VehicleVerdict

2002 Ford Thunderbird engine problems

The 2002 Ford Thunderbird has 36 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 31% of the year's total, and down from the prior model year.

36

Engine complaints

31%

Share of year

0

Crash-involved

0

Related recalls

Engine complaints by year

Thunderbird engine complaints by model year195 complaints1984: 7 complaints1985: 1 complaints1986: 10 complaints1987: 4 complaints1988: 8 complaints1989: 15 complaints1990: 11 complaints1991: 15 complaints1992: 29 complaints1993: 195 complaints1994: 71 complaints1995: 53 complaints1996: 68 complaints1997: 57 complaints2002: 36 complaints2003: 10 complaints2004: 12 complaints2005: 7 complaints
Thunderbird engine complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

What owners report

“2002 FORD THUNDERBIRD COILS HAVE PROBLEMS, THEY SHORT OUT, CAUSING POWER TO BE LOST AND SHUTTING DOWN VEHICLE TO ONLY 4 CYLINDERS, IF YOU ARE ON HIGHWAY, MAJOR PROBLEM, CAN'T GO OVER 40-45 MILES AN HOUR.I HAVE HAD THREE COILS GO OUT SO FAR, ONLY FIVE MONTHS TO GO, EACH TIME IT GOES OUT PUTS PERSON…”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · June 1, 2009

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 2002 Ford Thunderbird have?

NHTSA has 36 complaints about the 2002 Ford Thunderbird engine — 31% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.