1997 Ford Thunderbird Recalls
No NHTSA recalls on record for the 1997 Ford Thunderbird. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 228 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine and engine cooling. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Complaints by component
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“1997 ford thunderbird. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle vin# not listed on defective brake pads/rotors recall notice. *smd”
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
“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 the middle of august I smelt gas when I drove. And the smell has become stronger and stronger. Today (10/10/2011) I went to a vehicle repair shop and was told the leaking is on the top of fuel tank and could not be repaired in the shop. I checked online and found many people have experienced…”
“Tl* the contact owns a 1997 ford thunderbird. The contact stated that the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was towed home and was not taken to have the failure diagnosed. The contact also stated that prior to the failure, the vehicle would decelerate while driving at various speeds. The…”
“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…”
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 Thunderbird as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.