1988 Ford Thunderbird Equipment Problems
- Complaints
- 3about this part
- Share
- 3%of 92 total for the year
- Median mileage
- —not reported
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 3 complaints about the equipment of the 1988 Ford Thunderbird, 3% of the 92 complaints for this model year.
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.
“The hi and low air conditioning switch got too hot and burned all the wires and almost caused a fire. Consumer had air conditioning on and smelled smoke turned air off then checked out what the problem was and found wires had over heated and melted to fan switch wire assembly replaced with heavy duty wires by manufacturer at consumer's expense.”
NHTSA complaint #986402, filed 1996-07Equipment: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1 | 3% |
| 1997 | 2 | 1% |
| 1996 | 10 | 4% |
| 1995 | 1 | 0% |
| 1994 | 3 | 1% |
| 1993 | 5 | 1% |
| 1992 | 1 | 1% |
| 1991 | 6 | 5% |
| 1990 | 3 | 2% |
| 1989 | 1 | 1% |
| 1988 | 3 | 3% |
| 1987 | 1 | 2% |
| 1986 | 1 | 4% |
Other parts of the 1988 Ford Thunderbird
29 complaintsSeat belts
18 complaintsExterior lighting
11 complaintsBrakes
8 complaintsVehicle speed control
8 complaintsEngine cooling
7 complaintsSteering
5 complaintsOther or unknown
4 complaintsFuel system
3 complaintsSeats
3 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
3 complaintsBody and structure
1 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1988 Ford Thunderbird
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 30, 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