Vehicle report
2003 FORD THUNDERBIRD
This model year
What the record shows
The 2003 Ford Thunderbird is a two-seater, and the 44th model year of a nameplate NHTSA records from 1960 to 2005.
The EPA rated two configurations: a single 3.9-litre eight-cylinder engine, rear-wheel drive only, a single transmission, Automatic 5-spd and running on premium gasoline.
Combined fuel economy is 18 mpg.
The federal record holds 33 owner complaints and 42 service bulletins for it.
Counts are reports, not rates. A complaint is something an owner chose to file; it is unverified and unadjusted for how many of these cars were sold, so the useful comparison is against other model years of the same car. Recalls and investigations carry more weight because a manufacturer or regulator acted on them.
Reading this report
Complaint counts are reports filed with NHTSA, not failure rates. A common model collects more of them than a rare one that breaks more often.