The 1996 Ford Thunderbird has 4 recalls, the most serious being a driver's door latch that can release from its secondary position under side-load forces, allowing the door to fly open while driving.
Recalls 3 and 4 describe the same climate control blower defect. The temperature control module can malfunction and cause the blower to stick at maximum speed, cycle erratically between full blast and nothing, or stop working entirely. When the blower stops, the defroster loses its ability to clear frost or fog from the windshield, reducing forward visibility in cold or humid conditions.
At a glance
What can fail
The driver's door latch may not hold securely when closed to its secondary position, failing to withstand the required 1000-pound side force.
What the fix does
The driver's door latch will be inspected and replaced if needed.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
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At a glance
What can fail
The driver door latch may open when in its secondary (partially closed) position if the vehicle experiences side-to-side forces, even lighter than federal safety standards require.
What the fix does
Dealers will inspect the driver door latch and replace it if needed.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The climate control module may malfunction, causing the blower fan to run erratically, stay at high speed, or stop completely regardless of your control settings. If the blower stops, the defroster won't clear frost or fog from the windshield.
What the fix does
The dealer will inspect the climate control module and replace it with a revised version if needed.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
At a glance
What can fail
The climate control blower may malfunction due to a faulty temperature control module. It can stick on high, operate erratically with output varying unpredictably, or stop working entirely.
What the fix does
Dealers will replace the temperature control module with an updated version containing revised software.
Summarized — see the official notice for exact wording, dates, and contacts.
