1996 FORD THUNDERBIRD Exterior Lighting Problems

THERE IS A WHITRE CLOUDY FILM ON THE HEADLIGHTS CREATING POOR VISABILITY AT NIGHT.*AK

96 FORD THUNDERBIRD HEADLIGHT SWITCH SHORTINGSMOKING HEADLIGHTS OUT. KEVIN VANOY, ASTORG FORD PARKERSBURG, WV SAYS THIS IS COMMON. HE ORDERED PART SAID MECHANIC SEPARATED WIRES AND ORDERED PARTS. SAID NO MORE PROBLEMS DRIVE AWAY. LIGHTS STILL GO OUT MELTING WIRES. GLEN DETHY CARRIAGE FORD CLARKSVILLE, IN ORDERS PARKERSBURG TO SEND PARTS TO IN, BUT WILL CHARGE $100 EXTRA TO INSTALL, NEITHER DEALER WOULD RUN A HOT WIRE WITH A CABIN SWITH TO LET CUSTONMER SAFELY HAVE LIGHTS. BOTH DEALERS SENT CUSTOMER BACK ON ROAD WITH DANGEROUS LIGHT SWITCH.

Mileage: 69,999

THIRD BRAKE LIGHT ASSEMBLY KEEPS MELTING. OCTOBER 2000 26,000 MILES FIRST NOTICED MY THIRD BRAKE LIGHT HAD MELTED THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY INCLUDING THE LIGHT SOCKETS, WAS TOLD THEN THAT IT WAS A KNOWN PROBLEM, AFTER MUCH ARGUING AND WRITING THE BBB FORD FINALLY AGREED TO REPLACE IT AT NO COST TO ME. NOW 2003 AT 32,800 MILES ASSEMBLY IS MELTED AGAIN, AGAIN I WAS INFORMED THAT FORD WILL NOT REPLACE IT THE COST IS MINE. I SAID THEN AND I STILL BELIEVE THIS A PRODUCT DEFECT ON FORDS PART. I DO NOT BELIEVE I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR A DEFECTIVE PART, APART WHICH IS THE SAME PART THAT IS IN THERE NOW AND WILL MELT AGAIN IN A YEAR OR TWO AND I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE IT AGAIN. THE LINK BELOW SHOWS PICTURES OF A FORD THUNDERBIRDS THIRD BRAKE LIGHT DAMAGE AFTER THE ASSEMBLY AND WIRE HARRNESS HAS MELTED. THIS SEEMS TO BE A FIRE HAZARD.W.MN12PERFORMANCE.COM/MN12HOWTO/3RD_BRAKE_LIGHT/3RD_BRAKELIGHT.HTML. *AK

WITHOUT WARNING, AND AT SPEED, HIGH BEAM HEADLAMPS FAILED LEAVING NO FORWARD VISIBILITY. PREVIOUSLY REPLACED THE COLUMN MOUNTED MULTI-FUNCTION SWITCH TO CORRECT THE SAME PROBLEM. SUSPECT DESIGN/ENGINEERING FLAW WITH SWITCH. *AK

THE FRONT SPRINGS ARE DEFECTIVE AND BREAK THUS COLLASPSING THE STRUTS AND MAKING THE VEHICLE HARD TO HANDLE. THE PLASTIC INTAKE MANIFILD COOLANT CHANNEL WALLS ARE TO THIN AND TEND TO BLOW-OUT. FINALLY, THE BACKLIT REAR REFLECTOR TENDS TO BURNOUT TO OFTER FOR A INTEGRATED PART. THE VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION BECAUSE THE REFLECTOR IS AN INTEGRATED PART OF THE TAIL LIGHT ASSEMBLY. THE COST OF REPLACEMENT IS PROHIBITIVE SO THE REFLCTOR REMAINS BURNED OUT ON MANY OF THE OTHER T-BIRDS I SEE ON THE ROAD CAUSING A PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE'S VISIBILITY. THE ILUMENATOR IN THE REFLECTOR SHOULD BE SERVICABLE. *AK

HEADLIGHT LENSES CLOUD UP, WHICH REDUCES LIGHT BEAMS. *JB

THE HEAD LIGHT LENSES ON THE VEHICLE ARE CLOUDING UP, THE PLASTIC USED FOR THE LENSES IS DEFECTIVE. *MJS

THE HEAD LIGHT LENSES ON THE VEHICLE ARE CLOUDING UP, THE PLASTIC USED FOR THE LENSES IS DEFECTIVE. *MJS

THE ASSEMBLY FOR THE THIRD BRAKE LIGHT HAS MELTED AND NOW YOU CANNOT GET THE BULBS OUT. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THE WHOLE ASSEMBLY HAS TO BE REPLACED (@ $100.00) NOT COVERD UNDER THE EX-WARRENTY, TALKED WITH ANOTHER FORD MACHANIC AT ANOTHER DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THAT ASSEMBLY ON THE THUNDERBIRD AND FORD DOESNOT INTEND TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. CUSTOMERS PROBLEM. DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT TO ME.

WHILE DRIVING 30MPH & APPLYING THE BRAKES TO AVOID HITTING A VEHICLE THAT STOPPED. HOWEVER, VEHICLE HAD NO BRAKE LIGHTS, AND IT REARENDED VEHICLE IN FRONT DUE TO NO BRAKES. VEHICLE TOWED TO DEALERSHIP & MECHANIC INDICATED BRAKES WERE GONE. PIN IN THE BRAKES HAD BROKEN WHICH CAUSED THE BRAKES TO BE INOPERATIVE. *AK

THE CONNECTOR THAT THE BULBS PLUG INTO FOR THE THRID BRAKE LIGHT ON THE BACK DASH IS ALL MELTED AND BROWN ON BOTH SIDES. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK *ML

THE PASSENGER SIDE TAIL LAMP LOCATED ON THE TRUNK HAS EXPERIENCED SOME SORT OF INTERNAL SEPARATION THAT CANNOT BE FIXED WITHOUT REPLACEMENT. THE SYMPTOM IS THAT THE TAILIGHT IS DIMMER AND NOT AS BRIGHT AS THE ONE ON THE RIGHT SIDE. THIS CONDITION IS SPECIFIC TO THE LATE 90'S THUNDERBIRDS WITH NEON TAILLAMPS, AND I HAVE SEEN IT OCCUR ON EITHER SIDE. I HAVE CONTACTED FORD REGARDING THE MATTER, AND THEY ARE NOT INTERESTED IN FIXING MY PROBLEM WITHOUT ME SHELLING OUT SOME MONEY FOR A NEW ASSEMBLY. CLEARLY, THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM.

A WHITE CLOUDY FILM IS FORMING IN THE HEADLIGHTS. MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. *AK

THE DESIGN OF THE HEAD LIGHTS IS INFERIOR TO PREVIOUS MODELS, THERE IS LESS VISIBILITY WITH THE 1996 MODEL. THE DRIVER IS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH VISIBILITY.

HEAD LIGHTS ARE NOT STABLE REQUIRED CONSTANT ADJUSTMENT.