We found the following complaints for FORD THUNDERBIRD (2003)
Read complaints for FORD THUNDERBIRD (2003)
Dt*: the contact stated while the contact's spouse was driving 70 mph on a dry, smooth interstate, the passenger side air bag deployed without a collision or impact.the vehicle was towed to a dealership who determined there was no apparent reason for the air bag deployment.another dealership in florida determined a couple of hairline rusted places located on the undercarriage of the vehicle were to blame for the air bag deployment.there was no indication of an impact.there were no air bag lights illuminated prior to the incident.
Another vehicle turned left right in front of me, i was going aprox 50 mph, i t-boned the other cars passenger side, my front end hit her and neither driver or pass air bag deployed.police told me when both parties speeds factored in, it was like me hitting a brick wall at 100 mph & that air bags should have deployed.i have contacted ford and testing will be done after repairs are made to vehicle.car may be totalled, damages getting close to 20,000.00.
The contact owns a 2003 ford thunderbird. While stopped in traffic, the contact's vehicle was rear ended by another vehicle. As a result, the contact rear ended the preceding vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact sustained neck and back injuries that required medical attention. The passenger sustained a concussion and back injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.
Passenger side air bag deployed in a parking lot near belleview & quebec driving at 5mph. Car taken to courtesy ford in littleton co. Mar 31/04. Service adviser, tim, stated warranty won't fix because they found yellow paint adhering to the driver side cross member.this scrape occurred at the dealership after the fact due to a high speed bump at their location, painted "yellow" in color.tim advised a ford representative that speed bump is not yellow.we have taken photo's showing speed bump is "yellow".
2003 ford thunderbird had spark plugs replaced four times. Vehicle slowed down to 5 mph without warning and would not pick up speed, and numerous engine problems. Water leaked inside the vehicle, the dealer found cracks and a tear around the weather strip and seal. The a/c control head assembly was replaced.the radio had to be sent out for repairs. The alarm would sound on its own. The light located on the rear view mirror would not go out. The ignition coils were replaced.
The contact owns a 2003 ford thunderbird. The contact stated that the service engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle drastically reduced speed and hesitated on several occasions. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was not able to replicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who indicated that the vehicle was not included in two manufacturer recalls that expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
The car de-powers and will not go above 20-25 mph.the anti lock brake lights come on.they will stay on for awhile and go off and on by themselves.this happens in traffic and is very dangerous.my daughter nearly got plowed over trying to get off the road.she called my scared to death.this happens intermittently.no wet or slick pavement, on a dry sunny day.
I've owned my 2003 thunderbird since it was new. It now has 65000 miles and is driven only 2000 miles a year, over the last 5 years. During this period, i have had all 8 coils replaced, one at a time. The first time was within the first 1000 miles. Generally it occurs while driving in traffic, being on the freeway or on local streets. The engine starts to misfire and not function. After the 3rd or so incident, i was informed that ford recognized the problem and would honor the repair. The only problem with this, knowing of the problem, they refused to replace all at the same time. In other words, they would only replace when the coil malfunctioned, this now has occurred 8 times. Now my motor has failed and needs to be replaced. My understanding is that when the coil malfunctions the corresponding cylinder also is not functioning properly. Again, the car only has 65000 miles and has never been mistreated. The cost to replace the engine is almost $10,000. This motor is a jaguar production 3.9 model. Done when ford had a brief relation with jaguar. To say the least, i am very disappointed with ford and their lack of taking responsibility. By the way, when they replace the motor, the old coils will be reinstalled on the rebuilt engine.
The contact owns a 2003 ford thunderbird. The contact stated that the service engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle drastically reduced speed and hesitated on several occasions. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was not able to replicate the failure. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer who indicated that the vehicle was not included in two manufacturer recalls that expired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was not available.
I was accelerating to merge onto the highway at full throttle and the engine shut itself off. I pulled over to the shoulder and turned the ignition off and restarted it and continued to my destination. This has occurred several times over the last few years, and it is only getting worse and more frequent. Sometimes the limp home light (wrench) comes on. I must turn the ignition off and back on to make the car work. I have had all 8 coils replaced and this did not fix the problem and it still occurs today. I checked the codes and it did say it was a forced shut down. I unfortunately do not remember the code number.
While making a u-turn in a culd-e-sac at 5 mph, the wrench light came on. I can only reach a speed of 40 mph now. I am afraid to turn the car off until i get home.
The contact owns a 2003 ford thunderbird. The contact stated that the vehicle sputtered and the check engine light illuminated on three occasions. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and independent repair shop after each failure to have the coils and spark plugs replaced. The repairs were covered under warranty. The manufacturer was notified and offered no further assistance. The failure mileage was 44,850.
Car sputtered and misfired causing partial power loss and speed loss.problem is ignition coils. Have now had to replace a total of three during two similar events.two dealers failed to inform me of extended warranty on this known problem.
The first incident happened on 6/12/12 when the engine started sputtering and missing and then went into a "limp mode" and would only accelerate no more than 15 mph. After taking it to the shop they determined that the ignition coil on cylinder #8 was bad and replaced it for $270. The second incident happened 9/7/13 and left my wife stranded on the side of the road. After doing research on the internet, i found out that ford had issued a 10 year/100,000 mile extended warranty for all 2003, 2004, and 2005 thunderbirds to replace the defective ignition coils. Ford has recognized that this part is defective and is a safety problem, but since it has not been recalled, and i did not know about the extended warranty, they are charging me $1,200 dollars to replace 7 ignition coils. Looking at the ford thunderbird forums on the internet reveals that this is a common problem and should be recalled so owners can have them replaced, since ford has acknowledged that there is a defect.
2003 ford thunderbird had spark plugs replaced four times. Vehicle slowed down to 5 mph without warning and would not pick up speed, and numerous engine problems. Water leaked inside the vehicle, the dealer found cracks and a tear around the weather strip and seal. The a/c control head assembly was replaced.the radio had to be sent out for repairs. The alarm would sound on its own. The light located on the rear view mirror would not go out. The ignition coils were replaced.
Driving on a 1,850 mile trip. Car engine repeatedly shut off on light acceleration from complete stop. Motor light and wrench light illuminated. Put can in neutral and re-started. Wrench light de-illuminated, motor light stayed on. Acceleration could barely be attained to keep engine running up to 45 mph. After that speed, can ran somewhat normally,. Entering an expressway at very low speed with minimum acceleration became the only way to continue the trip. Very dangerous.went to a ford dealer on route. Because i was from out of state he agreed to work me in for service that day. However, after i described the problem, service writer refused my request to put car on their diagnostic machine. He agreed to change the fuel filter only. Dealer would do no other work. Told me i would have to leave it several days. I tried two tanks of fuel with a stoddard solvent injector cleaner. At home. I researched the problem. The ignition coils and throttle body are indicated. I have had both ignition coils replaced.18,000 miles ago. Replacement for both was not free. This condition is absolutely dangerous and has no lead up symptoms to warn you. I have barely avoided being rear-ended several times as i tried to make it off the expressway. Local ford dealer is trying to avoid scheduling my thunderbird for repairs. A recall of the defective components is necessary. A check of the internet web sites indicate this is predominant with all thunderbirds of this vintage.
Dt: while driving at 55-60 mph the engine started to bog down and slowly died. Had been todealer numerous times concerningthis problem anda transmission. Vehicle had been checked diagnosticians, and was unable to find anything wrong. Dealer had never indicated what was wrong.no repairs were made other than a rebuild of the transmission when first purchased. Problem with the engine dying was intermittent.no repairs were made because theywere unable to determine the cause of theproblem.
2003 ford thunderbird had spark plugs replaced four times. Vehicle slowed down to 5 mph without warning and would not pick up speed, and numerous engine problems. Water leaked inside the vehicle, the dealer found cracks and a tear around the weather strip and seal. The a/c control head assembly was replaced.the radio had to be sent out for repairs. The alarm would sound on its own. The light located on the rear view mirror would not go out. The ignition coils were replaced.
The contact owns a 2003 ford thunderbird. The contact stated that the headlights failed. While driving 50 mph, the headlights and tail lights failed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but a failure code could not be produced due to the failure occurring intermittently. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The approximate failure mileage was 48,000.
Driving on a 1,850 mile trip. Car engine repeatedly shut off on light acceleration from complete stop. Motor light and wrench light illuminated. Put can in neutral and re-started. Wrench light de-illuminated, motor light stayed on. Acceleration could barely be attained to keep engine running up to 45 mph. After that speed, can ran somewhat normally,. Entering an expressway at very low speed with minimum acceleration became the only way to continue the trip. Very dangerous.went to a ford dealer on route. Because i was from out of state he agreed to work me in for service that day. However, after i described the problem, service writer refused my request to put car on their diagnostic machine. He agreed to change the fuel filter only. Dealer would do no other work. Told me i would have to leave it several days. I tried two tanks of fuel with a stoddard solvent injector cleaner. At home. I researched the problem. The ignition coils and throttle body are indicated. I have had both ignition coils replaced.18,000 miles ago. Replacement for both was not free. This condition is absolutely dangerous and has no lead up symptoms to warn you. I have barely avoided being rear-ended several times as i tried to make it off the expressway. Local ford dealer is trying to avoid scheduling my thunderbird for repairs. A recall of the defective components is necessary. A check of the internet web sites indicate this is predominant with all thunderbirds of this vintage.
I was accelerating to merge onto the highway at full throttle and the engine shut itself off. I pulled over to the shoulder and turned the ignition off and restarted it and continued to my destination. This has occurred several times over the last few years, and it is only getting worse and more frequent. Sometimes the limp home light (wrench) comes on. I must turn the ignition off and back on to make the car work. I have had all 8 coils replaced and this did not fix the problem and it still occurs today. I checked the codes and it did say it was a forced shut down. I unfortunately do not remember the code number.
Vehicle experiences unintended engine acceleration when stopping for a red light or placing the car in park. Motor hit over 3500 rpm while parking before i could shut down the ignition.
While making a u-turn in a culd-e-sac at 5 mph, the wrench light came on. I can only reach a speed of 40 mph now. I am afraid to turn the car off until i get home.
Dt: while driving at 55-60 mph the engine started to bog down and slowly died. Had been todealer numerous times concerningthis problem anda transmission. Vehicle had been checked diagnosticians, and was unable to find anything wrong. Dealer had never indicated what was wrong.no repairs were made other than a rebuild of the transmission when first purchased. Problem with the engine dying was intermittent.no repairs were made because theywere unable to determine the cause of theproblem.
Transmission failed at 400 miles. When backing outvehicle accelerated, forcing the driver to apply pressure to the brakes.*mr
My transmission was having issues with shifting. Lights flashed on dashboard.
The vehicles rearend (differential) develops a howling noise, noticable at 40+ mph. This same problem has occurred twice before. The dealership has replaced the rearend on two previous occassions. The noise is starting to occur again, if replaced this would be the fourth rearend.
The seat belt locked up when a turn was made, also the abs did not work.
While driving at 25 mph driver applied the brakes andvehicle accelerated.
The abs did not work properly, when the brakes were applied, the vehicle hopped over the road.
The seat belt locked up when a turn was made, also the abs did not work.
Dt*: the contact stated while applying the brake pedal, there was a noise as though the wheel was going to come off.the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined the driver side rear caliper, brake shoe and rotor needed to be replaced.updated 12/12/2006 -
Complaint received via e-mail. Front right brake caliper came off and locked up wheel and slid my car sideways when brakes were applied. 2003, ford, thunderbird on the day of deliverywith 300 miles on the car caliper bolt fell out, and when brakes applied the caliper turned up into the wheel, and jammed wheel. At6:30 pm.moved from left to right lane,and applied brakes to slow down approximately 25 mph to turn into a parking lot. Original speed was between 35 and 40 mph. Released brakes, and heard a clung under the car as if we ran over something. Immediately looked back, but saw nothing in the road. Continued to parking lot, applied brakes, and front right wheel locked up, car slid to an angled stop, released brakes ,androlled forward with very strong clanking noise. We continued into the parking lot. My wife called ford roadside assistance to repair front right caliper bolts,and wheel was replaced. The proper caliper boltwas not available at the time of replacement.service used bolt they could find. 1 failure, no one hurt, no police report, just very lucky. The failure caused damage to the vehicle.*tc
Dt*: the contact stated while applying the brake pedal, there was a noise as though the wheel was going to come off.the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined the driver side rear caliper, brake shoe and rotor needed to be replaced.updated 12/12/2006 -
Dt*: the contact stated while applying the brake pedal, there was a noise as though the wheel was going to come off.the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined the driver side rear caliper, brake shoe and rotor needed to be replaced.updated 12/12/2006 -
- the contact owns a 2003 ford thunderbird.the contact heard a loud noise when steering or turning the vehicle to the left or right.the contacthad the rack and pinion replaced ,and has the repair order.the contact purchased the vehiclein october 2006, and the failure began indecember 2006.
2003 ford thunderbird had spark plugs replaced four times. Vehicle slowed down to 5 mph without warning and would not pick up speed, and numerous engine problems. Water leaked inside the vehicle, the dealer found cracks and a tear around the weather strip and seal. The a/c control head assembly was replaced.the radio had to be sent out for repairs. The alarm would sound on its own. The light located on the rear view mirror would not go out. The ignition coils were replaced.
One of the 4 bolts that hold the rear suspension to the vehicle fell out of the car.the bolt failed due to corrosion and possibly over torquing at the factory.severe corrosion inside the pocket that houses this bolt. Ford dealer says it is not covered and is at least 10 hours labor and is concerned the remaining 3 bolts may be corroded as well.they are also concerned that the frame rail on the body may be affected.this has been a south florida car its entire life and has been garaged its whole life.it has never been exposed to road salt or snow and has only been driven in rain on limited occasions.major safety issue since the rear suspension could fall out of the car.
One of the 4 bolts that hold the rear suspension to the vehicle fell out of the car.the bolt failed due to corrosion and possibly over torquing at the factory.severe corrosion inside the pocket that houses this bolt. Ford dealer says it is not covered and is at least 10 hours labor and is concerned the remaining 3 bolts may be corroded as well.they are also concerned that the frame rail on the body may be affected.this has been a south florida car its entire life and has been garaged its whole life.it has never been exposed to road salt or snow and has only been driven in rain on limited occasions.major safety issue since the rear suspension could fall out of the car.
Basically, all suspension rusted out, including both front suspensions, spindle rods, sway bar, outer tie rods, both rear tie rod links, rear lower and upper control arms , front upper control arms, rear shocks. All the work was performed by the local ford dealer. I was told this was not a unique problem to this vehicle.driving the vehicle made squeeky noises all the time!
When i open the vehicle door at night other vehicle drivers can not see my opened vehicle door when i enter or exit the vehicle even with a reflector or light on the vehicle door because it is blocked when enter or exit the vehicle by my body.i applied highly reflective tape to the lower flange of the vehicle door and also was granted a united states patent no. 9,308,859 under the title motor vehicle door having reflective luminantcomponenton lower interior edge.the advancement allows over two thirds of any vehicle door to be seen at night by other vehicle drivers and will reduce in my estimation one life lost per night per ten million vehicles or globally 35,000 lives a year. I would like my advancement to become a new fmvss with cause and encourage accountability at nhtsa to respond to my genuine concerns. Please advise of what assistance your agency can provide me with the validated new knowledge in visual vehicle accident avoidance that i provide that is now being applied.
Vehicle experiences unintended engine acceleration when stopping for a red light or placing the car in park. Motor hit over 3500 rpm while parking before i could shut down the ignition.
2003 thunderbird goes into "limp mode" and the car suddenly will not go above 25mph.... I am told it is a safety feature... But this is not safe if you are driving on the interstate! i am told this time it is a throttle body... Which i have been waiting for over 30 days. Ford does not have parts for their cars.
While driving at 25 mph driver applied the brakes andvehicle accelerated.
When braking the brake pedal goes down past the gas pedal, foot to hit them at the same time. It is a very unsafe condition because you are braking and accellerating at the same time.also the brake pedal is too close to the gas pedal.i think the brake pedal should never depress below the gas pedal.my wife and i have the same problem.dealer has said it is normal.
2003 ford thunderbird had spark plugs replaced four times. Vehicle slowed down to 5 mph without warning and would not pick up speed, and numerous engine problems. Water leaked inside the vehicle, the dealer found cracks and a tear around the weather strip and seal. The a/c control head assembly was replaced.the radio had to be sent out for repairs. The alarm would sound on its own. The light located on the rear view mirror would not go out. The ignition coils were replaced.
Complaint received via e-mail. Front right brake caliper came off and locked up wheel and slid my car sideways when brakes were applied. 2003, ford, thunderbird on the day of deliverywith 300 miles on the car caliper bolt fell out, and when brakes applied the caliper turned up into the wheel, and jammed wheel. At6:30 pm.moved from left to right lane,and applied brakes to slow down approximately 25 mph to turn into a parking lot. Original speed was between 35 and 40 mph. Released brakes, and heard a clung under the car as if we ran over something. Immediately looked back, but saw nothing in the road. Continued to parking lot, applied brakes, and front right wheel locked up, car slid to an angled stop, released brakes ,androlled forward with very strong clanking noise. We continued into the parking lot. My wife called ford roadside assistance to repair front right caliper bolts,and wheel was replaced. The proper caliper boltwas not available at the time of replacement.service used bolt they could find. 1 failure, no one hurt, no police report, just very lucky. The failure caused damage to the vehicle.*tc
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