1989 Ford Probe

The federal record supplied does not include a 1989 entry, so a direct year-over-year comparison for the 1989 Probe is not possible; the earliest data begin in 1990, when complaints peaked at 355 and recalls and investigations were at their highest. Across the 1990–1997 arc, complaints generally trended downward after 1990, with a secondary 1993–1994 spike of 228 and 209 complaints, while recalls held steady at four per year and technical service bulletins climbed from 34 to as many as 119, suggesting deepening service knowledge rather than a clean reliability improvement. The 1989 model’s top complaint areas—seat belts (27), engine and engine cooling (15), visibility (12), and electrical system (9)—mirror the early-build concern categories that dominate the 1990 peak, though the data do not specify root causes. The six crash-related and six fire-related complaints are noted, but without a total 1989 complaint count their severity rate cannot be assessed. Because 1989 precedes the federal record, it falls outside the documented improvement curve and there is no evidence it is safer or more reliable than the better-supported later years. Takeaway: unless a prospective 1989 Probe has documented maintenance and a clean inspection, it is an unbenchmarked, higher-risk choice; a 1992 or 1996–1997 example would offer a clearer reliability picture and lower complaint volume.