The 1997 Ford Probe has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 5,700 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 38 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. AN EXTERNAL SPRING IN THE TIMING BELT TENSIONER CAN BREAK AND GET CAUGHT IN THE TIMING BELT.
THIS CONDITION CAN RESULT IN POSSIBLE ENGINE STALLING.
DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE TENSIONER AND REPLACE IT IF NECESSARY.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“I have a 1997 ford probe gt 6 cylinder. The over drive light keep flickering over drive off and then check engine light stays on for days. I had this checked out and the tps throttle position sensor check out bad so I had this replaced. This problem still exist. I went to several service stations…”
“The automatic transmission (cd4e) has been acting up, overdrive light on dash starts flashing whih then causes harsh shifting and power loss in tranny and engine. I have read hundreds of complaints about these transmissions and believe it should be the responsibility of the manufacturer to take…”
“I have had to replace the distrubutor which caused it turn over, but not start, and clutch with in one month. Also my check engine light keeps coming on an dthey can't figure out why, and my cruise control does not work. *ak”
“Consumer states there is a problem ,while driving the vehicle shut down, forcing the consumer to pull out of the road. *ak”
“Involved in automobile accident in lexington ky approximate speed at 20 mph crashed the front of vehicle and the airbags did not deployed front of vehicle sustained major damage. *nlm”
“While driving about 2 mph consumer's vehicle was hit by another vehicle going about 45 mph, impact was on the driver side near front of vehicle. Neither airbag deployed. Consumer hit her head on windshield.*ak”
“Consumer was traveling in a 1997 ford probe. Firestone firehawk tire size p205/55r15, dot#w2mjfxm426. Original tires on vehicle. Passenger's front tire blewout. Tire shop stated that it was bound to happen with all tires. *ak *slc”
“While driving on highway traveling 50mph, vehicle in front stopped suddenly to avoid hitting the car in front of it. There was a five car pileup. Consumer hit vehicle in front, and neither airbag deployed. Also, seat belt didn't lock up. *ak”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1997 Ford Probe as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.