1997 Ford Thunderbird engine and engine cooling problems
54 owner complaints filed with NHTSA name the engine and engine cooling on the 1997 Ford Thunderbird — 32% of all complaints for this model year.
What owners report
“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…”
filed Oct 30, 2013
“The plastic intake manifold on my 1997 ford thunderbird cracked spilling out all my coolant and causing my engine to overheat, this is a design flaw that should be coverd by ford motor company, this happend while driving down gratiot ave. In roseville mi at 40 miles per hour with no previous…”
filed Jul 3, 2011
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Related service bulletins
Some 1997-2008 vehicles equipped with a 4.6l 2v, 5.4l 2v, or 6.8l 2v engine--spark plug thread repair procedure--not covered under new vehicle limited warranty. *nj this includes f-53 motorhome chassis. Updated 2/23/10…
07212 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 1, 2007Extended coverage program 05n04 - extended coverage for composite intake manifold. This program is being provided as a settlement to a class action lawsuit. The terms of the settlement extend the coverage of the…
05N04 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Dec 14, 2005Engine-gear driven synchronizers-incorrect installation-camshaft position synchronizer (cmp) installation tool correct application. *mj
02221 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Nov 11, 2002Incorrectly installed gear driven camshaft position (cmp) sensor synchronizer assemblies causing surge, lost of power, malfunction indicator lamp on and diagnostic trouble codes p1336, p1309 and p0340. *tt
870197 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Oct 22, 2002Some vehicles may exhibit an intake manifold crossover (first runner) coolant seepage condition. *tt
0222 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Feb 4, 2002
Engine and Engine Cooling problems in other Thunderbird years
| Year | Reports | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 Thunderbird | 3 | 11% |
| 2004 Thunderbird | 5 | 15% |
| 2003 Thunderbird | 3 | 9% |
| 2002 Thunderbird | 24 | 26% |
| 1996 Thunderbird | 65 | 28% |
| 1995 Thunderbird | 49 | 19% |
| 1994 Thunderbird | 61 | 20% |
| 1993 Thunderbird | 171 | 40% |
| 1992 Thunderbird | 27 | 15% |
| 1991 Thunderbird | 14 | 13% |
| 1990 Thunderbird | 11 | 8% |
| 1989 Thunderbird | 13 | 10% |
Other reported problem areas on the 1997 Ford Thunderbird
Counts are unique NHTSA complaints naming this component group. Complaints are unverified owner reports; mileage is computed only from complaints that included a usable odometer reading.