1994 Ford Probe problems & reliability
166 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1994 Ford Probe. Last verified Aug 7, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several vehicles.
11 complaints report injuries (15 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 1994 Ford Probe vehicles were involved in 1 fatal crash with 1 occupant death. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic → | 33 | 20% |
| Power Train → | 29 | 17% |
| Electrical System → | 26 | 16% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling → | 25 | 15% |
| Seat Belts → | 13 | 8% |
| Air Bags → | 11 | 7% |
| Parking Brake → | 11 | 7% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 9 | 5% |
| Steering | 7 | 4% |
| Service Brakes, Air | 6 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 20 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 ford probe equipped with hercules rapture (na) tires, size: 18570r14 (na). The contact stated that there was a bubble sticking out of the tire tread area. The tire was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The tire and vehicle failure mileage was 166,000.”
Tires · filed Nov 23, 2015
“Tl* the contact owns a 1994 ford probe gt. The contact indicated that both the front driver and passenger seat belt buckles failed to lock to secure the passengers. The contact indicated that the failure occurred due to rusting of the locking mechanism. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was…”
Seat Belts · filed Dec 8, 2014
“I am concerned because one 1994 ford probe 2.0 is affiliated with tsb no. 96-21-3 that recognizes a defect in the oil pump. The defect is associated with lifter bleed down, low or high oil pressure and lack of power. While operating this motor vehicle in a traffic environment, I may not have the ability to accelerate…”
Engine and Engine Cooling · filed Nov 23, 2010
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- ENGINE OIL PUMP FAILURE
Defect Petition DP98005 · opened Jun 4, 1998 · closed Aug 27, 1998
Technical service bulletins
89 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1994 Ford Probe. The 10 most recent:
Remote keyless entry (rke) - service tips. *tt
03181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 15, 2003
Lamp-brake-invadvertent disabling of brake shift interlock. *mj
02176 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 2, 2002
Some vehicles equipped with the cd4e transaxle may exhibit harsh and delayed 1-2/2-3 upshifts after transaxle or turbine shaft speed sensor replacement, possible diagnostic trouble codes 628, 642, 645, 646, 647, 648…
0224 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 4, 2002
Brake shift interlock.*jb
01181 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 17, 2001
Information regarding transmission fluid usage charts. *slc
01157 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2001
Some vehicles may exhibit heater core leaks. *slc
01156 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 6, 2001
Some vehicles equipped with cd4e auto transaxles may exhibit diagnostic trouble codes for gear ratio or harsh and delayed 1-2 / 2-3 upshifts after transaxle or turbine speed sensor (tss) replacement. *tt
14936 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued May 1, 2001
Some vehicles may exhibit no forward gear ranges due to the misalignment of the forward / coast clutch cylinder snap ring with respect to the legs of the forward clutch piston. *jb
00182 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 1, 2000
Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *mjs
0015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2000
This bulletin addresses an issue with the automatic transmission fluid seeping from the vent, resulting in fluid collecting on the main control assembly. *tt
99249 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 29, 1999
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
No NHTSA recall campaigns name the 1994 Ford Probe in our current data. Recalls may apply only to certain VIN ranges — always confirm with a VIN check.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 1994 Ford Probe?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.