3rd set of front rotors/pads installed, after 20000 rotors warped. Bad design...front rotor/calipers are too small for this car, and cause rotors to warp.
Ford Thunderbird premature wear problems
26 of the 2,012 owner complaints about the Ford Thunderbird describe rotors or pads wearing out early, most of them for the 1995 model year.
- owner complaints
- 26
- worst model year
- 1995
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
Not long after purchasing vehicle, consumer began to experience the braking effects caused by warped rotors. Dealership replaced them at no cost, however 12 months later rotors were warped again, consumer is still having warped rotor problems.
Premature wear of head gaskets. Manufacturer has issued a recall on head gaskets; however, consumer did not receive notification.
Failure of manufactures installed soft bushing, causing premature wear, seal leak, with pressure loss and loss of torque. Without torque you lose drive power that could have caused an accident in slow or fast moving traffic that could have killed or injured my family members or others.
4/97 vehicle pulls to right. Dealer aligned front end. 1/98 vehicle pulls to right and vibrates at highway speed. Dealer says it is a tire problem, one tire replaced. 5/99 vehicle still pulls to right and vibrates at highway speed and while braking. Front rotors warped and pads worn. Rotors turned and pads replaced by goodyear service center. 9/99 vehicle pulling to right and vibrating at speed and during braking. Front rotors warped and pads worn again. Dealer claims it is owners driving style. Rotors turned and pads replaced at owners expense. 10/00 vehicle pulls to right and vibrates. Rotors feel warped again. Appointment with dealer to repair. 10/16 transmission has a shudder in 3rd and 4th gear during light to moderate acceleration. Dealer says probably torque converter. Unknown at this time if this will be considered an warranty item or routine maintenance.
Brake rotors warp unnessessarily early in life, ford replaces per tsb but no recall. -- taillamps fail after trunk trauma (ie closing it) over a number of years. Ford fixes under warranty, but no recall for defective assemblies. -- the mn12's 4r70w transmission is noted for torque converter shudder and numerous shift problems that are addressed in tsb's but the number of tsb's and failures of the aode/4r70w transmission warrants a recall on the control assembly (valve body). Tranny is prone to fail.
The rotors on all four wheels have warped significantly causing loss of braking power. This has happened on two occasions since I have purchased the vehicle. Rotors are turned when determined by a service center. Pads are in good condition. The front rotors usally warp beyond usage first, then rear follows shortly after the front rotor replacement. This is a safety concern for me and my family, as we all use the car. I fear that this issue could result in an accident if the rotors warp prematurely again in a critical situation. The average miles on the rotors before replacement is 10k miles. The rotors were turned approximately 2000 miles ago, and again the rotors are warping causing poor braking.
Brakes get very soft...severe front end shake upon braking...serviced 5 times in 45k miles...replaces pads 2 times...rotors warped...turned 3 times...replaced one time...dangerous at highway speed
Brake rotors warping, new replacements warping also. Steering box was repaired but front end still shudders at highway speeds after 3 attempts by dealer to correct.
While driving at 65 MPH, the vehicle jumped out of overdrive and went into drive. Also, when applying the brakes, the front of the vehicle is shaking and vibrating due to warped rotors. Consumer had rotors replaced four times, and the dealer can't determine the problem.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Ford Thunderbird premature wear
Which Ford Thunderbird years have rotors or pads wearing out early problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1995 (6 complaints), 1994 (5 complaints) and 1996 (5 complaints).
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