Tl* the contact owns a 2004 ford thunderbird. The contact stated that while inside the vehicle, an abnormal odor appeared as the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who changed the oil and noticed fuel leaking from the fuel tank. The contact mentioned that the failure was currently still being experienced. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The contact mentioned the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v113000 (fuel system, gasoline) as a possible solution to the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure however no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 89,000.
Ford Thunderbird check engine light comes on
29 of the 2,012 owner complaints about the Ford Thunderbird describe check engine light, most of them for the 2002 model year.
- owner complaints
- 29
- worst model year
- 2002
- typical repair cost reported
- $750
- typical mileage
- 44,168
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
- 20054
- 20044
- 20032
- 20027
- 19972
- 19962
- 19954
- 19942
- 19932
Often reported together
Misfire 6Overheating 4Stalling 3Fuel leak 3Loss of power 2Fire or smoke 2Transmission failure 1Sudden acceleration 1
What owners say
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford thunderbird. While driving 60 MPH, the check engine warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle began idling roughly. The vehicle was taken to an auto parts store where the employee found that cylinders 3, 4, and 7 were misfiring, as well as a random misfire. The contact opened the spark plug well and opened the coil pack. The contact discovered that the spark plug and coil pack were covered in oil. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact later spoke to a dealer who stated that they would come pick up the vehicle if the contact decided to have it serviced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that they could not assist since there was no recall. The approximate failure mileage was 31,000.
2004 ford thunderbird. Consumer writes in regards to defective ignition coils causes engine to mis-fire, dealership replaced defective coils under extended one-time warranty repair. Consumer states engine mis-fire still exists. *smd the consumer stated the engine misfired due to defective ignition coils. Two coils were replaced under warranty. The dealer would not replace any other coils that had not experienced any failure. The failure recurred. The check engine light illuminated. The vehicle was unable to be driven. Updated 05/4/2017
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford thunderbird. While driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle lost power without warning. The vehicle was restarted, but completely shut down. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, but the exact cause of the failure was unable to be diagnosed. The failure recurred and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed and the fuel pressure was replaced. The failure recurred and the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where the rear module and fuel pump were replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,168. Updated 11/17/16*lj
Tl* the contact owns a 1995 ford thunderbird. The contact stated that while parked, the vehicle stalled. The contact mentioned that the battery and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The failure occurred constantly. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 ford thunderbird. While driving on the highway, the vehicle lunged forward and stopped accelerating. The vehicle independently began to operate normally afterwards; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that the vehicle would not operate past approximately 35 MPH. After the failure recurred, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the coil on plug was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The technician diagnosed that all eight vehicle coil on plugs needed to be replaced eventually. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford thunderbird. The contact stated that the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that there was a crack in the fuel system and a vapor fuel leak. As a result, the fuel tank needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v113000 (fuel system, gasoline). The failure mileage was 11,000. Updated 08/22/16*lj updated 08/30/16*lj
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford thunderbird. While driving approximately 55 MPH, the contact smelled "raw" fuel in the vehicle. The contact noticed fuel leaked all over the garage at home and the check engine light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that fuel was leaking around the seam of the fuel tank cover. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 91,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 ford thunderbird. While driving various speeds, the engine warning light illuminated continuously. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank was cracked and needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 05v113000 (fuel system, gasoline). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 24,000.
Tl* 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.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Ford Thunderbird check engine light
Why does the check engine light come on in the Ford Thunderbird?
Owners who report it most often also describe misfire or rough idle, engine overheating and engine stalls while driving.
Which Ford Thunderbird years have check engine light problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2002 (7 complaints), 1995 (4 complaints) and 2004 (4 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix check engine light on the Ford Thunderbird?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $750 (median of 6 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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