Re:2002 ford thunderbird at 43,237 miles the engine suddenly began running rough and misfiring.the passenger area immediately began to fill with exhaust fumes. The check engine light illuminated but did not flash to indicate a serious problem. Upon letting the top down the vehicle was slowly driven to a nearby ford dealership. The cylinder eight coil and spark plug were replaced which seemed to solve the problem. At 45,280 miles the same situation occurred and the cylinder six coil and spark plug were replaced. At 47,459 miles the same thing occurred yet again and cylinder coils two and three were replaced as well as four spark plugs. Despite the cost involved in the necessary repair work and the fact that all of the above incidents occurred well within the mileage of an extended warranty I maintained through ford motor company, the company advised that the time limit on my extended warranty had expired and the company is not willing to replace the remaining cylinder coils and spark plugs. I do not know if there have been carbon monoxide poisoning as a result of the passenger area filling with exhaust fumes when the engine begins running rough. I do know however that when an engine begins misfiring, raw gasoline pours into the combustion system and could cause a fire, I also know that carbon monoxide if not detected quickly can be fatal to human beings. I do not believe the above incidents are necessarily a warranty issue. They are however a health and safety issue. This problem appears to be systemic in nature and related to design problems of the 3.9l v8 engine utilized in the 2002 ford thunderbird. I recommend that ford motor company recall the 2002 ford thunderbird and replace all coils and spark plugs with reliable parts as I have been advised by a ford service employee that the replacement coils sometimes fail and must be replaced a second time.
Ford Thunderbird fuel smell problems
13 of the 2,012 owner complaints about the Ford Thunderbird describe gas smell in the cabin, most of them for the 1992 model year.
- owner complaints
- 13
- worst model year
- 1992
By model year
- 20021
- 19972
- 19962
- 19952
- 19942
- 19931
- 19922
- 19911
Often reported together
What owners say
I smell gas when driving at high speed of 60 and above on freeway mostly. Once in a while I can smell it when driving at lower speeds of 25 -30mph. I used to think that I had spilled gas on the outside of car when it first started happening, but now a year later, I still smell gas and I do smoke in my car, but when I smell the gas, I will put the cigarette out. Is there some kind of recall on this problem, that can repair it. I have put $4000.00 into restoring the car and I and putting another $800.00 into it next week, november 2013, to replace all of the belts around the engine. I have already rebuilt the transmission for $1800.00 at aamco, and put a $2200.00 paint job on it, before I knew of the gas smell. I have also replaced alternator and battery. Am I fighting a losing battle with this car?
The plastic part of the fuel line (located on the passenger side in front of the right rear wheel) rubs on the underbody of the car causing a sudden large fuel leak. These plastic lines are a part of the metal fuel lines and are located on each end of the metal lines. There was no warning of gas smell prior to the large leak. I have the part. I notiice you have an identical complaint (odi:754600).
Consumer states of having problems with a pretty strong gas smell on the vehicle. Dealer was contacted. Mr
The fuel line was on the wheel well which caused it to rub from normal driving and wearout the hose, causing a fuel leak, the team manager who wrote up the work order said taht this gasoline smell sounds like a recall on thunderbirds that they experience a few year ago , but checked the records the vehicle was not part of the recall.yd
There are actully to many other things to list but I would be happy to mail copies of all major safety related problems that ive had with this car.im still haveing engine ,transmission,and other problems not to mention the gas smell that the ford dealer swears isnt there.
After putting gas into the vehicle a strong smell of gas leaks into the passenger compartment. Dealer can't find a solution.
The fuel pump has been replaced 2x since the beginning to july 1998. The when you fill the tank it is as if someone has turned on a fauced directly underneath the vehicle and gasoline just pours out. Gasoline fumes are always present in the vehicle. We have been to 3 mechanics and all have claimed that it is faulty fuel pump but the vehicle continues to leak gasoline. The problem started before the 60,000 warranty ran out but we weren't able to take it to the dealership because we were on vaction at the time. As soon as we returned we took the vehicle to the ford dealership and they claimed it wasn't covered because we were 1100 miles over the warranty. The vehicle is still leaking gasoline and fumes are always present . Any assistance would be appreciated since we are at a loss as to who to turn to. This is a problem that nobody has been able to fix but $1200 later we still have an unsafe vehicle. *ak( dot number: )
Gas fumes enter inside vehicle.
Consumer states that there are gas fumes coming up in the air.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline: storage
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the fuel tank may have a localized thin wall section in the lower half of the tank. The fuel tank may crack creating a potential for a fuel leak and fuel odor. The "service engine soon" indicator may illuminate.
- Risk
- A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel tank free of charge. The recall began on april 4, 2005. Owners may contact ford at 1‑800‑392‑3673, lincoln at 1‑800‑521‑4140.
Recall number 05V113000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles originally sold or currently registered in the states of connecticut, district of columbia, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, kentucky, massachusetts, maryland, maine, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, wisconsin, and west virginia. Movement of the fuel lines causes the nylon fuel line jumper to chafe against the floor pan. This wear can cause a pin hole in the fuel line resulting in fuel leakage.
- Risk
- This fuel leakage results in dampness and fuel odor, and if an ignition source was present, a fire could result.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a plastic convolute covering around the fuel lines. If the lines show a leak, the lines will be replaced first.
Recall number 97V159000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Thunderbird fuel smell
Which Ford Thunderbird years have gas smell in the cabin problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1992 (2 complaints), 1994 (2 complaints) and 1995 (2 complaints).
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