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CARE
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Problems!?
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Have you said this?
What's going on? |
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Softtop window separating from Canvas? Review this thread on TBN. You will need to register at the site if you haven't done it already. This can be a do-it-yourself repair. | |||
Coil-On-Plug, C.O.P.s, ignition coils. Engine running
rough? "check engine light" blinking? You may be having a coil-on-plug
problem. Good news for 2003 owners
as Ford has extended the warranty for this problem to 10
years or 100,000 miles. Update: June 2008:
Parts of this warranty have been extended to the 2004 and 2005 Thunderbird
as of May
20, 2008: Have your dealer check the OASIS report for your tbird..
This STILL does NOT cover the 2002. Take part in www.thunderbirdnest
c.o.p. discussions in the tech forum there.
There have been a few reports that what had felt like a transmission
problem cleared up when the C.O.P.s were fixed. May just have been
the engine "hitches" from 1 or 2 c.o.p.s not firing correctly, that they
were feeling.
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Traction Control & ABS LIGHT stays on - 1st suspect is the sensor itself - checkkk TBN thread - Traction control light will blink when in "use" | |||
Controls on Steering Wheel out of control? - horn intermittant or not working, airbag light on, radio controls screwy? The clock spring in the steering column may need replacing. Again - see TBN discussions How to replace clock spring discussion on TBN. | |||
Trunk Latch not working? check this TBN thread for some solutions | |||
Dead Battery? happening
Frequently? Battery
Issues Hopefully, you've seen your dealer by now. If you have
recently used the rear window defroster, that may be the reason - see your
dealer!!. This most likely will occur during the cold winter months
when you're using the lights and electronics more frequently. Be
sure to give your car some good long drives to keep the battery charged
up and check your battery monthly. I've also had our battery in our
02 go dead after leaving the high intensity interior light in the upmost
"on" position even though the battery minder timer is designed to turn
off lights after a certain length of time has passed. You may want
to invest in a battery tender for the winter months if you store your T-bird
for long periods of time.
Be sure to replace Battery with a vented battery - as issued with the car when new. An unvented battery can create a dangerous situation because the battery is in an enclosed compartment (the trunk well), unlike a battery under the hood. To open trunk to access battery when the battery is dead: use the auxiliary key hole located behind the driver's seat on the lower part of the shelf area. If that key hole does not open your trunk then someone has cut the cable to the trunk lock and you have a problem on your hand (yes, that has happened to an owner). It can be done though; 2 ways to get to that lock open - check TBN's technical forums for more help. |
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Sort of a Recall or Customer Satisfaction Program, issued January 2005. This is a transmission fluid problem affecting the 2004 and many 2005 T-birds. This Customer Satisfaction Program was extended thru December 2005. |
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Does your car feel rather
shaky? Have you checked the tire pressure? recommended
psi from Ford is 30 psi though up to 35 psi is ok. Remember to check pressure
when tires are cold. A problem occurring with a few early 02 cars:
severe cowl shake. This has been discussed on the TBN with pros and
cons. Some have found loose cross member bolts and tightening to specs
solved the problem.
[ed. note - I'm hearing more and more complaints about cowl shake from 04 owners. I'll go back to the old note I had here that says: tighten up those cross members. The torque specs is 46 ft lbs. The bolts supposedly are loc tite bolts but with the number of owners & would be owners complaining about shakes, that's the place to start looking at after the tires have been checked for proper inflation or damage. The t-bird should not shake. . |
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Recall issued on certain 2004 models. [link off site] This Recall was released June 29, 2004. This is a driver's seat issue that affects those built from December 15, 2003 thru January 20, 2004. See your dealer if your 2004 T-bird was built within this short time period. This is a safety recall so must be fixed. It also affects some Taurus and Sables built during this same time frame. If your car was affected you should have gotten a letter from your dealer. If you feel your T-bird was involved in this recall but you haven't heard from your dealer yet, contact your dealer's service manager and have them check to see if your t-bird was really involved. If so, then they'll schedule an appointment for you. | |||
Is your Hardtop scratching
the
paint on your T-bird's rear deck? Keep area clean, both body panel and
rubber seal. You'll still get some rub marks from the rubber. Ford's
solution: Many 2002s, all 2003s and all 2004s and all 05s, with hardtops,
were shipped with mylar tape sets in the trunk for your placement on the
rear deck area.1W6Z76202W30-AA
but
this has been updated with a new kit:
Ford is going with an improved version of the tape which is packed in
the later edition 2004 trunks. Part number is 4W63-76202W30-AA
Read more about it on the TBN . The new strips became available
sometime January 2004. The Stainless Steel solution from Ford has
apparently been nixed due to problems keeping it on and more scratching.
Meanwhile there are aftermarket solutions
including a vendor making SS strips.
There are aftermarket solutions that owners have been more satisfied with. Check the Aftermarket Accessories page or TBN to find out more about them - you do have choices in this area. |
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Hardtop Rattling?
Here's a TSB out on the subject: Here's one of the culprits, there are several.
The above fix (June 03) did not fix our rattles though ours can be attributed to the handles. UPDATE February2004: Let our top sit off the car for several months and put it back on. It doesn't rattle anymore, so the seals may have needed to rest? Update 2: March 2004: There is another solution that is being tested by owners. Update 3: After about a month on the car, the rattles started coming back this spring. Hardtop came off anyway for the spring weather. Some have reported rattle caused by rear shelf of hardtop vibrating
against body or stored softtop.
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Hardtop rattle behind the Driver? Check to see if the "link" that covers the hole for the pin in the hardtop has not "disappeared" | |||
Select Shift transmission: affects some 03s built from Nov 18, 2002 thru March 2003. Error code appears, shifting does not "feel" right. See your dealer. Symptoms usually occur at around 3000 miles but can show up anytime. Sometimes a reflash of the computer by your dealer will correct the problem. |
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Wear on unusual spot on softtop of early 2004s: Some owners have noticed a wear spot on their softtop even though softtop has been stored. See your dealer. There is a fix. | |||
6CD changer: Some CDs may get stuck. A solution that works sometimes: Turn it off and let the system cool down before trying to eject CDs (usually means shutting off the car). If that fails then see your dealer. Do not use CDs with paper labels, odd shapes or with a scratch protection film. Mark your homemade CDs with a permanent marker. Some have found that Sony CDs are the best for homemade CDs in these units. |
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02 boot too unwieldy? Try the much softer 03/04/05 boot which folds in 4ths and stores in the rear cubby hole of your trunk or get the aftermarket solution listed on the accessories page | |||
Air Conditioning blowing hot air from one side
or the other
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Buzzing sound when you are traveling at speed? Sound will occur around 65 to 75 mph. Have you recently had your cabin air filter changed? If so, then the cause is the plastic trim at the base of your windshield not setting flush with the windshield. You will notice a slight gap occuring in one portion of that trim. To fix, the trim will need to be re-installed making sure that all clips that hold the trim to the body are clipped to the correct spots. You can do this yourself or return the car to whomever installed the cabin air filter last and have them reinstall the trim. (editor's note: It's been so long ago that this happened to me and well before this page was started that I forgot to mention it. It has happened to others, too.) | |||
Cracked Thermostat Housing: Read this TBN thread on replacement parts | |||
Ford Dealer Service
taking too long or claiming they can't fix, parts not available?:
Read this thread on TBN
to the end, then find a good Independent Service Repair facility or another
more reputable Ford or Lincoln Service Department to get your car repaired
if you can not do the work yourself. I add this in as our T-birds
age and many are now out of Ford warranties or service contracts.
My opinion - a dealership may be trying to get you to sell your car and buy a new one. They win if you buy from them and trade in your old car needing a disabling but common & easy fix. They make money on both. 1 - you buy new car and they make their profit on that. 2 - They fix the old car that they wouldn't fix for you, turn around and resell that car at a large profit since the market is still up on these cars even for one with high mileage. |
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Something to remember about problems that have been reported: they are few and far between. |
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Recalls on the 2002:
1- Seatbelt recall: affects cars built from April 2001 to late April, 2002. |
2- Emissions recall: 2002 T-birds affected built between February 13, 2002 & April 19, 2002: see your dealer. Must be fixed in order to sell car in some states |
Recall on the 2004: Driver side Seat recall: 2004 T-birds built between Dec. 15, 2003 and Jan 20, 2004 |
Trivia on one other 2004 recall - There was a fuel tank recall on a few tbirds built during one week in early 2004. Most were caught at the factory, the rest before customer delivery |
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