1994 Ford Thunderbird LX review from North America
"A masterpiece of flawed engineering!"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Paint began to fade after only two years.
Transmission went out at 59,000 miles.
Coolant loss and smell of burning coolant which is indicative of head-gasket failure.
Car has pulled to the right since new. Numerous alignments never helped this problem.
Left rear turn signal bulb blows every couple of months.
In drive, the car know vibrates at idle, like whenever you're sitting at a stoplight.
General comments?
My biggest complaint is the bad customer service Ford provides.
The paint fading problem has been a real pain. Ford would only repaint the areas that were fading. Roof and trunk. Hood began to fade so Ford repainted only the hood. Right rear quarter panel, same story. Now the right side quarter panel and door is heavily fading, but Ford says too much time has passed and they won't cover it. We brought up the fact that this was a known problem and why couldn't they just paint our whole car before it faded all over. Ford wouldn't do it.
These cars are geared WAY too tall. Brakes wear out prematurely because you have to constantly ride them, especially in medium freeway traffic.
Don't give your hard earned dollars to a company that doesn't care about its customers. I'm a third generation Ford owner, and the trend stops with me.
My family deserves better than Ford.
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | No |
| First year of ownership | 1994 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 3.8 Liter V6 Automatic |
| Performance marks | 6/10 |
| Reliability marks | 5/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | 0/10 |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 5/10 |
| Distance when acquired | 2 miles |
| Most recent distance | 80000 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Escort |
| Date of Entry | 3rd October, 2001 |