1988 Ford Thunderbird: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 1988 Ford Thunderbird. The newest campaign is 96V071000. NHTSA received the report on 25 Apr 1996. The NHTSA record gives the component Electrical System / Ignition. NHTSA has 92 complaints on file for this model year. 7 NHTSA investigations name this model year.
The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.
This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.
Remedy of the newest campaign, 96V071000, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the ignition switch.
Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on . Complaint file through . Recall file through .
Since the last update
No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks
Recall campaigns
2 campaigns, newest first. 7,900,682 units in total.
96V071000Received . 7,900,000 units.
Electrical System / Ignition
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
The ignition switch could experience an internal short circuit.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This condition could cause overheating, smoke, and possibly fire in the steering column area of the vehicle.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will replace the ignition switch.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
88V033000Received . 682 units.
Power Train / Axle Assembly / Axle Shaft
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
A design change to facilitate changeover in rear axle shaft flanges inadvertently produced the possibility for interference between the flange and disc brake rotor.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The interference could prevent proper seating of therotor. Also an improperly seated rotor could in time result in a reduction inthe clamping forces of the wheel studs, possibly leading to fractured studsand rear wheel separation.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Inspection of vehicles and where necessary replace rear axle shafts and rear brake rotors.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY.
The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.
Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.
Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.
Complaints by component
92 complaints, 116 component mentions.
A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.
- 1988 Ford Thunderbird
- All 1988 vehicles
| Component | 1988 Thunderbird | All 1988 vehicles | Thunderbird, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical System | 284.5 | 158.7 | 106.8 | 33 |
| Seat Belts | 155.2 | 117.9 | 56.8 | 18 |
| Exterior Lighting | 94.8 | 23.2 | 88.9 | 11 |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 86.2 | 96.1 | 157.7 | 10 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 77.6 | 46.2 | 58.4 | 9 |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 69 | 118.1 | 187.3 | 8 |
| Steering | 51.7 | 58.9 | 25.3 | 6 |
| Unknown or Other | 34.5 | 12 | 19.5 | 4 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 25.9 | 67.1 | 39.9 | 3 |
| Seats | 25.9 | 22.3 | 10.1 | 3 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 16.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 5
- Complaints that report a fire
- 15
- Injuries in the complaints
- 7
- Deaths in the complaints
- 0
- Date of the newest complaint
- 27 Oct 2016
These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.
Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.
Investigations
| Number | Type | Subject | Component | Opened | Closed | Campaign |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EA95021 | Engineering analysis | FAULTY SEAT BELT BUCKLES | Seat Belts | 31 Jul 1995 | 30 Sep 1997 | |
| PE95019 | Preliminary evaluation | FAULTY SEATBELT BUCKLES | Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly | 27 Mar 1995 | 31 Jul 1995 | |
| EA90009 | Engineering analysis | THROTTLE STICKING | Vehicle Speed Control / Linkages | 8 Feb 1990 | 28 Feb 1991 | |
| EA90005 | Engineering analysis | POWER SEAT MALFUNC/FIRE | Seats | 31 Oct 1989 | 12 Mar 1991 | 91V036000 |
| PE90001 | Preliminary evaluation | THROTTLE STICKING | Vehicle Speed Control / Linkages | 4 Oct 1989 | 2 Feb 1990 | |
| PE89125 | Preliminary evaluation | PWR SEAT MALFUNC - FIRE | Electrical System | 1 Jun 1989 | 31 Oct 1989 | |
| PE88097 | Preliminary evaluation | FLOORMAT/ACCEL PEDAL INTRF | Vehicle Speed Control / Linkages | 31 Aug 1988 | 2 Dec 1988 |
Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.
Other model years
The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.
- 19600
- 19650
- 19674
- 19701
- 19711
- 19723
- 19734
- 19741
- 19754
- 19761
- 19774
- 19783
- 19793
- 19801
- 19833
- 19841
- 19851
- 19861
- 19871
- 19882
- 19894
- 19903
- 19913
- 19923
- 19933
- 19940
- 19950
- 19962
- 19970
- 19980
- 19990
- 20021
- 20030
- 20041
- 20051
A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.
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Official channels
- NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
- NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
- NHTSA page of the 1988 Ford ThunderbirdThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 1988 Ford Thunderbird: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/thunderbird/1988/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through .
Sources
- Source
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
- Licence
- US government work, public domain
- Recall file through
- 30 Sep 2026
- Complaint file through
- 30 Sep 2026
- First complaint in the file
- 1 Jan 1995
- Manufacturer in the recall file
- FORD MOTOR COMPANY
The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.
Questions
- How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 1988 Ford Thunderbird?
- 7,900,682 units in 2 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
- How many recall campaigns does the Ford Thunderbird have for all model years?
- NHTSA lists 50 recall campaigns for the Ford Thunderbird, model years 1960 to 2005. 2 of them name the 1988 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 1988 Ford Thunderbird name most often?
- Electrical System: 33 of 116 component mentions, or 284.5 per 1,000. For all 1988 vehicles the figure is 158.7 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1988 Ford Thunderbird open?
- No. Each of the 7 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.