1991 MERCURY TRACER — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 59 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (15 complaints · 25.4%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 2
  • Fires 9
  • Injuries 3
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 1990 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution ELECTRICAL SYSTEM appears in 15 of 59 owner complaints (25.4%) in this vehicle snapshot. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 15 complaints, 25.4% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 15 · 25.4% · 6 fire reports FUEL SYSTEM: 13 complaints, 22.0% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 13 · 22.0% · 1 fire reports SEAT BELTS: 10 complaints, 16.9% of reports SEAT BELTS 10 · 16.9% · 1 crash reports ENGINE: 5 complaints, 8.5% of reports ENGINE 5 · 8.5% · 1 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 3 complaints, 5.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 3 · 5.1% SERVICE BRAKES: 3 complaints, 5.1% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 3 · 5.1% STEERING: 3 complaints, 5.1% of reports STEERING 3 · 5.1% · 1 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 1 complaints, 1.7% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 1.7% STRUCTURE: 1 complaints, 1.7% of reports STRUCTURE 1 · 1.7% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 45 complaints, 76.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 45 · 76.3% · 2 crash reports 7 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 15 25.4% 0 crashes · 6 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 13 22.0% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SEAT BELTS 10 16.9% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 5 8.5% 0 crashes · 1 fires
POWER TRAIN 3 5.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 3 5.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 3 5.1% 0 crashes · 1 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 1.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 1 1.7% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 45 76.3% 2 crashes · 7 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Apr 1995; the first recall shown was reported in Aug 1992. 1995-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 1995-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1996-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 1996-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 1996-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1996-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 1997-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 1997-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 1997-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 1998-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 1998-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 1999-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 1999-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 1999-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2000-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2001-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2002-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2005-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Aug 1992 Apr 2019 Recall campaign 92V117000 ◆ Recall campaign 92V117000 Recall campaign 93V057000 ◆ Recall campaign 93V057000 Recall campaign 94E019000 ◆ Recall campaign 94E019000 Investigation EA94002 ● Investigation EA94002
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
1995-Q2 Owner reports 4
1995-Q3 Owner reports 2
1996-Q1 Owner reports 5
1996-Q2 Owner reports 8
1996-Q3 Owner reports 1
1996-Q4 Owner reports 3
1997-Q1 Owner reports 4
1997-Q2 Owner reports 1
1997-Q3 Owner reports 1
1997-Q4 Owner reports 1
1998-Q1 Owner reports 2
1998-Q2 Owner reports 2
1998-Q3 Owner reports 2
1998-Q4 Owner reports 2
1999-Q1 Owner reports 4
1999-Q2 Owner reports 2
1999-Q3 Owner reports 4
1999-Q4 Owner reports 1
2000-Q2 Owner reports 1
2000-Q3 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 2
2001-Q3 Owner reports 1
2001-Q4 Owner reports 1
2002-Q1 Owner reports 1
2002-Q3 Owner reports 1
2005-Q3 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 92V117000
Recall campaign 1 93V057000
Recall campaign 1 94E019000
Defect investigation 1 EA94002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 92V117000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    SHOULD A CRACK DEVELOP, FUEL VAPOR CAN ESCAPE FROM THETANK WHEN THE TANK IS FULL, AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF FUEL CAN LEAK FROM THE CRACK.FUEL LEAKS CAN RESULT IN FIRE WHEN EXPOSED TO A SOURCE OF IGNITION.
    Remedy:
    INSTALL A NEW FUEL PUMP SENDING ASSEMBLY.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 93V057000

    Report date
    Component:
    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
    Consequence:
    THE IGNITION LOCK CYLINDER MAY DISENGAGE FROM THESTEERING COLUMN HOUSING WHICH COULD CAUSE THE STEERING COLUMN TO LOCK UP,RESULTING IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND A POSSIBLE ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    IF ONE OR BOTH OF THE ROLL PINS ARE MISSING OR NOT FULLY INSERTED, THE IGNITION LOCK HOUSING WILL BE REPLACED, ALONG WITH THE DOOR-LOCKS AND THE LIFTGATE OR DECK-LID LOCKS SO THAT KEY COMPATIBILITY IS MAINTAINED. IF BOTH PINS ARE PRESENT AND FULLY INSERTED, A PLASTIC SNAP-ON SLEEVE WILL BE INSTALLED AS A PRECAUTION TO PREVENT THE ROLL PINS FROM COMING OUT.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 94E019000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    THIS CAN RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE STEERING CONTROL ANDAN ACCIDENT.
    Remedy:
    DANA WILL PAY FOR REPLACEMENT AND LABOR COSTS OF THE ADJUSTMENT PIN WITHOUT CHARGE TO THE INSTALLING FACILITY AND THE VEHICLE OWNER. THESE PINS SHOULD BE REPLACED BY A FORD ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT PIN ASSEMBLY. OWNER OR INSTALLER INQUIRIES CONCERNING THIS RECALL CAMPAIGN SHOULD CONTACT DANA SERVICE CENTER AT 1-800-248-9606.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 59 complaints · page 1 of 3

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources