Not true. Ford used blue digital readouts and backlighting in Mustangs from 1994 to 1999 then switched to green in later model years. Same holds true for the Ford Explorer overhead console with digital compass/ temperature readouts. How do I know all this? I owned 1994 and 1999 Mustangs plus I did a Mustang dash swap into a 1984 Thunderbird that required me to get the right parts so all of the digital readouts matched the same color as each other and the blue instrument and switch backlighting.

Also, prior to the 1985 redesign of the Thunderbird interior which used green digital readouts and backlighting, the 1983-84 Thunderbird had blue digital readouts and backlighting. I have had that car completely apart along with some of the backlighted parts that go in it. Parts with blue backlighting had blue color filter caps while the parts with green back lighting had green color filter caps.

The digital message center and audio display have the same shade of ice blue digital lighting as my 94 and 99 Mustang plus the original dash clock in my 84 T-bird and the 97 Mustang dash conversion that went in it along with the early Ford Explorer roof console with the blue digital readout.

 

Yes, it's a blue-green they used, for the reason I stated. It's not blue, it's not green, it's both, with a lean towards green than not. Not the pure green we see today, true. And I agree, much better to look at.

 

I actually wish mine would go green rather than ice blue because I run with green gauges and I hate how the dash stuff stays ice blue. But relative to the question, ALOT of cars had green lights around that time

 

Yeah, I can imagine that with the Gotta Have It Green color it probably would look odd with blue gauges.

 

I have Ice blue in the day, but always go green gauges at night, since its better for night vision. Red's even better, but my eyes adjust to it too well, so oncoming headlights have a tendency to blind me (or I can't read the gauges too well with oncoming cars). If I'm on a country back road, I'll set the gauges to red.

The easiest gauges to read at night I've ever seen were in either my family's old '85 BMW 318i (red) or my buddy's VW Scirocco (green).

Aside from retro looks, my guess that's a factor to why they went with green over red--for people with crappier night vision like me-- but maybe also because its more neutral (appeals more to the general masses) and red cabin lights can look pink with incandescent bulbs (just look at late 90's Pontiacs--Yeah, nothing says sports car like pink lights). Ford cheaped out on the rest of the interior lights to the best of my knowledge and made them backlit by light bulbs. only the IC has LED lighting, again as far as I know (on the '05-06 cars, dunno about later ones with ambient lighting).