Ford Thunderbird 2005
Model Thunderbird made in 2005 by Ford got 21 consumer complains there is 1 recall as well as 16 service bulletins. Consumer complaints with reference, among others things, to air bags, electrical system and electronic stability control. Technical service bulletines regarding electrical system, engine and engine cooling and power train. There was one recall concerning fuel system, gasoline . The car has one 3.9 engine.
Model 2005
| Engine [L] | Cylinders | Transmission | Drive | Estimate MPG (city/highway/combined) | Unadjusted MPG (city/highway/combined) | Fuel | Fuel cost | Class | Release date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.9 | 8 | Lockup/automatic, 5 gears | R | 18/24/20 | 19.7/30.8/23.5133 | Premium | 1462 | TWO SEATERS | |
| 3.9 | 8 | Semiautomatic, 5 gears | R | 17/24/20 | 19.3468/31.1/23.3111 | Premium | 1462 | TWO SEATERS |
Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE - STORAGE | ||||||||||||||||
| 05V113000 | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | from 02/23/2005 to 02/28/2005 | V (Vehicle) | 56 | 04/04/2005 | MFR | FORD MOTOR COMPANY | 03/18/2005 | 03/28/2005 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | 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. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | 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. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Ford recall no. 05s29.customers may also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's vehicle safety hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (tty 1-800-424-9153), or go to http://www.safercar.gov. | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - BATTERY | |||||
| TSB-12-8-1 | 08/01/2012 | 10048099 | Ford/lincoln/mercury: may have sludge buildup in throttle body leading to less airflow or engine idling rpm fluctuation and hard starts or battery disconnect or dead battery after keep alive memory (kam) clear. models 2003-05 thunderbird | 12/12/2012 | |
| 0295 | 11/14/2005 | 05229 | 636096 | Excessive electrical system current draw which could result in a discharged battery and a no crank condition. *tt service tips. *tt | 11/05/2002 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM - IGNITION | |||||
| CSP 07M07 | 05/20/2008 | 10026402 | Ford/lincoln mercury: certain 2003-2005 model year lincoln ls and ford thunderbird vehicles equipped with 3.9l engine with extended warranty coverage on ignition coil assemblies and on 2003 my vehicles only , engine valve cover gaskets. | 10/24/2008 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 18615 | 05/01/2005 | 10017917 | Unusual engine noise or engine knock concerns due to regular fuel. *tt | 12/07/2005 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| CSP 07M07 | 05/20/2008 | 10026402 | Ford/lincoln mercury: certain 2003-2005 model year lincoln ls and ford thunderbird vehicles equipped with 3.9l engine with extended warranty coverage on ignition coil assemblies and on 2003 my vehicles only , engine valve cover gaskets. | 10/24/2008 | |
| 031404 | 08/23/2004 | 04161 | 10011162 | Engine misfire or running - coil on plug (cop) ignition systems - wds cop kit diagnostic tips. to include various 2005 models. * ar this article 04161 supersedes tsb 03-14-04. | 01/06/2005 |
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| 05612 | 04/01/2005 | 10017898 | Delayed or harsh reverse engagements - 5r55s transmission - vehicles built prior to 09/23/2004. *tt | 12/07/2005 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 0708 | 04/19/2007 | 10022290 | Automatic transmission solenoid emissions warranty extension. sample consumer letter attached. *kb | 07/25/2007 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| 042107 | 12/13/2004 | 042414 | 10014086 | General (pcm) power train control module programming procedures. *tt | 04/28/2005 |
| (PWS) | |||||
| TSB-12-8-1 | 08/01/2012 | 10048099 | Ford/lincoln/mercury: may have sludge buildup in throttle body leading to less airflow or engine idling rpm fluctuation and hard starts or battery disconnect or dead battery after keep alive memory (kam) clear. models 2003-05 thunderbird | 12/12/2012 | |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC - ANTILOCK - ABS WARNING LIGHT | |||||
| 042213 | 11/15/2004 | 10013401 | Diagnostic trouble code (dtc) c1145 and/or c1155 stored in anti-lock brake system (abs) module. *tt | 04/18/2005 | |
| 17946 | 07/01/2004 | 10009344 | Abs warning indicator on with diagnostic trouble code c1145 and/or c1155. *tt | 09/24/2004 | |
| STEERING | |||||
| 18320 | 12/01/2004 | 10014594 | Vibration felt for a few miles of driving after parking. *eh | 05/04/2005 | |
| STRUCTURE | |||||
| 042616 | 12/31/2004 | 10014310 | Weld bonding procedure. *tt | 04/29/2005 | |
| STRUCTURE - BODY | |||||
| 02162 | 06/07/2005 | 05162 | 10017925 | Water/moisture in cop wells - dtc p0301-p0308 - 3.9l engine - vehicles built through 5/1/2004. *tt | 12/07/2005 |
| 18515 | 03/01/2005 | 10014703 | Moisture in storage compartment. *eh | 05/05/2005 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 09/06/2006 | 16000 | 1 | 02/14/2005 |
| On september 6, 2006 while traveling on an 8-lane highway at a speed of approximately 70 mph the drivers side airbag on my 2005 ford thunderbird deployed with a very loud noise and considerable force. there was no impact or accident involved with this incident. the air bag simply deployed for no apparent reason. fortunately, the vehicle was able to be controlled and pulled off the highway safely. the car was then taken to darling ford in bangor maine on september 11, 2005 where it was inspected and found to have no signs of any recent impact either on the exterior or the underbody. the vehicle was purchased new on february 14th 2005 and has gone approximately 16,000 miles. this is well within the warranty period for this vehicle. the dealer told us the car would likely have to be inspected by ford personnel to determine the cause and to authorize any repairs. the dealer later contacted us on september 18th who told him that ford had decided not to cover any costs associated with this incident even though there were no signs of any impact. this decision was made without any further inspection of the vehicle. this incident was clearly a fault of the airbag system, and since we cannot find any exclusion of the ford warranty regarding the airbag system we are seeking authorization for repairs to this vehicle. it is very fortunate no one was seriously injured due to the faulty operation of this device. further, the dealer tells us that the deployment of the side air bag now disables all of the air bags leaving the driver and any passengers in a very vulnerable situation. *jb | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 02/17/2006 | 41000 | 1 | 02/19/2005 |
| While driving to work at approx. 65 mph, my drivers side, side airbag deployed. thankfully i didn't lose control of my vehicle. i pulled to the side of the road and exited my vehicle. i checked my car, although i knew i didn't hit anything or run over anything. there were no signs of impact and nothing in the road behind me. i took my vehicle to the dealership where i bought it. they said they'd never seen anything like it. that was 2/17/06. today, on 2/20/06 they told me they would not repair it as i have 40,000 miles on my car and that the deployment was caused by my running over something in the road. apparently that's what the computer code told them. there was absolutely no reason for that air bag to deploy. i believe they just don't want to admit responsibility for a malfunction. i could have been seriously injured at that speed. it knocked my over towards the passenger side of the car. my insurance company is now taking care of the claim and the airbag and seat will be repaired at their and my cost. the thing that upsets me is, that airbag shouldn't have deployed from running over something. they couldn't even tell by looking under the car that i ran over something, only what the computer code told them. *jb | |||
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | |||
| 05/19/2012 | 25900 | ||
| When i inserted the key to start the car, the battery (located in the trunk) exploded. it sounded like a gun shot inside the car, the battery was blown open at both ends and the battery fluid was thrown around the trunk cavity where the spare tire is also housed. a service tech advised me that a spark was necessary to ignite the sulfuric gas leaking from the battery. no one has been able to identify the source of the spark. | |||
| 05/23/2006 | 20000 | 1 | 12/08/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the audible warning that alerts the occupants the seat belts are not secured works intermittently. the dealership is aware of the problem, but has not inspected the vehicle. | |||
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL | |||
| 08/11/2010 | 39896 | ||
| My 2005 ford thunderbird for no apparent reason just looses power and the wrench icon come on. i was driving on the freeway and this happened and i barely made it to the side of the road. this happened to me in 2007 and i took it in to a ford dealership and they could not find anything wrong. now it is happening again and i almost got in to a seroius accident at high speed. i did a search and found that this is has happened enough that ford extended the warrenty for the coil on plug. when i called my dealership and explianed the problem they told me that the cop is not the problem but to bring it in. in my search i found that severlal people with this same problem were told that the cop was not the problem only to sepnd over $1500 on an electronic throttle control and that did not fix it. when they went back the problem was then discovered to be the cop. this is dangerous and shopuld be a recall. at the very least the service people at ford should be aware of this potential life threatening problen. from what i have found it hass been a problem since the 2002 thunderbird. my ford dealer should have been aware of this when i brought the car in under full warrenty in 2007 before i had another incident that could have caused a very serious accident. this was very scary and it alarms me that it is not being taken seriously enough. | |||
| 02/25/2009 | 39789 | 1 | |
| 1. i was accelerating from a stop position and the wrench icon came on and the car went on :limp mode. 2. has occurred twice, once, a week after they installed a new electronic throttle control. 3. i am afraid the throttle could jam on the major highway that i travel everyday to work. 4. i did a search on this problem and so far i have counted 20 complaints and i stopped searching. 5. this happen on a 2005 ford thunderbird that i just purchased. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 10/01/2010 | 36476 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 ford thunderbird. while driving approximately 40 mph the engine stopped running. the contact turned the ignition off and back on and was able to drive the vehicle. the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the technician was unable to diagnose the failure. the failure occurred two additional times and was able to be driven after turning the ignition off and back on. the approximate failure mileage was 36,476. ds | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | |||
| 12/29/2008 | 35673 | 1 | |
| My temperature gauge has risen to hot three times while driving with no prior warning. the first was 12/29/2008. they replaced the motor radiator cooling fan. my mileage at the time was 35673.the 2nd time was 3/17/2009 and they replaced the tank assy-radiator, seal, cap asy radiator, thermostat asy - spo. my mileage this time was 38000.the 3rd time was 9/21/2009, this time they replaced the heater control valve assy. my mileage this time was 42921. each time this occurred, it was shortly after i had my car in for its usual maintenance. of course the dealer denies this has anything to do with my temp gauge rising to hot within weeks after they service the car and the car shutting down.*tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 11/24/2009 | 35471 | 1 | |
| On nov 24,2009, the throttle body motor failed and caused my 2005 ford thunderbird to cut off in traffic. i took the car to metro ford for repair. they said the part would take several weeks. metro said i could drive my car until they repair my car because ford could not provide me with a loaner. i later found out that there are others with the same problem since july 2009. after several promises to no avail, i decided to write several executives. i have not heard from anyone yet. two days ago, i was almost rear-ended when the car off in traffic. the consumer was told the throttle body and motor assembly needed to be replaced. updated 04/16/10 | |||
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | |||
| 11/24/2009 | 35471 | 1 | |
| On nov 24,2009, the throttle body motor failed and caused my 2005 ford thunderbird to cut off in traffic. i took the car to metro ford for repair. they said the part would take several weeks. metro said i could drive my car until they repair my car because ford could not provide me with a loaner. i later found out that there are others with the same problem since july 2009. after several promises to no avail, i decided to write several executives. i have not heard from anyone yet. two days ago, i was almost rear-ended when the car off in traffic. the consumer was told the throttle body and motor assembly needed to be replaced. updated 04/16/10 | |||
| WHEELS | |||
| 08/14/2010 | |||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2000 ford thunderbird. the contact stated that the factory rims on the vehicle are starting to crack on the inside and causing leaks in the brake lines and calibers on the vehicle. the dealer stated that this was a singular issue and since the rims were out of warranty and not under recall, the contact would have to replace the rims. the vin number was not available at the time of the complaint. the contact was not aware of the failure mileage or current mileage of the vehicle.rl | |||
Car dealers selling
| State | City | Zip | Name | Phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FL | MIAMI | 33150 | METRO FORD | 305-751-9711 |
| ME | BANGOR | DARLING FORD | ||
| MS | PASCAGOULA | ESTABROOK FORD | ||
| TN | TULLAHOMA | 37388 | THOMPSON FORD | 931-455-4564 |