AI Damage1987 Ford Thunderbird: common problems
Owners of the 1987 Ford Thunderbird filed 61 complaints with NHTSA, most often about electrical system and seat belts. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 61
- involving a crash
- 4
What fails most often
- 1 Electrical system 39% of all complaints
- 2 Seat belts 21% of all complaints
- 3 Vehicle speed control 11% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 8% of all complaints
- 5 Engine and cooling 7% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 7% of all complaints
- 7 Exterior lighting 5% of all complaints
- 8 Steering 3% of all complaints
- Electrical system: 24 complaints (39% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Seat belts: 13 complaints (21% of all).
- Vehicle speed control: 7 complaints (11% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 5 complaints (8% of all).
- Engine and cooling: 4 complaints (7% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2.3 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- 3.8 L · petrol · 6 cyl
- 5 L · petrol · 8 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: RWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 61 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical system | 24 | 1 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 13 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 4 | 1 | 0 |
| Fuel system | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Equipment | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
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.
Engine: driving approximately 25mph when body mounts broke and engine collapsed. Lost control of vehicle and ran into a field. Has not taken vehicle in for repair.
The rack for the rack and pinon steering broke and caused an accident. Please describe.
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.
While pullling seat belt out to lock in place seat belt would not become latched. Please provide further information.
On 07/06/2000, I smelled smoke in the house and it awoke me from a sound sleep! I got up to see were the smoke was coming from and it was coming from our attached garage! My 1987 ford thunderbird was on fire!
At 3:30am on 07/06/2000 I smelled smoke in the house and it woke me up from a sound sleep. I got up to see were the smoke was coming from and it was coming from the garage. My 1987 thunderbird was on fire! I had to go to the hospital for smoke inhalation and mu wife and step-son were treated at the scene.
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.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 4,799 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 13% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Thunderbird has 82 complaints (29 years in the data). This year has 61, below average.
What to check before buying
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Seat belts. Belt pretensioners after airbag deployment, SRS codes.
- Vehicle speed control. Accelerator pedal, cruise control, throttle codes.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
- Thunderbird 19803 sources
- Thunderbird 19833 sources
- Thunderbird 198426 sources
- Thunderbird 198514 sources
- Thunderbird 198623 sources
- Thunderbird 198892 sources
- Thunderbird 1989124 sources
- Thunderbird 1990140 sources
- Thunderbird 1991112 sources
- Thunderbird 1992184 sources
- Thunderbird 1993423 sources
- Thunderbird 1994300 sources
- Thunderbird 1995261 sources
- Thunderbird 1996233 sources
- Thunderbird 1997169 sources
- Thunderbird 19983 sources
- Thunderbird 200293 sources
- Thunderbird 200333 sources
- Thunderbird 200434 sources
- Thunderbird 200527 sources
- Thunderbird 99997 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 1987 Ford Thunderbird?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: electrical system, seat belts, vehicle speed control. Total complaints: 61. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: smoke, burning smell, fire (30%), seat belts (21%), headlights and tail lights (7%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 1987 Ford Thunderbird?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 1987 Ford Thunderbird from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 1987 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.