2004 Ford Thunderbird Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Thunderbird years
- Fewer complaints than other years 5th of 9 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 34 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Ford Thunderbird. That ranks 5th out of 9 Thunderbird model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is vehicle speed control (9 complaints, 26%), typically at around 15,000 miles. Complaints mention 5 crashes, 6 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year.
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}
- 34owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 5complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2004 Ford Thunderbird problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 26% | 15,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 7 | 21% | 37,363 | — | — |
| Power Train | 7 | 21% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 5 | 15% | 18,500 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 4 | 12% | 57,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 3 | 9% | 18,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 2 | 6% | 10,853 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 1 | 3% | 89,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 3% | 39,730 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 3% | 35,840 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2004 Ford Thunderbird recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Seats:front assembly:power adjust
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles equipped with power adjustable seats may have been inadequately welded.
Risk: The seat may not perform as intended during a crash which could increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the upper support assembly on the power seats. The recall began on july 20, 2004. Owners should contact ford at 1-800-392-3673.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
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…
Have replaced via ford dealer throttle control sensor twice. First repair 2007. Second repair 2014, and now in 2020. I am facing same problem again. Obviously the control system is defective. The problem triggers vehicle limp mode while driving and in park.
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…
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…
Vehicle unexpectedly lost power upon mild acceleration on a city street and developed a rough, skipping and hesitant idle upon warm up. We immediately brought the car in for evaluation at the sarat ford dealership in agawam, ma. They diagnosed the dreaded thunderbird coil on plug failure in this…
Other Ford Thunderbird years
← 2003 Thunderbird · 2005 Thunderbird →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 Thunderbird | 27 | 1 |
| 2004 | 34 | 1 |
| 2003 Thunderbird | 33 | 0 |
| 2002 Thunderbird | 93 | 1 |
| 1999 Thunderbird | 2 | 0 |
| 1998 Thunderbird | 3 | 0 |
| 1997 Thunderbird | 169 | 0 |
| 1996 Thunderbird | 233 | 2 |
| 1995 Thunderbird | 261 | 0 |
See all Ford Thunderbird problems by year, every Ford model, or the Ford VIN decoder.
Similar Ford models
Embed this 2004 Ford Thunderbird badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2004 Ford Thunderbird?
Owners most often report vehicle speed control, engine, power train problems. The top one, vehicle speed control, accounts for 9 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Ford Thunderbird?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2004 Ford Thunderbird a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Thunderbird model years, the 2004 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.