1987 Ford Thunderbird problems & reliability
61 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 1987 Ford Thunderbird. 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.
3 complaints report injuries (9 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Electrical System → | 24 | 39% |
| Seat Belts → | 13 | 21% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 11% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 5 | 8% |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 4 | 7% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 7% |
| Exterior Lighting | 3 | 5% |
| Steering | 2 | 3% |
| Equipment | 1 | 2% |
| Power Train | 1 | 2% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“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. The vehicle was turned…”
Vehicle Speed Control · filed Sep 13, 2005
“While pullling seat belt out to lock in place seat belt would not become latched. Please provide further information. *ak”
Seat Belts · filed Nov 26, 2001
“All of the incidents that I have reported in this form are related! Our car kept wanting to die at stoplights and we took it to our mechanic several times to get it fixed, but, they never could quite get it right. At 3:30 am. On 07/06/2000, I smelled smoke in the house and it awoke me from a sound sleep! I got up to…”
Electrical System · filed Jan 25, 2001
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Federal defect investigations
- FAULTY SEAT BELT BUCKLES
Engineering Analysis EA95021 · opened Jul 31, 1995 · closed Sep 30, 1997
- FAULTY SEATBELT BUCKLES
Preliminary Evaluation PE95019 · opened Mar 27, 1995 · closed Jul 31, 1995
- POWER SEAT MALFUNC/FIRE
Engineering Analysis EA90005 · opened Oct 31, 1989 · closed Mar 12, 1991 · led to recall 91V036000
- PWR SEAT MALFUNC - FIRE
Preliminary Evaluation PE89125 · opened Jun 1, 1989 · closed Oct 31, 1989
- FLOORMAT/ACCEL PEDAL INTRF
Preliminary Evaluation PE88097 · opened Aug 31, 1988 · closed Dec 2, 1988
Technical service bulletins
23 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 1987 Ford Thunderbird. The 10 most recent:
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
Subject regarding contamination from prior transmission concerns or excess wear may be trapped in the transmission fluid cooling system. *tt
002310 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 13, 2000
Information regarding the new transmission cooler flusher- service tip. *mjs
0015 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jan 10, 2000
Subject on a wire harness terminal repair kit available for repairing electrical wiring harnesses. *tt
99222 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 18, 1999
Information on identifying non-approved / alternate refrigerants which could cause safety, and performance concerns if installed in ford a/c systems. *tt
99196 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Sep 20, 1999
Information on the new flush and fill tool available through rotunda. *tt
99152 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Jul 26, 1999
Information on a new transmission fluid usage chart. *yc
9888 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 27, 1998
A new silicone gasket and sealant. *yc
9874 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 1998
Information on tire company telephone numbers for customer assistance. *yc
9852 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Apr 13, 1998
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 1987 Ford Thunderbird 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 1987 Ford Thunderbird?
- · 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.