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1991 Ford Probe problems

The most common problem on the 1991 Ford Probe is seat belts, typically around 100,000 miles. It has 2.1 times the complaints of a typical Probe model year.

Typical year2.1x the typical complaints
Owner complaints
177
Recalls
3
Service bulletins
32
Worst area
Seat belts
Fuel economy
19-24mpg

The worst 1991 Ford Probe problems

Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.

Problems by type

Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.

  • Seat belts
    142
  • Visibility
    13
  • Electrical
    5
  • Engine
    5
  • Suspension
    5
  • Transmission
    4
  • Acceleration
    3
  • Steering
    3
  • Body
    2
  • Tires
    2
  • Fuel system
    1
  • Wheels
    1

Specific symptoms reported on the 1991 Ford Probe

Seat belt 38Fire or smoke 6Wipers 5

Recalls 3

Seat belts: front: webbingReported September 6, 1996 · 224,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Note: driver's side (left) passive seat belt assembly. The rail of the automatic shoulder belt can wear sufficiently such that the cable which retracts the buckle assembly will become jammed in the rail rendering the shoulder belt inoperative.
Risk
In the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant would not be adequately restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace driver side and inoperative passenger side shoulder belt track assemblies.

Recall number 96V172001 · Recall details

Seat belts: front: webbingReported September 6, 1996 · 224,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Note: passenger side (right) seat belt assembly. The rail of the automatic shoulder belt can wear sufficiently such that the cable which retracts the buckle assembly will become jammed in the rail rendering the shoulder belt inoperative.
Risk
In the event of a vehicle crash, the occupant would not be adequately restrained increasing the risk of personal injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace driver side and inoperative passenger side shoulder belt track assemblies.

Recall number 96V172002 · Recall details

Seat belts: front: anchorageReported January 1, 1991 · 7,700 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Brackets mounting automatic shoulder belt retractor assembly may have an understrength spot weld.
Risk
Shoulder belt could fail in a collision increasing therisk of injury to the occupant.
Remedy
Install two bolts in the brackets to prevent shoulder belt failure.

Recall number 91V016000 · Recall details

See all 3 recalls for the 1991 Ford Probe

Defect investigations

Seatback recline mechanism failureOpened July 30, 2007, closed December 5, 2007

On june 29, 2007, the federal safety agency received a petition from mr. Richard h. Mcswain of mcswain engineering inc., requesting that the agency investigate seatback recliner failure in the subject vehicles. The petitioner identified a failure mode involving bypass of the seatback stop pin which could result in a false or partial engagement of the sector and pawl teeth, allowing the seatback to recline in a vehicular collision.odi believes that the alleged failure mode may be the result of progressive wear and tear of the seatback stop pin, the seatback stop, and other seat components in vehicles that are, on average, 17 years old.available data do not suggest that this has occurred with a notable frequency. Odi reviewed its consumer complaint data received over the last nineteen years and found no complaints of seatback collapse (with or without a vehicle collision) in the subject vehicles.considering the advanced age of the subject vehicles, it is unlikely that the federal safety agency would issue an order for the notification and remedy of the alleged defect as defined by the petitioner at the conclusion of the investigation requested in the petition.the statutory requirement that the manufacturer provide a free remedy does not apply if the vehicle was bought by the first purchaser more than 10 calendar years before an order is issued. Therefore, in view of the need to allocate and prioritize the federal safety agency's limited resources to best accomplish the agency's safety mission, the petition is denied.

DP07001

Automatic shoulder beltOpened July 31, 1998, closed February 16, 1999

There is no summary currently available

RQ98011

Mazda rx7 automatic seat belt failureOpened April 16, 1996, closed September 30, 1996

Malfunction of the automatic seat belt system

PE96027

Passive restraint failuresOpened September 8, 1994, closed September 30, 1996

There is no summary currently available

EA94032

Pass.restraint malfunctionOpened May 4, 1994, closed September 8, 1994

There is no summary currently available

PE94039

Steering wheel separationOpened November 14, 1990, closed January 22, 1991

There is no summary currently available

PE91013

Technical service bulletins for the 1991 Ford Probe 32

Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.

See all 32 bulletins for the 1991 Ford Probe

1991 Ford Probe fuel economy

Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.

EngineDriveCityHighwayCombined
2.2L 4‑cylFWD17-2123-2819-24
3.0L 6‑cylFWD1723-2419

What 1991 Ford Probe owners say

Most recent owner complaints, unedited.

Filed Sep 9, 2018 · Seat belts · 80,000 miles · MT

The driver side seat belt is stuck on the track towards the back of it's track and no longer moves or engages.

Filed Feb 1, 2010 · Acceleration · 113,000 miles · AZ

Tl*the contact owns a 1991 ford probe. Whenever the contact drove the vehicle at various speeds to include approximately 60 MPH, using the cruise control the vehicle speed increased. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The current and failure mileages were 113000.

Filed Apr 10, 2007 · Seat belts · 100,000 miles · NY

Tl*the contact owns a 1991 ford probe. The contact stated that the cable which retracts the buckle assembly jammed and caused the seat belt to fail. The dealer stated that this vehicle was excluded from recall # 96v172001 due to the VIN. The current and failure mileage were 100,000.

Filed Nov 22, 2006 · Seat belts · 174,356 miles · FL

Dt*: the contact stated immediately after purchasing a vehicle, it was noticed the seat belt did not retract and was jammed in the rail rendering the belt inoperative. The contact checked for recalls on the federal safety agency website and found the federal safety agency recall campaign # 96v172001 covered the defect. The manufacturer was contacted who informed the vehicle was not included in the recall due to the VIN. The contact was very concerned because the description in the recall matched exactly the problems, the vehicle's seat belt had.

Filed Aug 1, 2006 · Seat belts · IA

I own a 1991 ford probe. The drivers side auto-retract seat-belt assembly is jammed. Searching on the internet, (autozone recalls and this web-site for two), I find interesting information regarding this issue. Particularly the federal safety agency id # 96v172001 / ford recall 96s48 that describes this. Also the link on your site to this pdf (rc-96v172-nn.pdf), is also of interest. My issue / complaint is that I told my local ford dealer as well as had ford motor co. Run my VIN and they stated my VIN was not part of the recall campaign. I do notice that in the above pdf a statement that all probes starting as early as 1990 with this restraint system are to be covered under the recall. This system on this car is faulty. In iowa there is a seat belt law. Although I am not the original owner, I know 2 of the 3 other owners of this. It has only 88,000 miles. Regardless of age or condition, I understand this should be covered under the ford recall campaign and I should be free of any financial responsibility to repair the problem. Any input?

Filed Oct 28, 2004 · Electrical · 130,000 miles · IL

(1) purchased the vehicle (2) learned the horn did not work (3) purchased a replacement horn, and requested information from ford and 3 dealers where it would be located. All, except 1 dealer, refused to give us any information. The last dealer was not certain. Ford's comment was this was "private company information" or "we don't have that information". Suggested we contact their printing company who would sell us schematics. Printing company had no idea which set of schematics we would need. Vehicles are required to have working horns for safety reasons. Ford wanted to sell us $100 worth of service to install a $15 part.

Filed Jan 15, 2004 · Body, Engine · 15,000 miles · CA

I read your complaint page, have had the car since 91 and I have all the same probs, 1 person said he had 2 inches of water in the car, try 6. The paint wasnt right from day 1. The cv joints/axels went bad after 2 years and ive got by till now but the rattle is annoying. The exhaust sys also rattles. Front tires go yearly. Air conditioner never has blown cold. And the door on the glove compartment is to heavy for the latch, I ride 6 mnths of every year with an open glove compartment.the hatchback leaks, and the paint well, who knows where they got that blend. The car always runs cold which causes the rough idle and start and 14 inch wheels werent sufficient for a car that big. I will say that ford bent over backwards to get the items fixed I just cant leave it there bi-weekly.they did repaint it twice and honored the seatbelt recall this year, 2003.the car now has 200,000 miles and has never failed smog or spent one day on a tow truck or in a shop because it wouldnt start. Its been a long noisy and extremely hot ride, and I hope they learned after those bad years. But just recently I asked a mechanic on his opinion if I should buy a taurus. He pointed to a car in the back of his shop and said that car is paying for his sons college. 6th time this year hes had it and he strongly advised me to never purchase a ford car. All the probs with the probe are same with the taurus. I might get 50000 more miles but doubt it. But I dont think they tried to cheat me, ford worked with me from the day I sat in the dealership and they still are.

Filed Oct 1, 2003 · Seat belts · ID

The consumer was referred to the dealer by an auto repair shop for recalls on the seat belts. The dealer stated the vehicle was in the remedy scope, but the recall had expired. The driver and passenger side seat belts did not retract properly. Recall# 96v172001 and 96v172002 subject: automatic shoulder belt.*ak

Filed Jul 1, 2003 · Seat belts · 144,000 miles · LA

The driver side seat belt buckle assembly became jammed in the forward position and will not retract.

Filed Jun 10, 2002 · Seat belts · VT

I have a seat belt that does not work it is stuck in place and they wont help me at all.

Used buying checklistWhat to check on a 1991 Ford Probe before you buy

Compare the 1991 Ford Probe

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Questions about the 1991 Ford Probe

Is the 1991 Ford Probe reliable?

Owners have filed 177 complaints about the 1991 Ford Probe, 2.1 times a typical Probe model year.

What is the most common problem with the 1991 Ford Probe?

Seat belts, with 142 complaints, typically around 100,000 miles. Next is visibility (13).

How many recalls does the 1991 Ford Probe have?

3 recalls, covering seat belts.

Was there a recall on the 1991 Ford Probe seat belts?

Yes, 3 recalls: 96V172001, 96V172002, 91V016000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.

What year does the Ford Probe have the most seat belts problems?

The Ford Probe model years with the most seat belts complaints are 1990 (281 complaints), 1991 (142 complaints) and 1992 (55 complaints).

What gas mileage does the 1991 Ford Probe get?

Official estimates for the 1991 Ford Probe range from 19 to 24 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.2L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 17-21 city and 23-28 highway.

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