1987 Ford Thunderbird Vehicle speed control Problems
- Complaints
- 7about this part
- Share
- 11%of 61 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 63,000miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 7 complaints about the vehicle speed control of the 1987 Ford Thunderbird, 11% of the 61 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 63,000 miles. 2 of these say a crash was involved and 1 a fire, according to the filers.
Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Dt: this vehicle caught on fire three times. It was caused by the cruise control switch. Contacted Ford, they did not offer any assistance. The consumer put two of the fires out, and fire department put one of the fires out. All fires started from under the hood. This happened on june 1, 1996. The vehicle was turned off all three times and parked and that was when the vehicle caught on fire. The repair shop rebuilt the wiring all three times.”
NHTSA complaint #10136339, filed 2005-09, 63,000 miles“Owner put vehicle in reverse and the vehicle sudden accelerated, causing vehicle to be involved in a collision. Vehicle sudden accelerated without any warning. There was a investigation pe-88097, but that investigation is closed.”
NHTSA complaint #813361, filed 1997-06“While driving vehicle stalled. Consumer states vehicle accelerates by itself and that the gas pedal goes up and down on its own, consumer states this has happened numerous times.”
NHTSA complaint #872949, filed 2000-10“While driving at a speed of 45 MPH, the cruise control shorted, causing the steering wheel to fall off, causing the driver to crash into a barn, injuring three passengers and killing one cow.”
NHTSA complaint #781471, filed 1998-10“T.p.s. Switch failure which there is a technical service bulletin out on (no.87-25-7 date :8712). This failure caused vehicle to suddenly accelerate and cause accident.”
NHTSA complaint #521437, filed 1997-08Vehicle speed control: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 4 | 15% |
| 2004 | 9 | 26% |
| 2003 | 4 | 12% |
| 2002 | 11 | 12% |
| 1997 | 11 | 7% |
| 1996 | 8 | 3% |
| 1995 | 11 | 4% |
| 1994 | 23 | 8% |
| 1993 | 14 | 3% |
| 1992 | 6 | 3% |
| 1991 | 10 | 9% |
| 1990 | 17 | 12% |
| 1989 | 26 | 21% |
| 1988 | 8 | 9% |
| 1987 | 7 | 11% |
| 1986 | 3 | 13% |
| 1985 | 1 | 7% |
| 1984 | 2 | 8% |
Other parts of the 1987 Ford Thunderbird
24 complaintsSeat belts
13 complaintsBrakes
5 complaintsEngine cooling
4 complaintsFuel system
4 complaintsExterior lighting
3 complaintsSteering
2 complaintsEquipment
1 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaintsTires
1 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
1 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1987 Ford Thunderbird
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology