Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 1997 Ford Thunderbird owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving my car to pay the power bill. I had made a complete stop and then turned left up the road about 4/10's of a mile when I pulled into the parking space I noticed white steam coming from the engine compartment. I opened the hood a the engine was covered in antifreeze. I called for a tow hoping it was a blown hose or at worst a head gasket. So I didn't drive it further to prevent further damage. The dealership looks at it and says it is a cracked intake manifold. Which leads to a $1135 bill for parts and labor. Some online research brought a concern...is the intake manifold plastic? If so, why!?
I purchased this 1997 Ford Thunderbird lx sport as a used vehicle in oct. 2002. I noticed that during the first few weeks of owning this vehicle it would intermittently leak a substantial amount of coolant onto my driveway but I could never see where it was coming from. Sometimes it would go for days without leaking and then one day there would be over a quart of coolant on the driveway. I brought the car into a shop that put the car on a lift to look for the leak but they could not find one. I continued to drive the car and add coolant every time the "low coolant" light appeared on the dash panel. In May 2005 I was on the 91 freeway and suddenly without warning the "low coolant" light came on and the temp came up quickly so I tried to change lanes to the right to exit the freeway and the back of the car broke loose and I almost turned sideways. …
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 my car, but when I smell the gas, I will put the cigarette out. Is there some kind of recall on this problem, that can repair it. I have put $4000.00 into restoring the car and I and putting another $800.00 into it next week, November 2013, to replace all of the belts around the engine. I have already rebuilt the transmission for $1800.00 at aamco, and put a $2200.00 paint job on it, before I knew of the gas smell. I have also replaced alternator and battery. Am I fighting a losing battle with this car?
To whom it May concern! My 1997 Ford Thunderbird is not listed why? I have a lot of problems with the smog stuff every year I pay a lot of money. When temperatures are hot outside over 90 the engine light comes on and says service engine, or when I go up a long hill and my car overheats the engine light comes on and says service engine and it is always about an oxygen sensor or other smog related items that always cost $300 to $650 I am going b broke being on a fixed income. Ford can't fix my front end vibration I had all alignments done wheel balancing 4 times nothing helps. My steering wheel vibrates also. Please help! Manfred gauer .
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 warning, this failure happend 7/3/2011 Saturday over the forth of July weekend, where I couldn't get it to a open Ford dealership, now I connot use my vehical for work Monday 7/4/2011. Will this repair be coverd by Ford motor company?
Engine idle racing. Can't stop unless placed in neutral, where car would run over 2000 RPM. Dealer replaced idle air control and power control module. Dealer stated that idle air control burns out the power train control modules on many v-6 Ford engines. Car had only 34,518 miles checked other surges that this is a safety issue of racing engines in accidents of v-6 motors and Ford refusing any recalls for possible fire of idle air control and the burning out of power train control module.
The intake manifold cracked, loss of all antifreeze and vehicle being towed to dealership. Vehicle only has 60,000 miles on. The letter from Ford to replace this expired in May 2004! I had complained to my dealership about loss of antifreeze, gas, they found no problems. Of course, now I have to pay for the entire repair. Even though I see that many t-bird owners are having the exact problem. This should have been a mandatory recall from Ford. Because existing problems are being reported!
Tl contact owns a 1997 Ford Thunderbird. While driving 40 MPH, in heavy traffic the contact noticed smoke rising from under the hood. The temperature gauge needle shifted to the hot indicator. The vehicle was towed to the repair shop and the mechanic stated that the engine was leaking coolant and the plastic intake manifold was cracked. The powertrain was unknown. The current and failure mileages were 73,500. *updated 12/12/07 updated 12/12/07
Engine developed a coolant leak due to a split in the plastic intake manifold. Recall 97m91 which is only good for 7 years from the start of the original warranty was up 2 days prior to incident. Fomoco and dealer wouldn't cover, to bad for me. Recall doesn't cover replacement unless it is leaking within that 7 years. Design has been changed to an aluminum crossover that hopefully wont split and costs approx $800 to fix.
When I bought the car, a year ago, it ran great. One day as I as coming up a hill, my car started shaking. It was a cracked intake manifold, that of which Ford was in a class action lawsuit in 2005. Which covered a "select few" of thunderbirds. However now that my manifold cracked, there "not at fault." we had the car fixed, only to learn afterwards that Ford had several issues about the faulty intake.
Engine complaints in other Thunderbird years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 1997 Ford Thunderbird?
NHTSA has 54 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 1997 Ford Thunderbird, 32% of the model year's 169 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (18 mentions).
Is there a recall for 1997 Ford Thunderbird engine problems?
No. NHTSA lists no engine & cooling recall for the 1997 Ford Thunderbird. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 1997 Ford Thunderbird engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 67,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 1 injury to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.