1989 Ford Probe Recalls

No recalls on record Updated July 2026

No NHTSA recalls on record for the 1989 Ford Probe. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 103 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. Last updated July 5, 2026.

Complaints by component

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
14
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
6
SEAT BELTS
6
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
5
2fires
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
4
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:COOLING SYSTEM:RADIATOR ASSEMBLY
4
2injuries
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
4
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
3
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
3
Total complaints103

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“While driving the car on the road, a car pulled in front of me and I braked hard and my seatbelt locked. But after this incident the seatbelt has never worked the same. The seatbelt doesn't lock, or retract. The car only has 48,000 miles. This seems to be a very common problem for this car. I…”

SEAT BELTS · reported 2018-04-24

“After pulling all fuses in the driveway with vehicle off, to check them and putting them all back, verifying several times the correct location, the car cranks but no longer starts. There is no spark, no fuel pressure. Ignition coil gets 12v power to both prongs until cranking, then losses all…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2015-10-02

“After pulling all fuses in the driveway with vehicle off, to check them and putting them all back, verifying several times the correct location, the car cranks but no longer starts. There is no spark, no fuel pressure. Ignition coil gets 12v power to both prongs until cranking, then losses all…”

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM · reported 2015-10-02

“The engine stops unexpectedly while driving, cutting out the power brakes and power steering and making my front-heavy front wheel drive car very very hard to steer and very very difficult to stop. The engine stops unexpectedly often, without warning. I thought this was tied to the ignition…”

ENGINE · reported 2004-07-06

“The engine stops unexpectedly while driving, cutting out the power brakes and power steering and making my front-heavy front wheel drive car very very hard to steer and very very difficult to stop. The engine stops unexpectedly often, without warning. I thought this was tied to the ignition…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2004-07-06

“The engine stops unexpectedly while driving, cutting out the power brakes and power steering and making my front-heavy front wheel drive car very very hard to steer and very very difficult to stop. The engine stops unexpectedly often, without warning. I thought this was tied to the ignition…”

STEERING · reported 2004-07-06

“Driver side seat belt would not retract back to release for more room, causing the seat belt to be improperly worn or not worn at all. Dealer has been notified. *ak”

SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR · reported 2003-08-07

“I purchased a driver side seat belt on 8/17/02. I paid 131.00 for the part .all ford parts are warranted for 12 months or 12,000 miles. Including seat belts, even if they are defective after that warranty expires they keep my money and I have a defective seat belt that does not work properly. I…”

SEAT BELTS · reported 2003-02-15

Defect investigations

Investigation DP07001 Opened 2007-07-30 · closed 2007-12-05

SEATBACK RECLINE MECHANISM FAILURE

ON JUNE 29, 2007, NHTSA RECEIVED A PETITION FROM MR. RICHARD H. MCSWAIN OF MCSWAIN ENGINEERING INC., REQUESTING THAT THE AGENCY INVESTIGATE SEATBACK RECLINER FAILURE IN THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. THE PETITIONER IDENTIFIED A FAILURE MODE INVOLVING BYPASS OF THE SEATBACK STOP PIN WHICH COULD RESULT IN A FALSE OR PARTIAL…

Investigation PE89166 Opened 1989-09-15 · closed 1989-12-22

TRANSMISSION OIL LINE FIRE

There is no summary currently available

Investigation PE91124 Opened 1991-09-09 · closed 1991-12-23

ENGINE COMPARTMENT FIRES

There is no summary currently available

Investigation PE96027 Opened 1996-04-16 · closed 1996-09-30

MAZDA RX7 AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT FAILURE

MALFUNCTION OF THE AUTOMATIC SEAT BELT SYSTEM

Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1989 Ford Probe as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.