NHTSA recalls & complaints · 1995–1999
NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns and 166 owner complaints for the Ford Probe, covering model years 1995 to 1999. The 1995 model year drew the most complaints (86), and Engine and Engine Cooling is the component owners name most often.
Source: NHTSA recall and complaint flat files, updated September 25, 2026.
See the model year, plant and build details of one vehicle, then the recalls for its exact year.
The 1995 model year has the most complaints: 86 of 166, or 51.8%. Next come 1996 (52) and 1997 (27). The fewest are for 1999, with 1 complaint.
| Model year | Complaints | Reporting a crash | Reporting a fire | Reporting an injury | Reporting a death |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 86 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| 1996 | 52 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 1997 | 27 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 1999 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| All model years | 166 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 0 |
Crash, fire, injury and death columns count complaints that report at least one of them, not people.
Engine and Engine Cooling is the component named most often, in 42 complaints (25.3% of all 166), followed by Power Train (39) and Electrical System (19).
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 42 | 25.3% |
| Power Train | 39 | 23.5% |
| Electrical System | 19 | 11.4% |
| Steering | 19 | 11.4% |
| Air Bags | 12 | 7.2% |
| Seat Belts | 12 | 7.2% |
| Structure | 11 | 6.6% |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 5.4% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 7 | 4.2% |
| Visibility | 6 | 3.6% |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 | 3.0% |
| Suspension | 5 | 3.0% |
| Tires | 5 | 3.0% |
| Unknown or Other | 5 | 3.0% |
| Equipment | 4 | 2.4% |
One complaint can name several components, so the shares add up to more than 100%. Component names are NHTSA’s top-level categories.
These figures count complaints that vehicle owners and other members of the public have submitted to NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. NHTSA uses complaints, together with other data, to spot safety issues that may warrant an investigation and to check whether existing recalls go far enough.
Use complaint patterns as a prompt for questions: whether a recall covers the issue, whether the vehicle you are considering has had the fix, and what a mechanic finds on inspection. For confirmed safety defects, see the recall list for this model.
Every vehicle recall campaign NHTSA lists under the model name Probe, newest first. The 2 campaigns cover model years 1996 to 1997. The 1996 and 1997 model years appear in the most campaigns (1 each).
| 1996: 1 campaign | 1997: 1 campaign |
NHTSA campaign 98V206002
Reported
Model year 1997
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. An external spring in the timing belt tensioner can break and get caught in the timing belt.
Filed by Ford Motor Company
NHTSA campaign 96V090000
Reported
Model year 1996
The supplementary air bag inflatable restraint caution label located on the driver side sun visor does not contain the statement, "do not install rearward facing child seats in any front passenger seat position." This does not comply with the requirements of FMVSS No. 208, "occupant crash protection."
Filed by Ford Motor Company
Recall text is shown as NHTSA publishes it; older campaigns, which NHTSA stores in capital letters, are shown in sentence case. NHTSA’s Vehicle Safety Hotline, 1-888-327-4236, also answers recall questions.
This list shows every safety recall campaign NHTSA has on file for this make, model and model year. It is not specific to one vehicle: a recall often covers only vehicles built in a certain date range or with a certain part, and many of the vehicles it covers will already have been repaired.
| Field | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Campaign number | NHTSA's unique ID for the recall, such as 20V771000. Quote it to a dealer or when searching NHTSA's site. |
| Component | The system or part involved, for example air bags, brakes or electrical software. |
| Summary | What the defect or non-compliance is and which vehicles are covered. |
| Consequence | The safety risk if the problem isn't fixed. |
| Remedy | What the manufacturer will do, such as a repair, replacement or software update, and whether it is free. |
Does your vehicle have an open recall? Only a VIN check can tell you. Enter the VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or on the manufacturer's website. Our VIN recall check guide explains what each option covers.
NHTSA lists 2 vehicle recall campaigns for the Ford Probe, covering model years 1995 to 1999. The most recent, 98V206002, was reported on November 3, 1998 and is filed under “Engine and engine cooling”. The 1996 and 1997 model years are covered by the most campaigns (1 each).
The 1995 model year, with 86 of the 166 complaints in NHTSA’s file (51.8%). The next are 1996 (52) and 1997 (27). Complaint counts also reflect how many vehicles of each year were sold and how long they have been on the road, so they are not a reliability ranking.
Engine and Engine Cooling is the component named most often: 42 complaints, or 25.3% of all 166. Power Train (39) and Electrical System (19) follow. Complaints are unverified reports from owners, not confirmed defects, and one complaint can name several components.
Not necessarily. Each campaign lists specific model years, and many cover only vehicles built in a certain period or fitted with a certain part; repairs already carried out aren’t shown. To see whether a recall is open on your vehicle, enter its VIN at NHTSA’s recall lookup (opens in a new tab) or ask a Ford dealer.
Of the 166 complaints, 18 report a crash, 5 a fire, 11 at least one injury and 0 at least one death. These figures count complaints, not people, and each complaint is the submitter’s own unverified account.
The Ford models with the most NHTSA complaints, and the Ford VIN decoder with every Ford model page, WMI code and VIN note.
All Ford models and WMI codesLook up recalls by year
Data: NHTSA recalls and complaints flat files, updated September 25, 2026. Recall campaigns are vehicle (V) campaigns listed for this model name; complaints are counted once per NHTSA ODI number and model year.