1 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1992 | 79 | 106,000 | 2 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1991 | 177 | 113,000 | 3 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1990 | 323 | 107,000 | 3 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
| 1989 | 77 | 84,475 | 0 | 0 | Not compared (before 2008) | Stable |
Parts named most often, all years
Counts add up complaint mentions across the listed years. A complaint can name several parts.
- Seat belts534 46%
- Brakes143 12%
- Engine cooling122 11%
- Electrical system108 9.3%
- Transmission and drivetrain107 9.2%
- Air bags50 4.3%
- Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)48 4.1%
- Steering46 4.0%
Example complaints
One per model year, chosen for length and detail. Personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
1989: “The engine stops unexpectedly while driving, cutting out the power brakes and power steering and making my front-heavy front wheel drive car very very hard to steer and very very difficult to stop. The engine stops unexpectedly often, without warning. I thought this was tied to the ignition switch, but changing the switch and wiring did not help. At the same time of this problem, the ignition switch stopped turning on the starter, but will let the engine run.”
NHTSA complaint #10611084, filed 2014-07, 98,950 miles1996: “I was driving down the road and as soon as I got up to speed past 30 miles per hour it kicked into to gear really hard and I could feel the transmission barely slipping into gear..and had to have the water pump flushed it was over heating thought it was the thermostat but it was checked and fine so I had to replace the water pump...was missing a motor mount on one side and the other was corrodded.. …”
NHTSA complaint #10164357, filed 2006-08, 89,584 miles1994: “I am concerned because one 1994 Ford Probe 2.0 is affiliated with TSB no. 96-21-3 that recognizes a defect in the oil pump. The defect is associated with lifter bleed down, low or high oil pressure and lack of power. While operating this motor vehicle in a traffic environment, I may not have the ability to accelerate efficiently and/or cease the motor due to improper disbursement of engine oil. This condition could potentially create a hazard or accident to myself or others”
NHTSA complaint #10367694, filed 2010-11, 220,000 milesOther Ford models
38,897 complaintsFord Explorer
34,624 complaintsFord Escape
27,530 complaintsFord Fusion
22,441 complaintsFord Focus
22,107 complaintsFord Taurus
18,162 complaintsFord Windstar
14,152 complaintsFord Edge
14,106 complaints
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate. Methodology