1997 Ford Thunderbird Body and structure Problems
- Complaints
- 6about this part
- Share
- 4%of 169 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 78,385miles
- Trend
- Not enough dataFewer than 15 complaints, too few for a reliable trend.
NHTSA recorded 6 complaints about the body and structure of the 1997 Ford Thunderbird, 4% of the 169 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 78,385 miles.
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 plastic intake manifold on my 1997 Ford Thunderbird cracked spilling out all my coolant and causing my engine to overheat, this is a design flaw that should be coverd by Ford motor company, this happend while driving down gratiot ave. In roseville mi at 40 miles per hour with no previous warning, this failure happend 7/3/2011 saturday over the forth of july weekend, where I couldn't get it to a open Ford dealership, now I connot use my vehical for work monday 7/4/2011. Will this repair be coverd by Ford motor company?”
NHTSA complaint #10410350, filed 2011-07, 55,770 miles“I smell gas when driving at high speed of 60 and above on freeway mostly. Once in a while I can smell it when driving at lower speeds of 25 -30mph. I used to think that I had spilled gas on the outside of car when it first started happening, but now a year later, I still smell gas and I do smoke in my car, but when I smell the gas, I will put the cigarette out. Is there some kind of recall on this problem, that can repair it. I have put $4000.00 into restoring the car and I and putting another $800.00 into it next week, november 2013, to replace all of the belts around the engine. …”
NHTSA complaint #10550111, filed 2013-10, 101,000 miles“Due to the location of cup holders spillage from cups get into gear shift. Dealer has been notified. The consumer stated that due to design and location of the cup holder any spill of liquids gets into the gear shift area causing the gear shift to get hard and also, hard to remove key from ignition when the transmission was in park. Engine leaks oil due to rocker arm cover failure.”
NHTSA complaint #8000986, filed 2001-12“First problem: car door indicator light will not go off even when the doors or tightly shut. Second problem: left turning signal light blinks very fast and the right signal light blinks regularly. Third problem: passenger selt belt keeps getting stuck even after pressing the red button to release. Fourth problem: the squeaking and shaking vibration when driving a speed of 50 or more MPH and you begin pressing the brakes is when the sounds and the vibrations begins. …”
NHTSA complaint #766218, filed 2002-08Body and structure: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 1 | 4% |
| 2003 | 2 | 6% |
| 2002 | 4 | 4% |
| 1997 | 6 | 4% |
| 1996 | 10 | 4% |
| 1995 | 10 | 4% |
| 1994 | 3 | 1% |
| 1993 | 10 | 2% |
| 1992 | 4 | 2% |
| 1991 | 2 | 2% |
| 1990 | 3 | 2% |
| 1989 | 1 | 1% |
| 1988 | 1 | 1% |
| 1987 | 1 | 2% |
| 1986 | 1 | 4% |
| 1984 | 1 | 4% |
Other parts of the 1997 Ford Thunderbird
54 complaintsBrakes
22 complaintsSuspension
18 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
17 complaintsTires
16 complaintsFuel system
13 complaintsVehicle speed control
11 complaintsSteering
9 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
7 complaintsAir bags
6 complaintsOther or unknown
5 complaintsElectrical system
4 complaints
← All problems reported for the 1997 Ford Thunderbird
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.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology