The contact owns a 2004 Ford Thunderbird. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact approached a stop sign and the vehicle stopped as needed; however, after the contact depressed on the accelerator pedal, the vehicle began to misfire and shuddered for several minutes. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer who inspected the vehicle and diagnosed that the failure was related to TSB 05-16-2 (moisture build up on the plugs and on the cylinder) that caused the vehicle to misfire. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,526.
Ford Thunderbird shudder problems
21 of the 2,012 owner complaints about the Ford Thunderbird describe shudder or vibration when accelerating, most of them for the 1995 model year.
- owner complaints
- 21
- worst model year
- 1995
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall for this area of the car. See below
By model year
Often reported together
Premature wear 3Pulling 1Stalling 1Slipping 1Misfire 1Fuel pump 1
What owners say
While driving at 35 MPH on state route 179 my vehicle started running rough than stalled completely making it difficult to steer and stop the vehicle. I had it towed to a repair shop where they replaced the fuel pump. When the engine stalled, it was in a curve and I barely was able to keep from going off the roadway. I shudder to think of what would have happened at higher speed.
Problem with the transmission or torque converter. *ph the consumer was told that the vehicle was experiencing transmission shudder or a problem with the torque converter.
Major shudder in drive between 30-40mph before it shifts to overdrive at while increasing at a slow speed. Tsb#97106 explains. Dealership couldn't find problem in november. Drop off car again.
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.
Auto trans shudders shifting 3-4 and 4-3. Speed control failed at 15,000 miles, front disc brakes pulsate and steering wheel vibrates.
Transmission shudders in slow acceleration 0-35. Transmission fluid replacement replacement fixed, but then started happening again.
First problem was a shudder in the transmission occurring around 40mph. Vehicle taken to ford dealership for repair. Known to be a common problem with this vehicle. Ford repaired by changing original equipment fluid type with new type fluid. Additionally they modified the original equipment design by adding a transmission cooler. Contacted ford regional representative and ford customer service with zero response. If they know the way to fix the problem is to alter their own design, why do they not pay for the repair. Only temporary fix. Transmission began slipping only 10 months after first repair resulting in the need to rebuild the transmission and replace the torque converter. This should not be on a well maintained vehicle with less than 70,000 miles. Total cost for these two repairs was $1,880.00. Ford should be held accountable to some degree. Too many consumers are left to pay high repair bills for ford's poor designs and engineering.
Steering shudders, dealer and ford engineer can't fix after 7 attempts. Ford should be slapped for this. They have stopped trying to fix it and will not refund my money for this piece of ignorantly designed junk.
The shudder in the steering is bad when braking from higher speeds and causes loss of directional control, the replacement of the pre-load spring in the rack as per ford's tsb did not work to correct the shuddering.
Related recalls
Power train: automatic transmission
- What is wrong
- The park rod assembly contains a park cam with inadequate surface hardness, which could lead to park disengagement or no park engagement when the lever is placed in park.
- Risk
- If park is not engaged and the parking brake is off, avehicle roll-away could result.
- Remedy
- Replace park rod assembly on automatic transmissions.
Recall number 91V048000 · Recall details
Questions about the Ford Thunderbird shudder
Which Ford Thunderbird years have shudder or vibration when accelerating problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1995 (7 complaints), 1994 (5 complaints) and 1997 (5 complaints).
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