vehicle signal
U.S. public vehicle records

1981 Ford FAIRMONT problems and owner complaints

Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.

Key facts

2 owner complaints analyzed

1 distinct recall campaigns

Not available median reported failure mileage

Scope: 1981 model year. Data snapshot: . 0 complaints include usable failure mileage.

This selection has limited data. It remains available for lookup but is excluded from search indexing.

Owner-reported patterns

Most common problems

Electrical System:Ignition:Switch is the most frequently named component, appearing in 1 of 2 complaints (50.0%). A complaint can name multiple components.

Recurring terms in complaint narratives
TopicMatching reportsShare of complaints
Electrical and battery issues150.0%
Steering behavior150.0%

Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.

Component breakdown

Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.

Electrical System:Ignition:Switch
1
Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar
1
Component breakdown data
CategoryCount
Electrical System:Ignition:Switch1
Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar1

Electrical System:Ignition:Switch: 1; Steering: Steering Wheel/Handle Bar: 1

Reported problems by failure mileage

Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.

Under 25,000
0
25,000 to 49,999
0
50,000 to 74,999
0
75,000 to 99,999
0
100,000 to 149,999
0
150,000 and above
0
Reported problems by failure mileage data
CategoryCount
Under 25,0000
25,000 to 49,9990
50,000 to 74,9990
75,000 to 99,9990
100,000 to 149,9990
150,000 and above0

Under 25,000: 0; 25,000 to 49,999: 0; 50,000 to 74,999: 0; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 0; 150,000 and above: 0

No usable failure mileage is recorded. 2 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.

Complaints over time

Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.

1996
2
Complaints over time data
CategoryCount
19962

1996: 2

Pattern summary

Electrical System:Ignition:Switch leads the component reports. Electrical and battery issues appears in 1 complaint narratives. Steering behavior appears in 1 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.

Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.

Complaint evidence

Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.

Owner report 983731 · 1996-04-29 (April 29, 1996)

AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CAUSED THE IGNITION SWITCH TO CATCH ON FIRE WHILE PARKED. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 983731 at NHTSA ↗

Owner report 983777 · 1996-04-30 (April 30, 1996)

WHILE DRIVING A PIECE IN THE STEERING WHEEL BROKE OFF AND CASUED LOSS OF STEERING. PLEASE DESCRIBE. *AK

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 983777 at NHTSA ↗