Engine problems of the 2002 Ford Thunderbird

2002 Ford Thunderbird coils have problems, they short out, causing power to be lost and shutting down vehicle to only 4 cylinders, if you are on highway, major problem, can't go over 40-45 miles an hour. I have had three coils go out so far, only five months to go, each time it goes out puts person behind wheel in jeopardy, due to lack of power.

I am writing today to express grave concerns for my 2002 Ford Thunderbird. It is my understanding that Ford motor company has extended the warranty for model years 2003-2005 for the coil over plug (cop) ignition system, but has chosen to omit the 2002 model year even though a majority of 2002-2005 Thunderbirds were produced in model year 2002. My concern is that many owners of the 2002 model year have experienced cop failures which have rendered their cars virtually inoperable without notice of the impending failure. To take this a step further, imagine driving on a high speed interstate and have the system fail. The car is designed to go into "limp" mode whereby the car cannot go any faster than 25 mph. This is a disastrous accident waiting to happen! not only is this a safety issue, the repairs are costing owners of my 2002 cars in excess of $1,500 where owners of newer models are covered for 10 years/100,000 miles free of charge for the exact same failure. This inequity must seriously be investigated and corrected by the NHTSA!.

I am writing to hopefully prevent a dangerous and serious situation. I own a 2002 Ford Thunderbird. This particular car and others like it have defective ignition coils which could cause the car(s) to become involved in accidents. The coils are prone to cease functioning at any moment, thus causing the engine to suddenly and rapidly lose power. This is dangerous at best at low speeds, and deadly at highway speeds. The Ford motor company has issued a letter stating that 2003-2005 Thunderbirds can have their coils replaced at no cost to the owner. However, they have failed to include the owners of 2002 models in this action. The result of this is that 2002 owners cannot afford to have their coils replaced due to the expense (between $1500 and $2500). This places thousands of cars on the road that endanger not only their own occupants, but those of other vehicles as well. Since Ford has acknowledged that there is a problem with the coils (the 2002 uses the same as those being replaced for free), I implore you to use whatever influence you might have to rectify this situation. Many potential deaths could be avoided if Ford would simply include the 2002 model Thunderbird in the list of approved vehicles for coil replacement at no cost.

My wife experienced a complete shut down of our 2002 Thunderbird while making a left turn from a complete stop in front of oncoming traffic. The car "rolled" across the oncoming lane and she put the vehicle in neutral and was able to start the vehicle again. This failure is identical to the circumstances desribed in odi id number: 10014291 dated March 3, 2003.

Twice my 2002 Thunderbird's engine has stopped while I am driving it. Both times, it occurred as I was making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic in a 55 mph zone. When it quit, I was unable to steer or control the vehicle in any way. I had to put it in park and restart it before I could leave the oncoming lane. Ford has an unpublished oasis special service message 16581 which states: "2000-2002 Lincoln LS & 2002 Thunderbird - intermittent engine quit on decel/stops/turns. Some 2000-2002 Lincoln LS & 2002 Thunderbird vehicles may exhibit an intermittent engine quit condition. The engine quit may occur on deceleration, low speed/parking lot maneuvers or aggressive braking. The condition may not be easily duplicated, typically no dtcs will be present and the engine will start normally after the event. This is under investigation following the quick service fix process. Until root cause is determined, please follow normal pc/ed manual diagnostics and submit edsr's. " my vehicle is in the shop and has been for well over a month. I am currently trying to replace it under oregon's lemon law. I have just started this process and I don't know what the out come will be. But I am worried the consumer is not aware of this defect. Had there been oncoming traffic when I was making this turn in a 55 mph zone, I very well might be been extremely injured or dead, and it would have been chalked up to someone turning left unsafely. Obviously, Ford is aware of the defect, but owners have not been notified of the possibility that their engine may shut down unexpectedly. This has potential for extremely serious consequences.