1989 Ford Thunderbird: recalls and complaints
NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 1989 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 123 complaints on file for this model year. 6 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
4 campaigns, newest first. 8,023,924 units in total.
- 96V071000Electrical System / Ignition
- 89V081000Service Brakes, Air / Disc / Caliper
- 89V080000Suspension / Rear / Springs
- 88V165000Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Mounting
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: .
89V081000Received . 113,200 units.
Service Brakes, Air / Disc / Caliper
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Due to contact between the brake caliper of the inboard front wheel and the front stabilizer bar, there may be increased brake pedal travel following low speed turning maneuvers.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This could cause a reduction in brake performancethat could result in an accident.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Install acorn type front suspension strut nuts to eliminate stabilizer bar to brake caliper contact.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
89V080000Received . 10,600 units.
Suspension / Rear / Springs
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Improperly heat treated rear suspension knuckles could experience high mileage fatigue cracks and eventual fracture.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
This could result in rear suspension failure at theaffected wheel with an adverse affect on control of the car, which couldcause an accident.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace knuckles that have the affected lot codes.
Report filed by FORD MOTOR COMPANY. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: .
88V165000Received . 124 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly / Mounting
- Defect, in the NHTSA record
Plastic rollover valve mounting plate may not be properly sealed to the plastic fuel tank.
- Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Fuel or vapor could leak, which could result in a vehiclefire.
- Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Replace fuel tank.
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
123 complaints, 146 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.
- 1989 Ford Thunderbird
- All 1989 vehicles
| Component | 1989 Thunderbird | All 1989 vehicles | Thunderbird, all years | Mentions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 171.2 | 116.7 | 165.7 | 25 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 171.2 | 55.8 | 57.2 | 25 |
| Electrical System | 157.5 | 140.2 | 105.8 | 23 |
| Seat Belts | 137 | 122.3 | 59.6 | 20 |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 102.7 | 128.9 | 192.7 | 15 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 41.1 | 65.6 | 39.4 | 6 |
| Power Train | 34.2 | 74.1 | 82.2 | 5 |
| Steering | 27.4 | 42.2 | 25 | 4 |
| Tires | 27.4 | 27.8 | 21.9 | 4 |
| Seats | 20.5 | 23 | 10.3 | 3 |
The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 18.
- Complaints that report a crash
- 13
- Complaints that report a fire
- 24
- Injuries in the complaints
- 10
- Deaths in the complaints
- 0
- Date of the newest complaint
- 3 Sep 2008
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PE95019 | Preliminary evaluation | FAULTY SEATBELT BUCKLES | Seat Belts / Front / Buckle Assembly | 27 Mar 1995 | 31 Jul 1995 | |
| EA93033 | Engineering analysis | THRTTL VLV LINKAGE BUSHING | Vehicle Speed Control / Linkages | 30 Dec 1993 | 30 Dec 1994 | |
| PE93075 | Preliminary evaluation | THRTTL VLV LINKAGE BUSHING | Vehicle Speed Control / Linkages | 30 Aug 1993 | 30 Dec 1993 | |
| EA90034 | Engineering analysis | HOOD LATCHES FAIL | Structure | 26 Jun 1990 | 25 Feb 1992 | |
| EA90009 | Engineering analysis | THROTTLE STICKING | Vehicle Speed Control / Linkages | 8 Feb 1990 | 28 Feb 1991 | |
| PE90001 | Preliminary evaluation | THROTTLE STICKING | Vehicle Speed Control / Linkages | 4 Oct 1989 | 2 Feb 1990 |
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 1989 Ford ThunderbirdThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.
Cite this page
Recall Register. 1989 Ford Thunderbird: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/ford/thunderbird/1989/. 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
- 29 Mar 2018
- 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 1989 Ford Thunderbird?
- 8,023,924 units in 4 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. 4 of them name the 1989 model year.
- Which component do the complaints about the 1989 Ford Thunderbird name most often?
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 25 of 146 component mentions, or 171.2 per 1,000. For all 1989 vehicles the figure is 116.7 per 1,000.
- Is an NHTSA investigation of the 1989 Ford Thunderbird open?
- No. Each of the 6 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.